How to Treat Your Dog's Hip Dysplasia with Vitamin C

Hip dysplasia is a devastating joint disease that targets some dogs and makes walking and getting around difficult. While dog breeders are aware of this condition and are trying to breed the healthiest dogs only to reduce the incidence of hip dysplasia, many dogs still develop the disease. A controversial, but relatively harmless, method of treating hip dysplasia includes treatment with Vitamin C supplements. This nutrient may be given at various stages of the disorder or even to the mother dog while pregnant to prevent hip dysplasia in her offspring.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Give an adult dog that weighs 50 lbs., approximately 250 mg of Vitamin C per day and increase or decrease that dosage if the dog weighs more or less than 50 lbs.

2. Spread the dosage out during the day. Vitamin C does not stay in the body and dosing your dog once a day with a high amount of the nutrient will result in expensive urine but it will not provide round-the-clock protection for hip dysplasia.

3. Switch to a mild form of Vitamin C supplements if your dog gets diarrhea. Vitamin C, especially in high doses, can upset your dog’s stomach and loosen his stools. Try Ester C, a mild vitamin formulation that is less likely to result in diarrhea.

4. Dose pregnant dogs with Vitamin C supplements to possibly prevent hip dysplasia in their offspring. This is controversial, but some dog specialists swear by it when dosing breeds that are prone to developing the debilitating joint condition. Keep dosing the mother dog as long as she is nursing.

5. Include Vitamin C supplements in your new puppy’s diet. Based once again on the puppy’s weight, in breeds prone to hip dysplasia, consider administering Vitamin C supplements to the puppy as soon as it begins to eat solid food to provide on-going protection and promote strong bone growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not give your dog calcium supplements. They may worsen hip dysplasia.

Resources

• How to Treat Eye Discharge in a Dog
• The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health: The complete pet health resource for your dog, cat, horse or other pets - in everyday language. (Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health (Home Edition)
• The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats: Over 1,000 Solutions to Your Pet's Problems - From Top Vets, Trainers, Breeders, and Other Animal Experts
• How to Assist With a Puppy Birth

[blindsquirrel]

on 9/3/2009 New info for me. Had several dogs develop this with advanced age. Will try Vitamin C on them. Thank you.

[HowardBThiname]

on 8/6/2009 I've heard about Vitamin C therapy. Now, I think I'll look into it more.