Why my hip hurts

One of the conditions that can affect your dog most are hip injuries. There are certain reasons why your dog might be complaining of a pain in that area and also appear symptoms associated with the hip problem that your dog has, which should worry you a lot since it might even require surgery along with a long recovery time if The injury is serious.

If you think your dog might be suffering from this ailment, we encourage you to continue reading because in the following article we give you an answer to your question about " why my dog hurts my hip ?".

Symptoms of hip pain in dogs

The symptoms of hip pain in a dog can vary, but the most common that occur in most cases are usually the following:

Lameness, especially on the hind legs.
Difficulty getting up.
I refuse to play, run, jump or climb stairs.
I swing when walking.
Sudden onset of pain
Muscular atrophy and loss of muscle mass in the hind legs.
Difficulty moving the hind legs.
Pelvic pain

Depending on the cause of your dog, this pain and discomfort in the hip will present some symptoms or others.

Causes of hip pain in dogs

Below, we explain in detail the most frequent hip injuries that a dog can experience. So, these are the main possible causes of why your dog has a hip pain :

Hip dysplasia: This is a congenital malformation that occurs when the joint that joins the femur does not fit with the pelvic bone. It happens during the growth of the animal, where the hip is moving towards the sides preventing the dog from moving properly and becomes more severe over time. Although there are many dogs that suffer from this problem, in most cases it does not develop until the end, but if you do, you will notice that your pet limps and suffers pain when performing activities such as running, sitting or climbing the ladder.
Hip fractures: to break a hip you need to have hit very hard, as it can happen in a fall from a stop or in a hit where the hip can break, in this case usually is accompanied by other symptoms produced by the accident. This you will notice immediately because the dog can barely move and you will notice that he complains a lot due to the pain.
Dislocation of the hip: also known as dislocation, is the most common cause of all since it can happen during any time of the animal's life just by a bad movement or an excessively abrupt movement.
Tear of the muscle: the hip contains muscle as well as bone, and this muscle can also tear. This problem is very common among dogs, which causes them to limp and you can see that your pet's hip is swollen due to the inflammation of the torn muscle.

Treatment for hip pain in dogs according to the cause

Depending on the cause that is producing hip pain your dog can be treated medically, with or without surgery. It is recommended to go to the veterinarian if you see any symptoms described above to perform an x-ray and detect the problem as soon as possible, especially if it is hip dysplasia, because when it is detected earlier, it will be easier and faster to treat and improve it. Thus, these are the treatments for hip pain in dogs according to their cause, although they are not the only ones and it will always be the veterinarian who indicates which is the best option for each patient:

Hip dysplasia: in this case there is no definitive cure, but there are appropriate treatments to relieve pain and give a better quality of life to your hairy. If the dysplasia is not very advanced or for some reason you can not operate the dog, it is advisable to restrict any exercise, avoid overweight or in case you already have it, the veterinarian will give you a strict diet to follow to lose weight. Normally, it is also combined with hydrotherapy or massage to relieve joint pain. Dogs with this problem usually need the administration of anti-inflammatories, analgesics and medications to protect the cartilages or chondroprotectors. Keep in mind that treatment without surgery has to be carried out throughout life and does not eliminate dysplasia, but prevents it from getting worse and relieves pain, although most times it is enough for your dog to have the quality of life that he deserves. If the medical treatment without surgery does not give results or the dysplasia is very advanced, it is going to require a surgery where after this it will not be necessary to maintain a treatment during the whole life. There are different surgical techniques to solve this problem, but it will be the veterinarian who chooses which one will be best for your dog after an appropriate diagnosis. In this other article we explain how to care for a dog with hip dysplasia.
Hip fracture: if this is the cause of hip pain in the dog, veterinary attention will be essential to determine if surgery is required or not, depending on the type of fracture that the dog has. The most usual thing is that you can rest for a long time.
Hip dislocation: as in the previous case, a hip dislocation may require an operation or not depending on the type of dislocation. In most cases the veterinarian, after making x-rays and even ultrasound scans, can reposition the part of the hip area that has been dislocated and immobilize the area so that the joint ends up healing alone.
Muscle tear: usually, a tear in the muscle does not need surgery and it heals much faster than in the previous cases. In addition to taking it to the vet, you can alternate the application of hot and cold compresses on the hip of your dog so that little by little the inflammation diminishes and the torn muscle heals alone.

If you notice that your dog has a hip pain, it is advisable to go to the veterinarian in any of the cases to perform a physical examination and an x-ray, among other tests if required, to find out the definitive cause that is causing you badly. dog and give an accurate diagnosis to, in this way, apply the best treatment and recover as soon as possible.