You might have heard of the skeletal disorder by the name of hip dysplasia. If you haven’t, let’s dive into the details to find out more about this condition. First things first, hip dysplasia, as the name suggests, is concerned with the hip joint. This problem particularly occurs when there is an irregularity in the formation of the ball and socket joint in the hip. This deformation has been known to be very common in dogs as hip dysplasia in dogs is a polygenic and multifactorial disease but can also be caused due to other reasons.
What Is Hip Dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia, as mentioned earlier, is a skeletal deformity. This usually occurs when the ball and socket joints are not attached firmly together and rub against one another, causing great amounts of discomfort to our furry friends. Imagine what it would be like to have constant pain in your joints, and if you try to move your legs, just picture the excruciating pain that you would have to go through. That’s exactly what these dogs suffer when they develop hip dysplasia. So immediately contact your veterinarian if you catch your dog displaying any of the symptoms.
Causes Of Hip Dysplasia
Numerous factors can cause hip dysplasia. Dogs usually develop hip dysplasia genetically, but some environmental factors can magnify the hip’s abnormality exponentially. Some of them include:
- Obesity
- Fast growth periods
- Excessive amounts of exercise
- Improper nutrition or insufficient diet
Symptoms Of Hip Dysplasia
There are some symptoms that can get dog owners’ attention regarding the development of hip dysplasia in their dogs.
These signs and give-aways, when spotted, should be reported immediately to your veterinarian. The symptoms of hip dysplasia in dogs include:
- Stiffness or intense pain in the hip
- The reluctance to jump or doing any sort of eccentric exercise
- Difficulty in moving the hind legs
- Limping
Anti Inflammatories For Dogs With Hip Dysplasia
If your dog has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, surgery isn’t the only option. There are several ways that you could adopt to relieve your pet of the painful condition. Apart from exercise and diet, some medications would make your dog suffer less.
These medicines include supplements that couldn’t completely cure your dog but could control inflammation and pain. If inflammation can be controlled, you will have one happy pet with improved mobility.
Following are the anti-inflammatory drugs that could help your pet.
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug
NSAIDs or anti-inflammatory drugs control inflammation and pain in humans and animals. These medicines are top of the list recommended by vets, especially for hip dysplasia in dogs. The NSAIDs used for relieving canine inflammation include the following necessary components
- Firocoxib
- Carprofen
- Meloxicam
- Deracoxib
If NSAIDs have the combination mentioned above, they can work as a miracle to improve inflammation in your dog. However, these do have some side effects. Generally, these combinations are considered safe, but research regarding their side effects is still underway. There is another medication in NSAIDs called Galliprant, which is considered much safer for liver and kidney dysfunction patients.
Getting the right medicine is not a problem solved. The greatest difficulty lies in making your dog take these pills. Usually, dogs are reluctant to take pills. Many turn their noses at medications. So it’s quite a battle to make them take it.
Supplements For Anti-Inflammation
Apart from the medications, some supplements could have anti-inflammatory properties or effects. These could play a big role in relieving inflammation and pain in your dog’s hip joint.
One of these is Omega 3 fatty acid. Image 3 fatty acid decreases inflammation in joints. It is commonly recommended by vets for the treatment of hip dysplasia. The benefit of omega 3 fatty acid is that it has minimal side effects.
Various studies over the years have revealed that regular intake of Omega-3 fatty acids could reduce pain levels in chronic osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia.
Joint Health Supplement And Nutriceuticals
Many vets recommend a joint supplement for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia. There are two ingredients in joints supplements, namely glucosamine and chondroitin. However, it is yet to discover whether the bones absorb them to improve functionality and relieve the condition. These compounds enhance the production of joint fluid. Improved joint fluid gives rise to healthy cartilage lining the joint surface. The components of these compounds also have anti-inflammatory effects.
The components of joint supplements glucosamine and chondroitin do not magically cure the joint problems. But they are critically important for improving degenerative diseases related to joints, especially in older dogs. Moreover, components of joint supplements do not have any side effects and do not harm the dogs in any way.
While purchasing joint supplements, you will be faced with man options. These come in a wide variety of qualities. Joint supplement Quality has a great significance and plays a vital role in improving joint pain. Take suggestions from your vet in this regard. Keeping in view your dog’s history, your vet will prescribe the best joint supplements suited for your dog’s condition.
Some other bioactive compounds such as methylsulfonylmethane or MSM are also present in joints supplements that may help reduce the inflammation and keep the bones and joints healthy.
*collaborative post
