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How to Prevent Hip Dysplasia
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Here is a nice comparison of two hips.
The one on the left is a normal hip. You can see how smooth and round the head of the femur is and how nicely the "ball" fits into the "socket". A hip with this structure is very unlikely to ever develop arthritis....unlike the abnormal hip on the right. Here you can see the result of years of irritation resulting from a poor fit, a shallow "socket", and a short neck attaching the "ball" to the shaft of the femur. This severe arthritis is a result of HIP DYSPLASIA.
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Research has shown that the cause of hip dysplasia is related to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The disease is known to be an inherited condition and the genetics of hip dysplasia are extremely complicated. In addition, environmental factors such as overfeeding and excessive exercise can predispose a dog (especially growing puppies) to developing hip dysplasia. Because the inheritance of the disease is so complicated, many questions remain regarding eradication of the disease.
Here are some practical suggestions:
1. Have your dog radiographed before breeding to be sure the hips are normal. If they are not, this dog should not be bred.
2. Consider a feeding program to slow growth. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that dogs that grow very rapidly are more likely to have hip dysplasia. Many authorities recommend feeding an adult-type food to puppies of high risk breeds so their growth is slower. They will still reach their full genetic body size, but just not as rapidly. Some dog food manufacturers are now making puppy foods for large breed dogs. This is essentially the same approach as feeding an adult food because these puppy foods are formulated for slower growth.
3. Avoid excessive exercise in a growing puppy. Any abnormality in the structure of the hip joint is magnified if excessive running and jumping occur. It is not necessary to treat your puppy as it were handicapped, but long sessions of running or chasing thrown objects can be detrimental to joints.
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