Dogs with CHD have a weak hip joint structure that is more likely to be injured by normal activity like jumping off the couch or out of the car, or playing rough with a playmate. Puppies should be kept from jumping of engaging in sustained exercise like jogging, pulling, mushing, running for the first year of their lives. Influences CHD is diet. Dogs predisposed to HD benefit from a lean diet during their first two years of life. Some vets now feel that slowing the growth rate during the early months of life can lessen the severity of hip dysplasia and possibly prevent it.
Excess calcium is routed to the bones through the influence of calciotropic hormones.
Do not supplement the dog's diet with calcium. This is still being studied. The femoral head flattens, the femoral neck thickens, and the joint becomes loose and unstable. The femoral head and acetabulum are riddled with arthritic and the the femoral head is almost totally dislocated. FHO Sometimes the head of femur can simply be removed and the surrounding muscles compensate for the missing joint.