"Why is hip dysplasia virtually unheard of in Greyhounds?
All puppies are born with perfect hips, yet some breeds are prone to HD and others are not.
Is it associated with the skeletal form and musculature of the hindquarters, and within that parameter, is there a susceptibility of some breeds to slipping on the floor while weaning, impacting their still developing hip joints."
There are no doubts in GSD's H/D is a mix of both genetics and environment. Hips are normal in baby puppies, but if the ligaments, tendons or muscles are not sufficiently well-developed, the joint becomes unstable as the pup grows and the hip adapts to compensate. If the parents have good hip scores, they must have inherited sufficiently strong soft tissue to keep the hips in place and hopefully that will pass on, even if you do get throwbacks occasionally.
"Puppies raised on slippery surfaces or with access to stairs when they are less than 3 months old have a higher risk of hip dysplasia, while those who are allowed off-lead exercise on soft, uneven ground (such as in a park) have a lower risk" (Krontveit et al 2012)
When I first started breeding (1995/6) I was told to never give puppies bedding as there was such a high risk of suffocation. Puppies were raised on newspaper under a heat lamp. Now I look back at that with horror. Puppies scrabbling to get about and their back legs slipping and sliding when feeding. (And they always slept in a pile meaning they were cold.) Despite advice, I soon realised this was wrong and vet beds were a game changer. Warm, content puppies who get about that box fantastically. I have to say, that if I didn't sleep with the litter then just maybe I would have lost a puppy in the K litter of 2020, he had got under the bedding and mum and 8 other pups were settling down to feed on top of him. Thankfully I was there, as I feel is my duty!
We do everything we can to produce healthy puppies, generations of low scoring ancestors, but in nature there are no guarantees. H/D is about 40% genetic, the rest is environmental and of course the occasional bad luck of the general make of the individual dog.
Pic of the Xray of Orin's hips - as close as it gets to perfect with a score os 2/2.
