What Is Alternative Treatment For Hip Dysplasia In Dogs?

Pain and mobility issues are two of the serious symptoms of hip dysplasia. Fortunately, hip dysplasia in dogs can be treated without resorting to invasive surgery. Hip dysplasia is a common condition in dogs, and this post will go over the factors that contribute to its development, the diagnostic procedures, and the available alternative treatment for hip dysplasia in dogs.

What is Hip Dysplasia?

A dog’s hip joint comprises a rounded hip socket into which the ball of the femur, the highest leg bone, fits. In hip dysplasia, the femoral head or hip socket is malformed, leading to a loose fit and premature cartilage wear. This condition may also result in painful hip inflammation and osteoarthritis.

A strange gait resembling bunny hopping maybe your dog’s first symptom of the disease. When the disease progresses, it can cause discomfort and mobility issues.

There are likely multiple factors at play in the development of hip dysplasia.

Dog Genetics

Genetic predisposition makes some dog breeds more susceptible to hip dysplasia than others. Because of the complex genetics involved, it is difficult to predict which dogs will develop hip dysplasia. It is possible for a dog to pass on a disease-causing gene to its offspring even if neither of its parents exhibits any symptoms of the condition.

Smaller breeds, such as pugs and bulldogs, can also be affected, though it is more common in large breeds. Early onset hip dysplasia is a condition that manifests itself in canines as young as four months of age.

Arthritic Diseases

Osteoarthritis, an inflammatory condition that causes cartilage to deteriorate in the joint, is typically the underlying cause of late-onset hip dysplasia. The loosening of the hip socket and joint is a symptom of the degeneration of cartilage in the joint. High-energy working dogs are prone to this form of disease.

External Factors

Poor nutrition, stunted muscle growth, repetitive strain injuries, rapid weight gain, obesity, and pelvic injuries are some environmental factors that can lead to hip dysplasia.

What Are the Symptoms of Hip Dysplasia in A Dog?

Because it can lead to osteoarthritis and severely limit your dog’s mobility if left untreated, hip dysplasia should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. Some of the red flags to keep an eye out for are:

Soreness or stiffness

Low-level exercise intolerance

Irregular steps

Trouble getting up or climbing stairs

Walking makes a clicking sound

Thigh muscles atrophy while front leg muscles grow larger—hip width increases.

How Long Can a Dog Live with Hip Dysplasia?

As common as it is, hip dysplasia is a devastating condition that affects many different dog breeds. In some dog breeds, hip dysplasia affects more than half of the dogs and, if left untreated, can lead to painful arthritis at a young age. All Cavoodle, French Bulldog, Great Dane, Labrador, Border Collie, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever puppies should be screened for hip dysplasia.

Alternative Treatment for Hip Dysplasia in Dogs

How to treat a dog with Hip Dysplasia without surgery? Surgery is currently the only option to treat a dog’s hip dysplasia. Unfortunately, not all dogs are surgical candidates; some owners don’t want to go that route.

As a result, it is frequently asked about alternative treatment for hip dysplasia in dogs. Even though hip dysplasia can’t be fixed without surgery, there are things you can do to help your dog have less pain, more mobility, and a better quality of life, even if you don’t go through with the surgery.

Here are the alternative treatments for hip dysplasia in dogs to alleviate pain of your poor pet.

Maintain a healthy weight

Making sure your dog is thin is one of the most important things you can do. Numerous studies have shown that dogs with hip dysplasia and dogs with arthritis experience significantly less pain if they are at a healthy body weight.

The question is, how do you tell if your dog is thin? The hand test is the simplest method. The area behind your dog’s front legs is the perfect spot to feel his ribs. They should feel like a washboard when you run your fingers along them. They ought to feel similar to the back of your hand. Dogs that are too heavy have ribs that feel like the palm of a human’s hand.

If the ribs are protruding or feel more like your knuckles, your dog is underweight, and you should consult your veterinarian about how to feed your dog correctly.

Provide low-impact workouts

Low-impact exercise is second on the list. As it is said that “Motion is lotion,” meaning that the more you can get your dog moving around, the more synovial cell fluid, or joint fluid, will be produced. Doing so will aid in fluid movement within the joints and the maintenance of robust muscle tissue.

Because the muscles provide structural support for the joints, maintaining your dog’s muscle mass is crucial. That will also keep the dog’s metabolism going strong, preventing him from gaining excess weight.

Walking, especially on grass or trails, swimming, or underwater treadmill walking with a canine rehabilitation professional, are excellent low-impact exercises. All of these exercises are great for treating hip dysplasia.

Make them feel less pain

Making sure your dog’s pain is managed with the proper medication is essential for their mobility and quality of life: traditional western-style drugs or any of the numerous alternative therapies available.

Support sleep

Cushioning your dog’s joints and giving him a comfortable, supportive bed is also crucial. If you or your dog is achy, you know how it feels to wake up after sleeping on a poor guesthouse mattress or a pullout couch. The same goes for your dog. They must rest on a thick, cushioned surface that keeps their joints elevated off the floor. Your dog with hip dysplasia will benefit significantly from a high-quality bed.

Use a Heat Pack 

To alleviate the discomfort caused by hip dysplasia, heat packs are handy. Have it rest as close to the hips as possible for maximum comfort for your dog. The dog can even sleep with it and wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized in the morning. 

Natural supplements

Natural supplements can help alleviate joint pain, improve lubrication, and even repair worn cartilage. Connective tissue can improve with supplements like MSM, fish oils, and glucosamine chondroitin.
Please consult your veterinarian before giving your pet any new medication.

Prevention of Hip Dysplasia in Dog

Unfortunately, hip dysplasia is not always preventable. But there are some things you can do to make it less likely that your dog will get this disease. If you start when your dog is young, you can help them to have a healthy skeletal system for life. By providing them with the proper nutrition at a young age, you can help prevent the excessive growth that can cause this disease.

Dog obesity, a risk factor for hip dysplasia, can be avoided with regular exercise and a nutritious diet as your pet matures. Avoid feeding your dog table scraps and fatty foods because it will lead to obesity, which has many negative health consequences.

If you’re considering getting a dog, educate yourself on the breed you’re interested in. It would help if you looked for a breeder who takes health seriously and performs necessary tests, such as radiographs for hip dysplasia.

Having breeding dogs screened for hereditary hip dysplasia is the best way for breeders to combat the disease. To ensure that only healthy dogs are bred, breeders can use the results of Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) health tests to determine the grade of their dogs’ hip joints.