Hip Dysplasia in Dogs:
Three Things to Do First

A growing problem in big dogs

Thirty or forty years ago this was nowhere near as common. Hip dysplasia, mostly in large breeds, has grown with the growth of breeding as a business. There is a lot of evidence that it is hereditary, a condition rather than a disease, and so it gets passed from generation to generation when breeding stock is not screened. (Reputable breeders certify their dogs through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, OFA.)

Genes are not the whole story. Rapid growth and weight gain are tied to it, so the diet deserves close attention. Malformed joints can also come from poor nutrition, and many popular foods, including some that sound good on the commercial or on the shelf at the vet's, are built on cheap ingredients. More on that below.

1. Check the diagnosis

Make sure it is what they say it is. Plenty of hip trouble gets labelled dysplasia when it is something else: osteoarthritis, cauda equina syndrome, even elbow or shoulder dysplasia. Hip x-rays are the only thing that can confirm it. Do not accept the diagnosis without them.

2. Weigh surgery and medication

Surgery is a real option, and a big decision. There are four or five types, depending on your dog's age and how far along the problem is. Costs run from roughly $1,200 per hip for a femoral head ostectomy (FHO) to $3,500 to $7,000 or more per hip for a total hip replacement, and dysplasia usually affects both hips. Outcomes vary by procedure; the FHO, the cheaper salvage option, rates good to excellent in only about 63% of published cases. Weigh the chance of a good recovery against the cost, the recovery time, and the chance it does not deliver. Take the extra time to get knowledgeable counsel and do your own reading; it can save a lot of heartache and expense.

Pain medication relieves the pain, not the problem. When surgery is off the table, the vet may offer a regimen of medication instead. Most of it manages the pain without touching the cause, and the side effects can do damage of their own. The most common side effects of NSAIDs involve the gut, liver and kidneys:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, or stools that are black or contain blood
• A change in appetite, or in activity level
• Yellowing of the skin, gums or eyes
• Increased thirst; more or less urination than usual
• Skin irritation or itching
• Loss of coordination, or seizures

If you suspect any of these, stop the medication and call your veterinarian. Do some research before a daily drug becomes part of your dog's routine.

3. Fix the bowl, then supplement

A good food is the foundation of any support for hip dysplasia. It is easy to be fooled by a pretty bag with a dog leaping across it. Supermarkets, discount stores, big pet retailers and veterinarians sell millions of dollars of food every year as healthy and natural, and the ingredient panel often tells a different story: chicken by-products instead of balanced protein for bones, muscle, skin and coat; cheap carbohydrates like wheat gluten, corn starch and brewer's rice, which convert to sugar fast and can feed inflammation in joints and muscles; and colorings, chemical additives and preservatives that industry experts consider unhealthy. Better foods exist, usually at the smaller retailers who specialize in them. Our recommended foods guide is where to start, and diet is the first thing we go over on a consultation.

Even a good food is cooked. Your dog cannot get everything needed from the main food alone; even quality nutrition is processed, nothing living. That is the gap a live-food supplement fills. Look online and you will meet many conscientious families who approached hip dysplasia with nothing more than balanced, properly supplemented nutrition. Not every dog responds the same way, but there is nothing to lose in giving it a chance, and a little extra time on a nutritional path can offer a great deal of comfort.

Where Nzymes can help

The Core FoundationSee the Core Foundation →Antioxidant Treats and Sprouted Granules together. Granules for economy, Treats for convenience; the same live food either way.

Super-food support for joints and muscles. The Antioxidant Treats and Sprouted Granules are the same sprouted formula in two forms. A dog's body uses it to make its own antioxidant enzymes, which is how it eases the inflammation in a sore hip. In The Nzymes Veterinary Study of 387 dogs, six veterinarians put dogs with musculoskeletal inflammation, many of them dysplasia cases, on this formula for 30 days and reported objective improvement in 340 of the 387. Most of the hip stories on this shelf started with a trial of exactly this.

Not sure whether it's dysplasia, arthritis, or the food? Book a free consultation.