How to Tell if Your Dog Has Hip Dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia is a disease in which the formation of the hip joint is not functioning as it should. Since the joint is lose, it makes the dog’s leg bone move around more than necessary. This causes wear and tear, that can be really painful for your canine. This disease is mostly inherited, but it can be treated.
Now the question is, how to know if your dog has dysplasia or not? As most of the other diseases, dysplasia too has symptoms and signs that will show if your dog is suffering from it. Although, there are some exceptional cases in which no symptoms are obvious – and you cannot tell if your dog has dysplasia or not.
In common cases, if your dog is suffering from dysplasia he will show it by limbering, bunny hopping, will seem reluctant in exercising, or is a bit stiff when getting up. All these signs show that something is not right with your four-legged friend. As always, you should consult your Vet as soon as you observe any sign of dysplasia in your dog.
What is the Dog Hip Dysplasia Treatment?
Hip dysplasia in dogs can be a very painful disease, and it keeps increasing if it is not treated properly and in a timely fashion. If you are a dog owner and you see your dog in excruciating pain every day, what a sorrow sight that will be! Therefore, it is necessary that your pup gets the best treatment possible, if he has dysplasia. There are quite a few treatments for dysplasia, and these are discussed in brief below.
Treating Dysplasia with Natural Remedies
Dysplasia is a form of arthritis, or in other words “degenerative arthritis” . It can be treated with joint supplements, that are specially made for arthritis. All the homeopathic remedies for treating dysplasia are also a pleasant option, since you may be avoiding some of the side effects that sometimes come with the use of heavy medication. Use of Omega 3 fatty acids can also contribute to treating this disease.
Treating Dysplasia With Everyday tips
The everyday tips for treating dysplasia will come in handy if the disease is not of severe nature. If your dog is suffering from severe dysplasia it is advisable that you should go and consult the Vet first. Some of the tips through which you can help aliviate the symptoms of dysplasia are:
- Give your dog pet food that is specially formulated for weight control.
- Gentle Exercises such as swimming can be really helpful.
- Make sure that your dog is all warmed up before exercise.
- Use pet stamps and dog ramps to decrease impact on hip joints.
- An orthopaedic dog bed for comfy bedtimes.
- A supportive dog harness should always be there when you are walking your dog.
- Treating Dysplasia with Surgery
This option is taken by most dog owners as the last resort. As you can treat dysplasia with surgeries in humans, similar is the case with the dogs as well. There are a number of surgeries through which you can treat this condition of your canine companion. These surgeries include FHO, TPO, THR, and DARthroplasty.
If you decide that surgery is the only option left for your dog, immediately consult your Vet because he is the one who is going to tell you which type of surgery your dog requires and if your pup even requires it at all.
How you can treat Dog Hip Pain
If your dog is suffering from dysplasia, it is highly likely that he will experience extensive pain every now and then. Therefore, you must be always ready to tackle such a situation when it arises. There are a number of ways through which you can treat a dog hip pain and all these ways are described below, briefly.
Massage
The easiest and the common way through which you can treat the hip pain of your dog is through massage. It is scientifically proven that massage releases stress, makes the blood circulation better and helps to relieve the pain. Therefore, giving a massage to your dog to treat hip pain can be really useful. But, massaging will not always work, if the bone is broken and you massage it, then the pain will increase. It is better to take the advice of your Vet before doing anything by yourself.
Passive Mobilization
Passive mobilization is similar to stretching, and it can be a great pain reliever – especially for hip pain. In passive mobilization, you will move the hind leg backward and away from the head, this will give the stretch to the muscles and keep the joints mobile.
Physiotherapy
As is observed with the humans as well that physiotherapy can be really helpful to address the pain of joints, similar is the case in the dogs as well. You can use it to treat the hip pain of your canine, one your Vet has agreed.
Medical Therapy or Medication
You can start off by giving NSAIDs to your dog in order to relieve hip pain, if these drugs do not help then you can go for advanced medication such as painkillers like Aspirin. However, you must make sure to give the right quantity, as these painkillers tend to have a lot of side effects. Rule of thumb? Consult your Vet first.
Can you get German Shepherd Hip Pain Medicine?
Yes, there are dog supplements available on the market that will help reduce the hip pain of your German Shepherd. Although, the best option for your pup as an individual, will be recommended by your Vet only. There are some supplements that are used to treat hip pain in German Shepherds commonly. These supplements are:
1. Nutramax Dasuquin with MSM Chewable Tablets for Dogs. (Here’s more info about Dasuquin)
2. Nutramax Cosequin DS PLUS MSM Chewable Tablets
You should also consider investing in breed specific german shepherd dog food.
