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In this blog post, we will list and explain ways of preventing hip dysplasia in dogs.
We have done a lot of careful research on this subject, but we are not vets, so if you have any serious concerns about your pet dog’s health, please speak to a veterinarian.
Realistic Expectations for Dogs with Hip Dysplasia
The first thing to remember about canine hip dysplasia is that it is a hereditary condition.
This means the dog is born with the condition, so it cannot be fully eliminated from the hip joint without surgery (which is a big risk).
However, hip dysplasia can be bought about or made worse by certain lifestyle conditions.
By reducing or eliminating these lifestyle factors, we can hopefully reduce or prevent hip dysplasia from becoming an issue for your dog.
So, now let’s look at the most effective preventive measures for dogs with hip dysplasia in detail.
Careful Feeding of Puppies
Perhaps a surprising fact for some dog owners is that if they feed their puppy too much of the wrong types of food, this can cause too fast growth rates in a puppy, which can lead to risk issues with hip dysplasia.
This is especially true of larger breed dogs that can be more susceptible to the disease.
The best thing to do for this cause of hip dysplasia in dogs is to speak to your veterinarian. Ask them about the type and quantity of food that is right for your puppies or young dogs.
Then you have to do your best to stick as closely as you can to this advice and not give in when the puppy begs!
Correct Levels of Exercise for Puppies and Dogs
Both too much and too little exercise can affect your dog’s chances of suffering from hip problems.
So how do you know what is the right amount for your dog? The answer is very different depending on the breed, size, and age of your dog.
The main answer is to ask your vet.
But in a nutshell, your pooch shouldn’t be fat and lazy, so you need to keep it active every single day, but it also shouldn’t be getting absolutely worn out every single day by super long walks.
You have to find a balance, and you can do this by keeping a close eye on your dog and keeping track of how much exercise they get each day, and seeing if it affects their hip dysplasia.
Body Weight Reduction is Highly Effective
If your dog is overweight, this can make a big impact on its likelihood of getting hip dysplasia issues.
So one of the very best preventative measures you can take is to get your dog to a healthy body weight and keep it that way.
This tip is especially important if you own a large breed as they already have more weight to deal with and are also more susceptible to the condition.
(Ideally, you would use diet and exercise to prevent your pet from getting too fat in the first place).
What is a Healthy Body Weight for Your Dog?
This video from a fully qualified vet has a neat little trick to help you find out if your beloved pet pooch needs to lose any weight or not to help them with their hip joints and hip dysplasia.
By the way, this post about how long can a dog live hip dysplasia might also be worth taking the time to read.
It deals with a very difficult question, but please not worry as we offer some practical and helpful steps for pet owners and their pet dogs with hip dysplasia.
A Healthy Diet Can Help with Hip Dysplasia and Arthritis
There are a couple of nutritional requirements that, if met, can help keep a lid on any joint issues your dog may have.
Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation around the joints. Glucosamine chondroitin can help repair and maintain joint cartilage.
We think the best way to apply this is to make sure your dog eats plenty of foods naturally high in these specific nutrients.
If you look around, you will find plenty of good quality dog foods that contain them in healthy amounts, and this way, they are consumed with all the other nutrients in the food in a more natural and balanced way.
Your goal isn’t to give your dogs the perfect diet, just one that has roughly the right amount of vitamins and minerals that they need and require to deal with hip dysplasia.
Avoiding Injury
Injury can bring about the onset of hip dysplasia, but the tricky thing with this is that it can be tough to prevent your dog from getting injured.
The best you can do is try and stop your dog from doing too many crazy things like catching Frisbees in mid-air or doing somersaults!
Ok, so tha’ts all there is for this post. Hopefully, you have some idea to reduce the chance your pet dogs will develop hip dysplasia, arthritis, or similar problems,