Hip Dysplasia in Rottweilers

Hip Dysplasia in Rottweilers – What Is It?

Hip dysplasia is a degenerative condition, which can affect any dog. Although the causes may vary, the effects are always the same: loss of mobility, increasing pain, impaired gait, and even behavioral and mood changes in your dog (including snappishness and depression).

What Are the Signs of Hip Dysplasia in Rottweilers?

Hobbles, or walks/trots with an irregular gait
Tries to keep weight off one of the rear legs
Starts to slow down or limp on a favorite walk or run
Stays in bed instead of playing outdoors
Whimpers or yelps when climbing stairs
Flinches when the hip area or lower back are touched

What Happens in Hip Dysplasia – Why Does It Hurt?

Dysplasia is simply the dislocation of a bone from its proper place. “Plasia” is the Greek word for molding, so it’s easy to visualize an architectural form, like a beam or column, separating from its stabilizing molding. Hip dysplasia or displacement is one of the best-known types of dysplasia in dogs.

The degenerative process of hip dysplasia is gradual. The onset of symptoms, specifically pain, is also somewhat gradual taking place over the course of years. In simple terms, the two bones of the hip joint shift out of alignment. The structure of a dog’s hip bones is similar to our human hip formation, consisting of a precisely fitted ball-and-socket joint. This is called a “spheroidal” joint, referring to the spherical head of the distal or articulating bone, which fit into the cup-like cavity of the accompanying bone.

Perhaps because they are such hand-working structures, the ball and socket joints are prone to disease, and simple mechanical wear and damage over time.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

Hip dysplasia results in several symptoms which reduce mobility and cause pain.
The muscles and joints become lax, and the joint capsule, a strong band of connective tissue which circled the bones for added stability, loses its elastic strength.
As this happens, the articular (working) surfaces of the two bones lose contact with each other. The bones slowly separate as the soft tissues around the joint degenerate. The disease may affect one or both right and left hips.

With the loss of protective scaffolding between the bone surfaces, the nerves in the bone endings themselves become exposed. When bone touches bone, there is acute pain. In addition, the loss of tensile strength of the supporting tendons, muscle, and cartilage means that other structures in the hip and leg must compensate in terms of weight-bearing and movement. This unnatural compensation may cause fatigue and pain. It may even cause the dog to injure itself—running to catch a Frisbee, or climbing stairs, for instance.

What Causes Hip Dysplasia?

Experts disagree as to the source of hip dysplasia in dogs.

Too much food
One theory is that feeding a young, growing dog too many calories early in its development contributes to the disorder.
Too much exercise
Another theory is that too much exercise, or the wrong kind of exercise, or simply too much high-impact exercise, such as fetching, jumping, and catching a ball or Frisbee on concrete, contributes to hip dysplasia.

A factual observation about this condition is that hip dysplasia tends to affect large breeds more so than smaller dogs. This, too, is relative—it is possible for small dogs to become affected by hip dysplasia, too. However, we correctly associate the condition most frequently with big breeds.

These breeds do carry a genetic predisposition toward the condition. It is also true that purebreds, especially large dogs, are most likely to become vulnerable to hip dysplasia, therefore calling upon informed and responsible breeding practices.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Dog’s Quality of Life

Our first instinct as dog lovers is to stop the pain. Sometimes our decision-making process is clouded by emotion—guilt, fear, even panic when we see our beloved canine companion suffering. Many conventional treatments for hip dysplasia in dogs have side effects, or simply don’t work.

1) Try Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula

A naturopathic doctor developed Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula. These offer support and relief for many conditions affecting your dog’s joints including hip dysplasia, arthritis, and inflammatory diseases. These are also common in dogs, attacking the cartilage, muscles, and membrane linings of cartilage and joints.

These may offer your dog safe alternatives: calming inflammation as an immediate solution and helping to rebuild joint integrity as a long-range treatment. These trusted products can slow or even stop the degeneration of the hip joint. In many cases, hip replacement surgery which is the last resort may be prevented altogether. For over 30 years, Winston’s formulas have helped thousands of dogs from all over the world.

