Feline hip dysplasia: A challenge to recognise and treat

The reported incidence of hip dysplasia (HD) in cats varies dramatically between studies, but the condition is likely more common than we realise. There is little doubt that cats with HD and associated osteoarthritis (OA) suffer pain, and this warrants appropriate therapy.

Clinical signs of HD in cats are often gradual in onset, making them difficult to appreciate, but may include inactivity, pelvic limb lameness, difficulty jumping and climbing stairs, and reluctance to squat to defecate. Often lameness is bilateral, and can be particularly difficult to recognise. The most common radiographic finding is an abnormally shallow acetabulum. Subluxation, however, is not consistently associated with OA in cats and therefore the role that joint laxity plays in disease progression remains uncertain. Degenerative changes of the femoral head and neck seem to develop later than in the dog, and are less marked.

The majority of cats respond to non-surgical management with environmental modulation, physical therapy, dietary modulation, weight loss, nutraceuticals and drug therapy. Should non-surgical management not provide sufficient relief, two salvage surgical options are available: femoral head and neck excision (FHNE) and total hip replacement (THR). While there is a risk of complications with micro-THR, the positive outcomes that have been reported indicate that it should be considered in the treatment of coxofemoral pathology in cats in the same way that THR is considered for larger dogs, especially given the inconsistent results associated with FHNE. Monitoring the effect of treatment is challenging as the assessment of pain in cats is complex and there is no validated scoring system or owner-completed questionnaire yet available for cats.

There is a paucity of clinical reports focusing solely on HD in cats. The author draws on a combination of published studies, in cats, dogs and humans, as well as personal clinical experience.