This is often seen when a dog is worked too young or too often in activities such as roadbook, jumping or hard play with other dogs. Early symptoms include limping, swelling in the joints and pain on manipulation of the affected joints. This can be hard to detect in Rottweilers, as many will not respond to pain as other breeds of dogs. If detected early, response to the injury is found with rest and avoiding the activities that caused the inflammation. This condition involves the development of the ball and socket found in the hip joint.
Dysplasia simply means 'bad development', and describes several disorders.
The ball of the hip may not fit into the socket correctly, the socket may be too shallow, the ball may not be the correct size or 'roundness' to fit well, or the ball joint may not even be placed inside the socket of the hip. It does take a radiograph to correctly diagnosis this condition. It is generally thought to be genetic in nature, although there is speculation that other factors such as injury, excessive exercise or diet can play a role in hip development. As the dog ages, and irritation develops from the incorrect set of the ball and socket joint, inflammation and deterioration of the hip joint can occur. This is a disease found most commonly in large, fast-growing canines.