Dogs Worldwide

Large dogs such as Golden Retrievers, St Bernards, German Shepards and Boxers are prone to developing Hip Dysplasia or Hip Arthritis. The condition in an animal is degenerative, is progressive and quite often will render the dog lame.

Hip Dysplasia in Boxers can be noticed more frequently in older dogs where the ball and socket joints have gone loose. This is the joint formed by the meeting of the thighbone and the pelvis. When the tissues lining this joint become deformed, the ball and socket do not fit snugly thus causing pain and damaging friction.

Hip Dysplasia in a Boxer, or any dog for that matter, can be extremely painful and if only for that reason it is vital to get the dog medical attention as soon as you suspect that something might be wrong.

Old age is not the only factor in hip dysplasia another quite common factor is obesity and unfortunately Boxers that are spoiled tend to become obest. Genetics also play a role in Boxer hip dysplasia if this is the case with your Boxers then it is vital that you pay very close attention to your dogs nutrition and exercise regime.

Boxers with Hip Dysplasia suffer from decreased activity, difficulty in rising, lameness of the rear limbs, and even swaggering movement. Hip Dysplasia is indeed a painful and crippling disease that is caused by inflammation and decreased mobility and flexibility.

Hip Dysplasia will give your dog problems in mounting stairs, lameness after exercise and your dog may undergo changes in disposition because of the pain.

While we have no medical cure for Hip dysplasia your boxer should still be able to live a long and happy life, if you are prepared to put in the effort. within recent years veterinarians have started to use glucosamine for the treatment of Hip Dysplasia. Pain control been achieved with asprin and a proper exercise routine. Additional Vit C has also been shown to improve the dogs quality of life.

Careful breeding is one of the best preventive measures for Boxer Hip Dysplasia so if you are thinking of buying a Boxer puppy do not be afraid to ask questions about whether or not the parents suffer from this condition.

Tags: Boxer, Hip Dysplasia

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 15:00 and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.