2) Schedule a visit with your veterinarian

If your dog is clearly in pain, schedule a visit with your veterinarian. An X-ray examination will be recommended as a first step.

3) Monitor your dog’s weight

Obesity makes hip dysplasia worse. If your dog becomes less active, weight gain may become a challenge. Eliminate treats, and if possible, offer your dog low-impact exercises like stretching and swimming.

4) Remove unnecessary physical stressors from your dog’s life

5) Replace stairs with a ramp

While your dog is recovering, this prevents further damage to the damaged hip.

6) Provide a padded dog bed

Sleeping on a hard surface may increase the inflammation associated with hip dysplasia. A gel bed, which actually contains a soft jelly that conforms to your dog’s body, relieves pressure from sore joints.

7) Experiment with low-heat heating pads or fleece-covered hot water bottles

Together with gentle massages, these ways relax your dog and provide comfort during the healing process.

Is Your Dog Experiencing Hip Dysplasia or Other Forms of Pain?

We Can Help.

Does your dog have trouble walking, standing, or getting up? There is an excellent chance we can help your dog.

Since 1990, Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula have helped heal over twenty thousand dogs from all over the world. Our staff specializes in hip dysplasia, arthritis, and all joint pain & mobility issues.

To start your dog’s pain-free life, please contact us at www.dogshealth.com or call our toll-free number at 888-901-5557.

Chocolate Can Kill a Dog

Have you ever wondered if chocolate can kill a dog or if that’s simply a myth spread by some dog owners?
Some ‘people foods’ are safe to feed your dog as long as you don’t overdo it by giving your pet too much. However, there is one people food you never should give your beloved dog and that is chocolate. Chocolate can seriously sicken your dog and sometimes can even kill it. Veterinarians rate chocolate as one of the most common causes of dog poisoning.

No amount of chocolate is safe for your dog to ingest. The most dangerous types of chocolate are dark chocolate and baker’s chocolate. Milk chocolate and white chocolate present a less serious risk but still should not be given to a dog.

What makes chocolate so poisonous that it can kill a dog? The answer lies in the ingredients used to make chocolate. Cocoa and cocoa beans contain caffeine plus a chemical compound called theobromine, which is the real threat to dogs. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, one ounce of milk chocolate per pound of a dog’s body weight is potentially deadly. Since an average chocolate bar like Hershey’s milk chocolate weighs one and a half ounces, it would take a fairly large amount to poison a dog. Obviously smaller dogs are at more risk than large ones.

Don’t assume that this means it’s safe to give your dog small amounts of chocolate. You have no way of knowing how much theobromine a given cocoa product contains, and the more of this chemical you feed a dog, the more poisonous it is to your pet. For example, unsweetened Bakers Chocolate contains about 390 milligrams of theobromine per ounce — about 10 times more than milk chocolate and more than twice as much as semi-sweet chocolate. Although white chocolate contains very little theobromine, veterinarians recommend that you do not feed this treat to your dog either.

The reason theobromine is so dangerous to dogs is because it metabolizes more slowly in an animal’s system than it does in humans. Approximately 18 hours after a dog eats chocolate, half of the theobromine it ingested is still in its system.

It’s true that a large enough amount of chocolate can kill a dog but even small amounts can cause vomiting and diarrhea in a dog. If your dog eats a large toxic amount of chocolate it can cause high blood pressure, a rapid heart rate, respiratory failure, tremors, seizures, and even cardiac arrest.

I certainly don’t recommend ever giving your dog chocolate and it’s something I would never allow my pet to eat. But in the event your dog should manage to get its paws on your chocolate stash, you should know that dark chocolate is the supreme dangerous form of this delectable item. Dogs have died from theobromine doses as low as 115 milligrams per two pounds of body weight. This translates to 20 ounces of milk chocolate, or 10 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, or just 2.25 ounces of baking chocolate, all of which could potentially kill a 22 pound dog.

