What Is Hip Dysplasia In Dogs And What Can You Do To Manage And Prevent It For Your Own Dog.
Big dog owners are often terrified to learn that their dog has Canine Hip Dysplasia, but the truth is hip dysplasia happens to any size or breed of dog (and even humans). This clinical condition can drastically affect your pet’s quality of life, and could eventually cause crippling lameness and painful arthritis in your dog’s joints.
Being one of the most common bone & skeletal disorders in dogs, we take a look at what it means to manage and prevent hip dysplasia in our pups. Read on below!
What is Hip Dysplasia in dogs?
Earlier, we indicated that hip dysplasia is a common skeletal condition, often seen in larger breeds of dogs, but can happen to smaller breeds as well. It is a deformity of the hip that occurs during your dog’s growth; the ball and socket develops at different rates, resulting in looseness of joints or poorly developed muscles around the pelvic area. This leads to the wear and tear of the hip joint, causing damage to the joint’s ligaments and bones. If left untreated, hip dysplasia may cause your dog to not be able to walk again.
What causes Hip Dysplasia in dogs?
Genetics, overeating or lack of nutrition during the puppy stage, over-exertion or a lack of exercise during the puppy stage all contribute to the likelihood of hip dysplasia. It is best to discuss with your vet on the appropriate amount of food and exercise to keep your puppies in optimal physical condition to deter the onset of this disease.
What are some symptoms of Hip Dysplasia?
Common symptoms of hip dysplasia include the following.
Bunny hopping (hind legs hopping together instead of running normally)
Decreased activity
Decreased mobility
Difficulty standing, jumping, running, climbing up and down the stairs
Weakness and pain in hind legs
Clicking sound from hips when moving or getting up
Limping after exercise
Loss of muscle mass in hind legs
You may not be able to tell from the symptoms in early stages of hip dysplasia, as they are less likely to show. Sometimes, there may be no symptoms at all. The only clear way to tell is if your dog goes through an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examination, which will require your dog to undergo general anesthesia.
How do vets treat Hip Dysplasia?
Clinical treatment for hip dysplasia is generally classified into Surgical and Non-surgical intervention.
Surgical
Femoral Head Ostectomy - When the head or ball of the femur is removed but not replaced to encourage the formation of scar tissue which replaces the hip joint.
Triple Pelvic Osteotomy - Suitable for puppies younger than 1 year of age. This involves cutting into the pelvis so that the hips are able to roll over the “ball”.
Hip Replacement - With the highest rate of success, hip replacement surgery usually restores complete mobility if no other joints are affected. This is the ideal solution for dogs who are older and developed osteoarthritis that can no longer be medically managed.
Others - Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis, Capsular Neurectomy.
Non-surgical
Weight control - The most important factor you can help your dog with hip dysplasia or arthritis is maintaining minimal body weight. This helps to reduce mechanical stress applied to the hip joints. For a minimal body weight, you should be able to easily feel the ribs on the side of your dog.
Exercise routine - A reasonable amount of exercise can stimulate your dog’s cartilage growth and reduce chances of degeneration. Regular walks during early stages of hip dysplasia can help to prevent loss of muscle mass in the hips. Consult your vet on a suitable amount of exercise for your dog.
Medication - Anti-inflammatory medications or corticosteroids can reduce pain and discomfort whilst reducing inflammation.
Hip & Joint Supplements - Incorporating Omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA into your dog’s diet can result in improvements of symptoms. Glucosamine and chondroitin are structural components of cartilage, tissue that cushions the joints. Feeding supplements that contains a range of these components will help in alleviating your dog’s condition.
Others - Alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, canine massages, pressure-reducing pet beds have been anecdotal in helping dogs throughout their journey through experiencing hip dysplasia.
How to prevent Hip Dysplasia in your dog?
Regular exercise
Giving your dog their daily walk goes the distance with a healthy lifestyle and weight management. Keeping our furkids underweight has many benefits, which include fewer obesity-related diseases and musculoskeletal diseases.
A healthy diet
As believers of a holistic and biologically appropriate diet, we feed our big dog a high protein, low fat, and low carbohydrate mix of fresh meat and greens. A good diet contributes to the mantra of a healthy lifestyle and weight management. Feed your dogs a variety of healthy treats and chews with great nutritional benefits to take advantage of treating your dog better!
Supplements
Prevention is better than cure! Choosing an all-natural hip & joint supplement with a powerful blend of anti-inflammatory, joint-supporting, active ingredients approved by vets for your dogs may be the best investment you can make. Try our Natural Dog Company Hip & Joint supplement chews formulated specifically for dogs today!
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xo
Nellie