Hip Dysplasia Remedies

Modified on Oct 05, 2017 | Earth Clinic Team

Hip Dysplasia is a condition that causes an abnormal development of the hip in which the hip joint rubs against the socket. This condition can cause severe pain for your dog, inflammation and bone deterioration.  In very severe cases this problem will cause the hip to actually slip in and out of place.

Hip Dysplasia can begin to develop at a very early age and will cause symptoms such as lameness, walking with an abnormal gait, and difficulty in getting up from a sitting or lying down position.  There are many breeds that are more prone to the condition.  Here is a short list of some of those breeds; Alaskan Malamute, Cocker Spaniel, Blood Hound, Border Collie, Bouvier, Bullmastiff, Collie, Chow Chow, Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher, Springer Spaniel, German Shepherd, Short-haired and Wire-haired Pointers, Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Irish Setter and Wolfhound, Labrador Retriever, Newfoundland, Old English Sheepdog, Saint Bernard, Samoyed, Siberian Husky, Standard Poodle and Weimaraner.  Of course there are many more and it is important that when you decide upon a particular breed of dog that you find out whether or not they are prone to the problem.  There is no actual cure for hip dysplasia and once an animal has been diagnosed with it you can certainly opt for medical or surgical treatments, but there is no real guaranteed outcome.

The best way that you can fight hip dysplasia is to work on preventing it.  First of all make sure that your pet is exercised regularly and maintains a healthy weight; obesity in your dog will only exacerbate the problem further.

Secondly, it is widely believed that a regular Vitamin C supplement will help to prevent or at least slow down the progression of hip dysplasia in your dog.  It is important to start your puppy on vitamin C as early as possible and even before it has been weaned when you can.  Hip dysplasia will begin to develop immediately and can be literally crippling to your pet even before they have reached one year of age. 

Use vitamin C with sodium ascorbate or another form of buffered vitamin C, as plain ascorbic acid may cause an upset stomach.

Use the following daily dosage guide when supplementing with vitamin C.

For un-weaned puppies (Use the vitamin C pediatric drops or tablets that you would use for humans)

Small - Medium breeds
For the first ten days use 50mg, and then from ten days until weaning use 100mg.

Large - Giant breeds
For the first ten days use 75mg, and then from ten days until weaning use 150mg

After the puppy is weaned, switch to the powdered form of vitamin C. For the next 6 months very gradually increase the dosage until you arrive at the recommended dose.

Small breeds                                      250mg
Medium breeds                                  500mg
Large breeds                                   1,000mg
Giant breeds                                    2,000mg

Adult dosages: From six months on you will want to gradually increase vitamin C dosages until you arrive at the recommended dose for adult dogs.

Small dogs                                           500mg - 1000mg
Medium - Large dogs                        1,000mg - 2,000mg
Giant dogs                                         2,000mg - 4,000mg

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List of Remedies for Hip Dysplasia