Now that you know chocolate can kill a dog, never feed your pet any form of chocolate. If your pet does consume chocolate you should contact your vet immediately. If your vet is not available because it’s after business hours, you can call the ASPCA poison control hotline at 888-426-4435. The call is toll-free but there is the possibility you may be charged for an emergency consultation, so don’t call the poison control hotline unless you are sure your dog has eaten a toxic amount of chocolate.

Is Your Dog Experiencing Hip Dysplasia or Other Forms of Pain?

We Can Help.

Does your dog have trouble walking, standing, or getting up? There is an excellent chance we can help your dog.

Since 1990, Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula have helped heal over twenty thousand dogs from all over the world. Our staff specializes in hip dysplasia, arthritis, and all joint pain & mobility issues.

To start your dog’s pain-free life, please contact us at www.dogshealth.com or call our toll-free number at 888-901-5557.

chocolate Chocolate and Dogs Dogs and Chocolate

Are Rawhide Bones Good For Dogs?

Rawhide bones are natural chew toys that most dogs like to gnaw on. Most vets agree that rawhide bones are good for a dog and have several benefits, but you need to be aware that there are also some health risks.

The rough surfaces of rawhide bones make them an almost irresistible treat for a dog to chew on and your dog can stay busy gnawing away at the bone for hours on end.

Most rawhide bones are good for your dog’s dental health. An added benefit may be that they can help in preventing a dog from chewing on your furniture and shoes.

If you’ve given your dog a rawhide bone or are considering buying one, you should be aware that these bones can also be bad for your dog. Larger pieces of rawhide bones can choke your dog by blocking its respiratory passageway. If your dog breaks off small chunks that can be swallowed, it could result in stomach problems or blockages of the dog’s intestinal tract which often requires surgery to remove.

Some dogs also develop allergic reactions to rawhide bones. Mere contact with the rawhide can irritate the skin of some dogs and requires treatment with medications. Rawhide bones that are sold in grocery stores usually have rough surfaces that can cause fractures of a dog’s teeth, or in severe cases could cause a fracture of the jaw bone. If splinters from the rawhide bone are swallowed without being properly chewed, they can puncture several of a dog’s organs.

If your dog is allergic to beef, don’t buy rawhide bones made from cattle. Instead, try one made from the skin of other animals like pigs.

Rawhide bones can also cause bacterial infections like salmonella because the rawhide that has been used to manufacture the bone may carry bacteria from the pig or cow it was made from. Luckily, most of these types of bacteria do not cause intestinal distress in a dog because the gastric acids in its system neutralizes the bacteria upon reaching the stomach.

Only you can decide if rawhide bones are good for your dog. You might choose to give your dog safer chew toys or treats in place of a rawhide bone. If one of your dog’s favorite pleasures is chewing on one of these bones, just be sure you buy the right sized bone to prevent your dog from choking, fracturing its teeth, or developing an intestinal blockage.

Is Your Dog Experiencing Hip Dysplasia or Other Forms of Pain?

We Can Help.

Does your dog have trouble walking, standing, or getting up? There is an excellent chance we can help your dog.

Since 1990, Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula have helped heal over twenty thousand dogs from all over the world. Our staff specializes in hip dysplasia, arthritis, and all joint pain & mobility issues.

To start your dog’s pain-free life, please contact us at www.dogshealth.com or call our toll-free number at 888-901-5557.

dog bones Rawhide Bones

Hip Dysplasia in Pointers

Hip dysplasia is a genetic disease that primarily affects large, purebred breeds of dogs such as Pointers.

Hip Dysplasia in Pointers – What Is It?

Hip dysplasia is a degenerative condition, which can affect any dog. Although the causes may vary, the effects are always the same: loss of mobility, increasing pain, impaired gait, and even behavioral and mood changes in your dog (including snappishness and depression).

