You could prevent your Labrador puppy from hip dysplasia by feeding him high-quality food in the right proportions providing that he receives the right amount of injury-free, proper training to keep his weight under control. You must improve his muscular strength, and tissues connected with joints, like muscles and ligaments, should be strengthened. You could also offer vitamins that improve joint mobility to help reduce the symptoms of hip joint abnormalities.

6 Ways to Prevent Hip Dysplasia in a Labrador Puppy

  1. Research about Their Genes
  2. Provide Proper Nutrition
  3. Limit Exercises
  4. Add Dietary Supplements for Their Joint Health
  5. Avoid Neutering Your Dog at an Early Age
  6. Early Screening for Hip Dysplasia

1. Research about Their Genes

Another approach is to ensure that your little furry friend is born from parents who have healthy hip joints. If their hips were validated by the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA), you will be sure that they have excellent hip joints and don’t have any history of abnormalities. [1]

The Orthopedic Foundation of America is a well-known non-profit organization that evaluates the hip bones of breeding dogs. Whenever a dog receives an outstanding result from OFA and the Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PHIP), there would be a much-reduced risk that this canine’s puppies will have hip dysplasia. If you’re researching about pups or discussing with a breeder about a Labrador, verify that they have hips and elbows that are approved and acceptable by OFA and PHIP. [2] [3]

You should choose some other breeder if he doesn’t provide you with history or any certification. If available, new pet parents should examine 3 or 4 generations of canines before making their final decision. It will guarantee that no one from the family carries the bad genes. [4]

But if you own an adult canine, or one that was left to starve or adopted from even a shelter home, and you never had the chance to speak with a breeder, you are still left with a few things to reduce the possibility of hip dysplasia in puppies.

Did you Know?

Joint laxity is the root cause of hip dysplasia in Labradors

2. Provide Proper Nutrition

Lack of movement, poor diet, and obesity can worsen genetic abnormalities, hip traumas, or progressive disorders like arthritis in the hips and elbows. So, it is critical for any canine, but particularly for breeds at greater risks, to avoid becoming fat or obese. Make absolutely sure that your puppy is eating specially formulated meals that will keep him from growing too fast.

This specialized meal helps their hips to expand without placing too much effort on their bodies to support their body weight, allowing them to grow and manage their muscle mass. Large dogs might evolve too fast for their limbs to keep up if they don’t eat this designated dog diet. It adds to the complexity by putting unnecessary pressure on their obese bodies. [5]

You must also stick to your vet’s dietary plan and avoid overfeeding your pup. Every canine has a genetic structure that determines how tall they would grow as adults. To lower their chance of hip dysplasia, ensure they eat a balanced food designed particularly for large-breed pups and that they develop at a regular rate throughout time rather than growing at a fast pace.

Focus on high-quality manufacturing dog food containing vitamin E and similar natural antioxidants as a stabilizer. There will be no additives in these goods, and rather than animal scraps, they will feature high-quality meat. You might have to spend a little extra for a higher-quality puppy meal that’s rich in proteins, carbs, and fat. [6]

Examine your puppy’s overall physical condition as well. According to a study, canines that have maintained a lean physique throughout their young stages have a lower risk of having hip abnormalities. You can avoid obesity-related disorders by maintaining your pet lean and healthy. [7] [8]

3. Limit Exercises

Daily exercise is essential in the management of canine hip dysplasia as well as being a key element of the therapy plan. All workouts should be properly planned and managed by a professional veterinarian, and you should never do anything excessively without any instructions. Consult your veterinarian about the best approach to exercise your puppy and maintain their joints strong.

Intense exercise, especially in developing pups, tends to worsen injury to the pelvic socket. Although exercise is recommended for your pup, it should always be performed at the dog’s preferred speed. You may walk your dog to a playground for a low-impact fetch game or even to a poolside for a short swimming training session.

