At least once a day, I enter an exam room to evaluate a pet because of lameness. I would venture to say that lameness is one of the top five problems that I personally see.

The subject of animal lameness can (and does) fill volumes of veterinary textbooks, so I'll try to just hit some high-points and common situations. Nearly every pet owner is familiar with the term "hip dysplasia," but not all really understand what it is.

Hip dysplasia is a developmental disease of the hip joint, which eventually leads to arthritis of the hips. This process when the dog is very young (a few months old). Affected dogs' hip joints are not as stable as they should be, thus allowing for excessive motion within the joint. The dog's body responds to this "laxity" by trying to reshape the hip in order to stabilize it.

The constant abnormal motion also causes the cartilage of the hip to wear. The combination of worn cartilage and misshapen hip joints eventually causes pain and lameness due to arthritis. There is no cure for hip dysplasia, but anti-inflammatory medications will help. Some surgical procedures are available to help with this problem as well.

Total hip replacement is the most helpful for returning dogs to normal function; however, it is very expensive and is only performed by referral surgeons. Most pets will be reasonably comfortable and companionable with rest and medications as needed for flare-ups.

Another cause of lameness is medial patellar luxation (MPL). This problem arises from the dog's knee, and is characterized by a dislocation of the kneecap toward the inside of the leg. This condition can be very mild to very severe. Most patients present with a chronic lameness that slowly gets worse; although, acute lameness may occur after jumping or a fall. This tends to be a condition that affects small breeds (poodles, Chihuahuas, and Yorkshire terriers) but any dog can be affected.

Many owners report that their dog "skips" — occasionally, the skipping is often noticed when the dog is running. While this may appear to be cute, this type of gait should be evaluated for MPL. Many cases of MPL can be managed conservatively for a while but oftentimes surgery is required to correct the problem.

While on the subject of knees, dogs, like people, have cruciate ligaments in their knees to help stabilize them. These ligaments can be injured or torn, causing acute rear leg lameness. Diagnosis of a cruciate rupture is usually made by manually testing the knee for abnormal motion. This is a condition that I recommend treating aggressively with surgical repair and physical therapy afterward. Left untreated, cruciate rupture will lead to severe arthritis and significant loss of normal function. Many patients with cruciate rupture return to normal activity within a few months of surgery.

Other causes of lameness include fractures, sprains, and muscle pulls. Treatment options for these problems are variable depending on the situation. If your pet is experiencing lameness, get it checked out. The medicines and techniques available today can ease the pain associated with these problems, and pets can continue to live healthy, active lives.