What Are the Signs of Hip Dysplasia in Pointers?

Hobbles, or walks/trots with an irregular gait
Tries to keep weight off one of the rear legs
Starts to slow down or limp on a favorite walk or run
Stays in bed instead of playing outdoors
Whimpers or yelps when climbing stairs
Flinches when the hip area or lower back are touched

What Happens in Hip Dysplasia – Why Does It Hurt?

Dysplasia is simply the dislocation of a bone from its proper place. “Plasia” is the Greek word for molding, so it’s easy to visualize an architectural form, like a beam or column, separating from its stabilizing molding. Hip dysplasia or displacement is one of the best-known types of dysplasia in dogs.

The degenerative process of hip dysplasia is gradual. The onset of symptoms, specifically pain, is also somewhat gradual taking place over the course of years. In simple terms, the two bones of the hip joint shift out of alignment. The structure of a dog’s hip bones is similar to our human hip formation, consisting of a precisely fitted ball-and-socket joint. This is called a “spheroidal” joint, referring to the spherical head of the distal or articulating bone, which fit into the cup-like cavity of the accompanying bone.

Perhaps because they are such hand-working structures, the ball and socket joints are prone to disease, and simple mechanical wear and damage over time.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

Hip dysplasia results in several symptoms which reduce mobility and cause pain.
The muscles and joints become lax, and the joint capsule, a strong band of connective tissue which circled the bones for added stability, loses its elastic strength.
As this happens, the articular (working) surfaces of the two bones lose contact with each other. The bones slowly separate as the soft tissues around the joint degenerate. The disease may affect one or both right and left hips.

With the loss of protective scaffolding between the bone surfaces, the nerves in the bone endings themselves become exposed. When bone touches bone, there is acute pain. In addition, the loss of tensile strength of the supporting tendons, muscle, and cartilage means that other structures in the hip and leg must compensate in terms of weight-bearing and movement. This unnatural compensation may cause fatigue and pain. It may even cause the dog to injure itself—running to catch a Frisbee, or climbing stairs, for instance.

What Causes Hip Dysplasia?

Experts disagree as to the source of hip dysplasia in dogs.

Too much food
One theory is that feeding a young, growing dog too many calories early in its development contributes to the disorder.
Too much exercise
Another theory is that too much exercise, or the wrong kind of exercise, or simply too much high-impact exercise, such as fetching, jumping, and catching a ball or Frisbee on concrete, contributes to hip dysplasia.

A factual observation about this condition is that hip dysplasia tends to affect large breeds more so than smaller dogs. This, too, is relative—it is possible for small dogs to become affected by hip dysplasia, too. However, we correctly associate the condition most frequently with big breeds.

These breeds do carry a genetic predisposition toward the condition. It is also true that purebreds, especially large dogs, are most likely to become vulnerable to hip dysplasia, therefore calling upon informed and responsible breeding practices.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Dog’s Quality of Life

Our first instinct as dog lovers is to stop the pain. Sometimes our decision-making process is clouded by emotion—guilt, fear, even panic when we see our beloved canine companion suffering. Many conventional treatments for hip dysplasia in dogs have side effects, or simply don’t work.

1) Try Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula

A naturopathic doctor developed Winston’s Joint System and Winston’s Pain Formula. These offer support and relief for many conditions affecting your dog’s joints including hip dysplasia, arthritis, and inflammatory diseases. These are also common in dogs, attacking the cartilage, muscles, and membrane linings of cartilage and joints.

These may offer your dog safe alternatives: calming inflammation as an immediate solution and helping to rebuild joint integrity as a long-range treatment. These trusted products can slow or even stop the degeneration of the hip joint. In many cases, hip replacement surgery which is the last resort may be prevented altogether. For over 30 years, Winston’s formulas have helped thousands of dogs from all over the world.

2) Schedule a visit with your veterinarian

If your dog is clearly in pain, schedule a visit with your veterinarian. An X-ray examination will be recommended as a first step.