When hips are not fully grown, undertaking exercises involving forced racing, stair climbing, hopping, or agility training is likely to enhance the chances of hip dysplasia in their older age. To reduce the pressure on underdeveloped joints, it’s advisable not to engage your Labrador puppy as your jogging buddy or take part in sports that require jumping till they enter adulthood. [9]

According to some research, utilizing stairs since their puppyhood might make your pet with bad joints more prone to have hip dysplasia in their later ages. To avoid such situations, pups below the age of three months should not be encouraged to climb stairs. [10] [11]

There seems to be a connection revealed between both the type of surface a pup lives on and the growth of hip dysplasia. Puppies raised on smooth surfaces were 1.6 times greater risk for developing symptoms, according to one research. If your flooring is slippery, you may protect your pup from hip dysplasia by setting up rubber flooring in the places where he spends most of his time. To reduce progressive factors that lead to hip dysplasia, provide comfortable bedding and prevent allowing your pet to be in excessively humid or extreme temperatures including, rainy weather or winds. [12] [13]

For puppies below the age of 5 months, short plays in the backyard are enough. If you have leash trained your pup, a general guideline is to exercise him for a maximum of 5 minutes and add 5 more minutes with every month he gets old. For instance, a five months old dog should receive a maximum of 25 minutes of exercise. It is only a suggestion for individuals who aren’t aware of how much exercise a puppy requires; it isn’t supported by research or proof, but it is a safety measure that will keep you from overdoing it.

Did you Know?

Puppies do not require long walks or high-intensity workouts

4. Add Dietary Supplements for Their Joint Health

Topical supplements may protect and reduce the chances of hip dysplasia in puppies. Adding supplements to your pup’s diet with essential vitamins and minerals is a wise idea. Vitamin C and E antioxidants, and also Perna Supplements, are great to help a pup’s bones. These pills are rich in 57 micronutrients and are beneficial in building your pet’s joint strength.

Medications that improve joint mobility, like glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, can be given to help prevent arthritic disorders. Glucosamine is a protein that helps in joint tissue formation and function. Chondroitin acts to protect joints by preventing harmful enzymes. They’re known to work together to assist your pup in building and restoring ligaments in the injured joints. [14] [15]

Before giving these medications to your puppy, it’s better to talk to your doctor about the right dosage. You may crush these and put them into your puppy’s meal after you figure out the dose.

Proving calcium-rich supplements can worsen your dog’s hip joints.

5. Avoid Neutering Your Dog at an Early Age

One research revealed that neutering male Golden Retriever pups at a young age cause double cases of hip dysplasia as leaving them unaltered. To avoid potential hip dysplasia, you should consider neutering him when he is a properly grown adult or otherwise not neutering him whatsoever. [16]

If you own a pup whose race and/or ancestry is more vulnerable to hip dysplasia, then neutering (or waiting till one year) could be essential at the right age. [17]

Hormones have also been proven in a new study to have a role in healthy joint formation. The hormones estrogen and progesterone or testicles are critical for your pet’s healthy development in a number of ways. [18] [19]

6. Early Screening for Hip Dysplasia

Regular fitness checks are necessary for detecting whether or not your puppy has hip dysplasia. But, more testing will be required to assess the seriousness of a pup’s dysplasia. Hip dysplasia diagnostics should be done as soon as possible, particularly if the dog belongs to a risky breed. [20]

Early radiography examinations can clear out or indicate the existence of hip dysplasia symptoms. The veterinarian will suggest you a suitable exercise and dietary schedule for your pet based on the findings of the tests. [21]

Conclusion

Hip dysplasia is an uncomfortable and frustrating disorder that causes your pet to properly utilize his back legs properly. It is extremely painful whenever it develops in a pup or small canine, despite the fact that it is traumatic at every age. Investing time examining the canine and the breeders from whom you want to purchase your puppy might save a lot of time, energy, and suffering in the future.

The most essential thing a pet parent could do to protect their puppy from developing hip problems is to keep in mind that they are at an ideal weight. To prevent hip dysplasia as well as a variety of other illnesses and conditions, provide a nutritious, species-specific diet in prescribed doses, as well as suitable low-impact exercises.