The Life Span Cycle Of Vet Care For Dogs

What Are the Treatment Options for a Dog with Hip Dysplasia?

25 October 2018 by Leonard Wallace

Hip dysplasia is a very common condition among dogs all over the world. There are many reasons why a dog suffers from it, but poor breeding might be one of the leading reasons. Finding treatments for hip dysplasia is something many vets work towards daily. As the condition is so common, there is more than one way to treat it. If your dog has hip dysplasia, you should be aware of the options that your vet may suggest to be able to choose the right treatment for your dog.

Surgery

Surgery is probably the most common option to choose when your dog suffers from hip dysplasia. There are two different options for when surgery is performed on an older dog. Femoral head and neck extension is the more affordable option as it is a pretty uncomplicated procedure in comparison with a total hip replacement surgery. It does allow the dog to be pain-free, but the dog might also lose a lot of motion and stability in the joint.

Hip replacement surgery is a quite large operation as the vet replaces the dog's hip with an artificial joint. It's an expensive surgery, but it does allow the dog to be pain-free while also gaining full motion in the hip. It's recommended to perform especially on older dogs with severe hip dysplasia. An even better, but also more expensive, option for hip replacement surgery is to let your dog undergo stem cell therapy, where the dog is provided with a completely new, organic hip.

Weight management

If your dog is overweight, this might be a large contributor to the severity of the hip dysplasia. Weight management is, therefore, something you should try as a first option to treat your dog's hip dysplasia. By not feeding your dog any food that you eat and controlling the portions of dog food that you are giving, you can treat your dog's hip dysplasia. If it's in a lot of pain, exercise might be hard, but you should at least try to take your dog out on walks. Try walking on soft surfaces, like grass, to make it gentler for its joints.

Medication

A final option that many dog owners do to treat their dog's hip dysplasia is to medicate it. Anti-inflammatory drugs can help reduce the severity of the hip dysplasia. Combined with painkillers, they can let your dog feel completely normal. However, this should not be a long-term solution as the hip dysplasia is still there even though the dog can't feel it. 

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