Hip x-ray info, and tips on preventing bad hips.

[Marco]

Some great information that may be helpful to some. There is also some tips on helping to prevent bad hips.  Please share anymore info you may have on the subject

 

The Importance of Good Positioningon Canine Hip X-rays

[Lee May]

Great Info Marco!! Thanks for finding this. Well done. Peace

[Jennifer]

I want to first start by saying I am very passionate about this topic due to the fact that at just 6 months our first St. Bernard was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. After getting over the heartbreak of the news I began looking towards natural methods of dealing with the disease. The result that I came up with is a concoction of different vitamins put in his as well as my other giant dog’s breakfast and dinner religiously as well as the exercise that keeps him thin. The result I have found two years later is despite literally hearing the popping of his hips while walking/going up the front stairs is that I still have a dog that (knock on wood) gets up with no issues, can walk for miles (or run like a wild hound out in the woods when we go for hikes) and plays normally for a dog his age. My veterinarian is amazed. His regimen is as follows:
1. 1500mg Buffered Vitamin C: Normally Vitamin C will run straight through a dog and will cause runny bowels. However buffered vitamin C is mixed with calcium so it is better absorbed throughout the dogs body. Vitamin C is a known natural pain reliever and also helps build up the sheaths that surround the joints. A study with GSDs that had severe hip dysplasia showed a significant improvement with the use of Vitamin C and a decreased improvement when it was removed.
2. The famous Glucosamine/Chondroitin combination
3. Omega 3s
4. Vitamin E
5. Daily Multi Vitamin
I have seen debates back and forth on the true scientific benefits of Vitamin C in dogs. However, I am a believer because of the effects I see on my dogs especially Wallee ever day!

[Marco]

Jennifer, thanks for sharing.

[Sweet Pea]

My pup too was diagnosed with severe HD at 18 weeks old. I've never tried the vitamin C, but I've tried multiple joint supplements with glucosamine, chondroitin, msm, cetyl-m, etc along with keeping him lean and well muscled. The supplement that's worked the best for Bear is a blend of Chinese herbs for hindquarter weakness--much to my surprise. I was a skeptic, but tried because of no other options.

I think one of the most important things is to keep growing pups and all dogs lean and well muscled.  

[Shaun Eric Ewing]

This is always a tricky subject, what the FCI scoring system might call HD the PennHIP system might not and vise verse. What one vet judgeing a x-ray might call HD another vet looking at the same picture might not.

One thing is for sure, when we visit our puppy buyers when the pups are 6 months old, they are nearly all too fat. The dogs invariably go up and down stairs and are in the furniture, despite us telling them not to do these things.

Our advice when people wish to avoid HD is to keep the dogs lean, buy only from a breeder that gives you a copy of the parents health certificates, and to PennHIP test their dogs.

When wishing to avoid bad teeth, buy a kibble that has a large size and give the dog a bone to chew on.

When wishing to avoid bad elbows, do not let the dog walk down stairs without holding it back with a harness and ask the breeder for elbow test results on the parents.

When wishing to avoid stomach torsion (bloat), feed your dog with a concentrated dog food ( not more than 550g/day) that does not conatin wheat, oats, barley or maize.

When wishing to avoid allergies, feed the dog on corn free products (corn products often contain mites that provoke allergies).

When wishing to avoid behaviour issues, do not let the dog get his way with you, keep 100% control of him/her. Make all the decisions.

 

For the record, I am a trained behaviour therapist (by Jan Fennell) my main income scource is producing dog food (www.dogfood.dk) and I have been involved with breeding dogs since 1975.

[Marco]

Thanks for sharing with us.

[Savas Pilarinos]

I got to thank u too for the info.

 

My BB already had an elbow operation, putting a screw to reconnect the bones.. His elbow is doing great so far! Running like he never had a problem etc. Though he has bad hips so I changed him from feeding Orijen to Hill's JD.. But I hate Hill's.. It has corn too..  And from feeding my other dogs Orijen and Acana I've been really pleased with the result. I want to ask you since you know better, could I feed Orijen and add glucosamine on my own, or need to add more substances??

 

These hip-elbow problems are tough, I wish it could never happen to anybody...

[Shaun Eric Ewing]

There is a lot of hype when it comes to dog food, remember that the big companies actually live off selling you the idea that corn that they buy for under $1 for 5 kgs is worth minimum $4 for 1 kg to you the dog owner in the retail store.

 

Things like Omega fat contents etc are pure hype, ask any good vet or person involved in diets and they will inform you that the omega fats break down into less usefull fats on contact with air, (that´s why human consumption of Omega fats is always contained in an airtight capsule) so what the dog gets after months in a bag has little or no content of omega fats in it. The manufacturers know this but still try to con the unknowing public, if they con on this what else do the con with?

 

Supplements, I think it may be worth your while to do some research on the efficiency of glucosamin in the levels present in dog food and as a supplement in relationship to improving hip quality.

Personally I prefer to feed my dogs with the natural ingredients rather than produced chemicals, this is why we include whole chicken and shellfish in our kibble.

 

Regards

Shaun

 

 

[Bobby Jones]

My bloodline was chosen soly for the health of the pedigree and not for the score % pedigree for conformation... Conformation does very little in terms of breeding healthy dogs... Find a breeder like me.... that offers super gurrantees and NOT gurrantees taylored for the problems they are having... For example at Boerboel Ranch we offer everything covered health gurrantee for both phisical or genetic and desease or sickness... be carefull who you purchase from... the socalled puppy mill type of breeders will con you and say they breed for the health and all that jazz but are only in it for the money. These are the ones who will sell you a dog with a sorta health gurrantee of which you will find covers very little for thr dog.