some opinions on bad hips

[westernpa]

there is more to look at when puchasing a rottweiler puppy than just an ofa certificate. hip dysplaxia can happen with two excellent ofa certified parents. everyone has there own opinions on this matter. i have been looking into this because my dam has just had a litter of puppies and i want to know exactly what to do to have the healthiest puppies possible. from what i have been finding out is that the puppy food that we feed the puppies needs to be lower in calcium than what most foods are. the problem occurs because the bones are growing so much faster than the muscles and therefor the muscles cannot support the bone growth and the result is hip dyspaxia. this was interesting to me because i have never heard anyone talk about this before. that is just another thing to look for when choosing a breeder and puppy food. i would like to hear others resonse about this subject and there opinions. thanks

[TrishB]

Originally posted by westernpa
i have been looking into this because my dam has just had a litter of puppies and i want to know exactly what to do to have the healthiest puppies possible.

In my opinion, you're too late. You've already bred and have had pups! :(

Genetics is the leading factor, by far, in hip dysplasia. Sure - an unbalanced diet, working on uneven ground, too hard work at too young of an age, etc. are factors. But GENETICS are #1 (more than the others combined).

To your comment that 2 OFA Excellent parents can have a dysplastic pup - sure - but the chances are low. BUT! The key is not to only look at the parents ratings, but also THEIR parents ratings and Grandparents ratings. You want to line breed good hips - not just take the parents on face value. This is the key to responsibly breeding (great breeders take months and sometimes YEARS to find the perfect genetic match).

I wouldn't focus too much on the other variables to hip dysplasia - as they won't add up anywhere near to the impact of genetics. Once you HAVE researched and bred for genetics, then you can look at the rest of the factors to see if you can improve your chances.

[TrinityRun]

Too much protein is not good for rapidly growing puppies. What are you feeding the bitch now?

Hip dysplasia is a topic you will find discussed often in the archives.

You will also find a lot of helpful ideas there on contracts, screening homes for your puppy buyers, warranties, etc.

[TrinityRun]

I will also add to Trish's post in that researching the pedigree breadth is just as, if not more, important than depth.

That means look at the sire and dam of the litter as well as their littermates. Look at the grandparents of the litter and their littermates.

[Miabella]

Originally posted by TrishB
[b]
The key is not to only look at the parents ratings, but also THEIR parents ratings and Grandparents ratings. You want to line breed good hips - not just take the parents on face value.

Siblings are also very important. Not only do you want to see ratings for the parents and grandparents, you want to know what kind of hips their littermates had.

[TrishB]

Originally posted by Miabella
Siblings are also very important. Not only do you want to see ratings for the parents and grandparents, you want to know what kind of hips their littermates had.

Of course! Silly me, I should have posted that too. :) Thanks for the reminder all! ;)

My point is, you're not breeding individuals, you're breeding FAMILIES! So be sure you are fully aware of all of the attributes of all of the relatives, to increase your chances of a known / anticipated / planned outcome. :)

[TrinityRun]

(Trish, we knew you knew that. lol)

I think Trish's point, and what many will be thinking when they read this thread is that the OP should have known the answers to these questions PRIOR to ever putting two dogs together. By asking rudimentary questions like this shows you aren't ready to be breeding. That said, it is my sincere hope, WesternPA that you will do your homework here, ask many questions in an effort to understand why and stick around.

I cannot promise you won't get some heat here, but I can promise if you stick around you will get excellent advice and help for you and the puppies.

[spidey]

I agree with the other posters, I wanted to add that diet may have an effect on how much the dysplasia affects the individual dogs (although it's less what the diet contains and more how lean the dog is kept as it grows, and this effect "runs out" eventually - how much HD affects the dog usually increases with age), but it has no effect whatsoever on whether they actually HAVE dysplasia or not. It seems to me that the OP may be confusing things which may be related to diet and too-fast growth, like forelegs going crooked, with hip dysplasia, which is genetic (again, the effect it has on the dog can be somewhat controlled by keeping the dog very lean, but whether the dog has it or not is almost always genetic).

By the way, I'm wondering where the OP got this info from, and if s/he has any links to it.

[lblax]

Originally posted by TrishB
Genetics is the leading factor, by far, in hip dysplasia. Sure - an unbalanced diet, working on uneven ground, too hard work at too young of an age, etc. are factors. But GENETICS are #1 (more than the others combined).

false.... genetics are the only factor in true congenital hip dyplaysia hence the word congenital.... by over doing excersise by being over weight or by feeding poor nutrition or by injurie------you may damage the hips causing premature hip wear or arthritis or other ailmants but these are not truly hip dyplaysia. vetrinarians breeders and dog owners seem to lump all hip problems as dysplaysia when they are not... excersize proper diet and keeping injuries down will make the effects of dysplaysia less of a factor and reduce the progression in some dogs with dysplaysia

[lblax]

Originally posted by TrinityRun
()

II cannot promise you won't get some heat here, but I can promise if you stick around you will get excellent advice and help for you and the puppies.

exactly what is done is done now you just do your best

[spidey]

genetics are the only factor in true congenital hip dyplaysia hence the word congenital

While you're right about HD being genetic, "congenital" just means the dog was born with it, NOT that it's necessarily genetic, which aren't the same thing. Not all things which a dog is born with are genetic, things which happen in the uterus or in the delivery aren't genetic. A dog whose hip is dislocated during delivery has a congenital dislocation, not a genetic dislocation, many puppy heart murmurs are congenital, but not genetic. In other words - all genetic problems are congenital, but congenital problems aren't necessarily genetic.

[TrishB]

Which would be why I told the original poster that if they're just worring about HD now that their pups are on the ground, they're too late.

[Carol Burke]

Yes, hip dysplasia is caused by genetics, but, IMO, how a puppy is raised can and does impact hip formation. I like skinny puppies.

[westernpa]

i did a ton of research before i ever bred my female. the sire is awesome as well as his pedigree. my concern was in making sure that i did everything else right after they were born. everything you guys said about hip dysplasia is correct and i appreciate the opinions. my puppies were all spoken for before i ever bred her because of the combination of these two dogs. i have the article that talks about the amount of protein in the diet as well as the amount of calcium. they say that it is not proper to get them on a lower protein diet before they are adults. the problem is with the amount of calcium not the protein. if anyone would like to read the article pm me or email me and i will give you the name of the article and where i found it. it has a lot of good info on diet from doctors not just peoples opinions. i like to see usefull info from professionals in the field that is why i read so much about this breed.

[TrinityRun]

Originally posted by westernpa
the problem is with the amount of calcium not the protein.

Too much of anything isn't good.

And too high of a protein content in food for growing Rottweilers is not good. Feeding too much protein IS a problem.

PS I still would like to know what you are feeding now? What brand of food?