Canine Hip Dysplasia Project

The Heartbreak of Canine Hip Dysplasia   

Every dog lover knows the excitement of adding a new puppy to the family. Every breeder knows the excitement of a new litter, full of prospects for the future whether each puppy is destined to be a working dog, show dog, or beloved family pet.


 
Then comes the heartbreak only a few months later, when the puppy is just five or six months old. You notice some limping. The puppy is slow to get up from lying down. After a trip to the vet and a few x-rays, you get the diagnosis: your puppy has hip dysplasia.
 
Some difficult decisions will need to be made. Can the problem be managed just with medication for pain? Will surgery be necessary? Will you be able to afford the treatment necessary to give the pup an active, pain-free life?
 
This is a heartbreaking situation, and it's far too common. In fact, hip dysplasia is the single greatest cause of pain and suffering in dogs. It occurs in both purebred and mixed breed dogs, and in both large and small breeds.


 
What if I told you there might be a simple way to significantly reduce or even eliminate the occurrence of hip dysplasia in the canine population? With your help, I believe that we can solve this problem in one generation.  I hope you will continue reading to learn more. 
 
Millions of dogs are born every year - thousands each and every day - that will damage the ligaments in their hips in just the first couple of weeks after birth because of inadequate traction in the whelping box. Many of these puppies will receive the heartbreaking diagnosis of hip dysplasia before their first birthday, shattering the hopes and dreams of their owners for a long, healthy life, and forcing difficult decisions about treatment or even euthanasia.

We believe that, with your help, we can make a real difference in the frequency of hip dysplasia in dogs. You can donate here and connect with us to follow the progress of the project, learn more about hip dysplasia, and help us celebrate when we are able to begin manufacturing the mats that could change the lives of so many dogs and those that love them.
 
Every contribution will help! Donate in memory of a beloved pet that suffered from hip dysplasia. Or for a service dog that had to be retired early because of hip dysplasia. Or simply because you love dogs and the appreciate the immeasurable ways they improve and bring joy to our lives.

Let's beat hip dysplasia - NOW!

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Keep reading to learn more about what we're doing...

The Hip Dysplasia Project - A Simple Approach
 
The Problem
We know that the risk of developing hip dysplasia is greater in puppies that were raised on slippery surfaces. Breeders typically cover the floor of the whelping box with soft, absorbant materials. These help keep the whelping box clean, but they provide poor traction for a tiny, newborn puppy. The result is that puppies slip as they try to move to nurse. When there's not enough traction, the back legs will extended more than normal as the puppy tries to push itself forward. The result is abnormal stress on the ligaments that support the hip joint, and when this happens over and over as the puppy is nursing, a critical ligament is damaged. If this ligament does not provide adequate support for the developing hip, the hip does not develop normally and hip dysplasia can be the result.

The Simple Solution
We believe that if we can reduce or prevent hip dysplasia, if we can prevent puppies from slipping in the whelping box during the first few weeks after birth.
 
To do this, we have designed a "traction mat" for the whelping box. This provides good traction for the puppies over the first few weeks after birth. If we can prevent puppies from slipping in the whelping box, we can prevent the damage to the hip ligament and the hip should develop normally.
We think we can dramatically reduce the risk of hip dysplasia in dogs with the simple addition of a mat in the whelping box that prevents puppies from slipping.
 
Developing a "Traction Mat"
Design
We have tested a custom, hand-made traction mat on litters for about 10 dog breeds. The mat is made of non-toxic silicone rubber and is sturdy and easy to clean. We have learned that a mat design that works well for a large, heavy breed is not suitable for a smaller, lighter one. And mats that work well for tiny newborns do not prevent slipping a week later when the puppies have doubled in size.
 
Therefore we need to develop a set of mats that will be suitable for the range of sizes and weights of breeds and their puppies, both at birth and a week later when the puppies are larger and heavier.
 
Manufacture
Making mats by hand is time-consuming and expensive. We need to produce mat designs that can be manufactured in numbers at a reasonable cost. This will require creating a mold for each mat design, and these can cost $15,000 to $20,000 each. This is a considerable "up front" cost, but once a mold is made it can produce many thousands of mats.
 
Education
If we are able to reduce the risk of hip dysplasia by providing better traction for puppies in the whelping box, we will then need to get the word out to breeders. We can exploit social networking platforms (like Facebook) and also connect with breeders and clubs. We will need to explain why traction is important and provide instruction on the proper use of the mats through articles, demonstrations, and videos.
 
Implementation
We think we can dramatically reduce the frequency of hip dysplasia in the next generation of puppies.

·      We are working on mat designs that will be appropriate for all breeds, large and small.
·      We have identified a source that can produce the molds for the mats and also handle local production.
·      We have identified a material specifically designed for use in dog toys and accessories. It it sturdy, non-toxic, and FDA approved.
·      We will prepare online resources for information and education that will be available to breeders.
·      We will have follow-up with breeders about their effectiveness of the mats in preventing slipping and the condition of the hips of puppies.
·      We will reach out to the organizations that breed service and military dogs to provide the assistance necessary to begin using the mats in their breeding programs.
·      We are working to raise the funds necessary to make this happen through GoFundMe as well as private sources.
 
How can you help?
We need to raise the funds to support design of the mats, production of the molds, and outreach and education so they are used properly by breeders. For this, we need your financial support.
 
The molds alone will run to tens of thousands of dollars, and we might need a half dozen or more designs to suit the range in size from toy to mastiff. We need to make effective educational materials that will engage breeders across a variety of online platforms, in print, and in person. We will need to keep records of the effectiveness of the mats so we can modify and improve them as necessary, as well as demonstrate a real reduction in the risk of hip dysplasia to motivate breeders to use them.



How can you help?

We need to raise the funds to support design of the mats, production of the molds, and outreach and education so they are used properly by breeders.  For this, we need your financial support.

Our initial goal is to raise $22,000 to support the design and manufacture of the mold for the first mat design. 
 
The molds alone will run to tens of thousands of dollars, and we might need a half dozen or more designs to suit the size range  of puppies from toy to mastiff. We need to make effective educational materials that will engage breeders across a variety of online platforms, in print, and in person. We will keep records of the effectiveness of the mats so we can modify and improve them as necessary, as well as demonstrate a real reduction in the risk of hip dysplasia to motivate breeders to use them.
 
Millions of dogs are born every year - thousands each and every day - that will damage the ligaments in their hips in just the first couple of weeks after birth because of inadequate traction in the whelping box. Many of these puppies will receive the heartbreaking diagnosis of hip dysplasia before their first birthday, shattering the hopes and dreams of their owners for a long, healthy life, and forcing difficult decisions about treatment or even euthanasia.

We think we can change this, and you can help make it happen. Show your support with a donation of any size, large or small, and  join this groundbreaking initiative to eradicate the scourge of hip dysplasia in dogs.

Please share this initiative with your friends!


 
About us
We are breeders and dog lovers that wish to support the Institute of Canine Biology's Hip Dysplasia Project, with the goal of reducing or eliminating the heartbreaking disease of hip dysplasia in dogs. The project is headed by Carol Beuchat PhD, who is the Scientific Director at ICB and has been studying and teaching about canine hip dysplasia for several years. She also offers an excellent online course through ICB for those interested in taking their understanding of canine hip dysplasia to the next level. You can learn more about the course here -
 
Follow the progress of the Hip Dysplasia Project from our Facebook page at -
https://www.facebook.com/ICBHipDysplasiaProject/