Hip laxity and juvenile pubic symphysiodesis in a 3-month-old Newfoundland

• Main Author: Greenbaum, Amy
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Dogs > Diseases > Treatment > Case studies; Dogs > Surgery > Case studies; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1813/28240

The patient, a 3-month-old male intact Newfoundland, presented to the Cornell University Hospital in July 2011 and was found to have a positive Ortolani sign on the left hip. Three weeks later, a follow-up exam and pelvic radiographs revealed evidence of hip dysplasia. Based on these findings and the age of the dog, it was recommended that a Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis (JPS) be performed. A JPS is a surgical procedure in which the pubic growth plate is cauterized to prematurely stop growth, causing the acetabula to rotate ventrolaterally and capture more of the femoral head as the rest of the pelvis grows. JPS surgery has been found to significantly improve hip conformation and decrease laxity in dogs with mild to moderate hip dysplasia. While it is an effective early intervention for hip dysplasia, it cannot completely stop the progression of osteoarthritis (OA), so other measures will be necessary to treat signs of OA as they develop.