Caring For Your Rottweiler I

By: Kysurakyan Rottweilers

Proper care for a Rottweiler involves more than feeding, grooming and housing the dog. Albiet these basic requirements certainly must be met now and for the rest of the dog's life. Owning a Rottweiler brings with it a greater than average amount of responsibility. An owner must be aware of the breed's special qualities and must work actively to shape and enhance the dog's natural abilities. This means providing an abundance of affection, exercise, socialisation and obedience instruction from the dog's first days in the home. A puppy will then get a good start in life, which is the key to having it grow to its full potential as a trusted companion in the home.

 

Genetic Disorders and Faults of the Rottweiler

 

Hip Dysplasia

This is the most common cause of rear end lameness in the Rottweiler.

 

The problem lies in the structure of the hip joint. The head of the femur (thigh bone) should sit solidly in the acetabulum (cup). In hip dysplasia, loose ligaments allow the head to begin to work free. A shallow acetabulum also predisposes to joint laxity. Finally, the mass or tone of the muscles around the joint socket is an important factor. Tight ligaments, a broad pelvis with a well cupped acetabulum and a good ratio of muscle mass to size of bone, predispose to good hips. The reverse is true of dogs who are likely to develop hip dysplasia. Environmental factors, including weight and nutrition of the puppy and rearing practices figure into the final outcome.

 

Hip dysplasia is a moderately heritable condition. It is about twice as common among littermates having a dysplastic parent, but even dogs with normal hips can produce dysplastic puppies. Some dogs with x-rays showing severe hip dysplasia show no clinical signs and the diseases goes entirely unsuspected until an x-ray is taken to check for it.

 

Signs of hip dysplasia first appear during the time of rapid growth, in the Rottweiler this is normally between 4 - 10 months of age. A puppy might start walking with a limp or swaying gait, show pain in the hip, it might bunny hop when it runs and experience difficulty getting up and a desire not to move around much when it is laying down. Pushing down on its rump often causes the puppy's pelvis to drop. If you roll the puppy on its back the rear legs may resist being spread into a "frog leg" position.

 

Dur to joint laxity, there is abnormal wear and tear on the articulating surfaces of the joint. In time this leads to arthritic changes in the dysplastic hip. Pain and limitation of movement frequently parallel the degree of bone deformity (or grade of dysplasia) at the joint.

How is it diagnosed?

The only positive means of establishing the degree of hip dysplasia is by a hip x-ray that is then read by a specialist. Heavy sedation or general anaesthesia is usually required. The most common x-ray scoring method in Australia is now carried out by the AVA (Australian Veterinary Association). This is similar to the Murdoch Method (Professor Wyburn).

 

Canine hip dysplasia is graded according to the severity of joint changes seen on x-ray. Joint laxity and minor remodelling characterise mild dysplasia. Erosion of the joints, subluxation of the hips (moving out of the socket) and arthritic changes, characterise moderate dysplasia. In severe dysplasia, the acetabulum (cup) is extremely shallow or nearly flat, the femoral head is rough and flattened, subluxation is severe and arthritic changes are marked.

 

Severe cases may become evident radiographically at an early age (for example 6-8 months) but more than 70% of dogs who have hip dysplasia will be missed at this age unless it is very severe. If signs of the disease are not evident on the x-rays at 12 months however the hips are unlikely to change significantly after this time (unless an injury occurs). For this reason all schemes require the dog x-rayed must be over 12 months of age.

 

Under the AVA scheme, a score is given by assessing 9 different aspects of the hip x-ray. 8 aspects are scored out of 6 and 1 out of 5, giving a total of 53 for each hip. The two scores are then added together to give an overall score out of 106. The lower the score the better. That is 0 for the right hip and 0 for the left hip is a total of 0. This means perfect hips 0:0 = 0.

 

At the time of writing this book in 1997 the average for the Rottweiler breed in Australia is 15 (which means adding the left and right hip score together they come out to a total of 15 eg 7:8 = 15.

Treatment:

• Is directed at relieving the pain and improving function by giving aspirin or one of the newer synthetic aspiring products used in the treatment of degenerative joint disease (arthritis).
• Two surgical procedures advocated in the treatment of hip dysplasia are;
• Removal of the femoral head and
• Division of the pectineaus muscle

 

These treatments may relieve pain and improve function in some individuals.

 

There have been reports that high doses of Vitamin C (Absorbic Acid) can prevent dysplasia in susceptible dogs although these reports have not yet been fully confirmed by known scientific studies.

 

You will note that I advise you to use Absorbic Acid when raising your puppy as I have had excellent results using this with Sandoz Liquid Calcium.

 

It has been shown that repeated selection of normal dogs for breeding stock reduces the incident of hip dysplasia in a susceptible bloodline.

 

Elbow Dysplasia (Ununited Anconeal Process)

This condition is caused by a faulty union of the anconeal process (one of the elbow bones) with the ulna. It is of developmental origin. There is not a lot of documented evidence on this but it is thought to be like hip dysplasia in that environment may play a part. It is also though to be inherited.

 

The loose fragment in the elbow acts as an irritant and abrasive. Arthritis is a common sequel.

 

Pups begin to sho lameness in the front leg at about 5-8 months of age. Some are unable to bear weight; other limp only when trotting. Characteristically, the elbow is held outward from the chest, although this is not always the case.

 

Treatment: x-rays taken after 5 months of age are diagnostic. The most effective treatment is surgical removal of the loose piece of bone.

 

Osteochondritis - Separation of Joint Cartilage (Osteochondritis Dissecans)

Osteochondritis Dissecans affects dogs of the large rapidly growing breeds (such as the Rottweiler) and usually comes on between the ages of 4-12 months. It is usually found in the should joints, but rarely it can affect the hocks and stifles.

 

It is due to a defect in the cartilage overlying the head of one of the long bones. A puppy who jumps down stairs might sustain such an injury. The tendency for cartilage to be easily damaged may be hereditary. Repeated stress to the joint accelerates the condition.

 

The signs are gradual lameness in a young dog. Pain is present on flexing the joint. x-rays may show fragmentation of the joint cartilage, or a loose piece of cartilage in the joint.

 

Treatment:

The condition can be treated by confinement, or by surgical removal of the damaged cartilage. Pain pills are contradictory to the condition as they are in most traumatic joint conditions because they encourage the dog to exercise and what you really want is to keep the dog quite.

 

Wandering Lameness (Eosinophilic Panosteitis)

Panosteitis, also called "growing pains" or "wandering lameness" is a disease of puppies between 4 - 12 months of age. The cause is at this stage unknown but there is a tendency for the disease to run in families.

 

A characteristic sign is the tendency for pain and lameness to shift from one location to another over a course of several weeks or months. The disease often is accompanied by fever, eosinophils in the white blood count, muscle wasting and unthriftiness. Pressure over the shaft of the affected bone gives pain. x-rays show the characteristic picture of increased density in a large bone.

 

Treatment:

As the cause is unknown, treatment is directed at the relief of bond pain. Most dogs recover spontaneously, but if severely affected, may never regain full muscle strength and condition. It is thought that rest and very light exercise along with time will help matters.