My Great Dane has hip dysplasia

Kdm, there are several options for managing Hip Dysplasia depending on the individual case and how mild or severe it is.  The first thing to keep in mind is the more weight on the joints, the harder it will be for the dog to get up and around so keeping your dog at an ideal weight will help lighten the load.  Another thing that is very helpful on a daily basis is for the dog to have an orthopedic bed to sleep on.  These are specially designed to distribute weight evenly thus putting equal amounts of weight on each joint.  You will notice dogs with hind end problems like Dysplasia will bulk up in the front as the front legs start to take on more of the load to help the dog reduce pain or make up for the loss of strength.

For mild cases of Hip Dysplasia drugs that are used are Asprin, Corticosteroids, Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatories and sometimes joint fluid modifiers.  You would need to check with your vet on the dosages, they are weight dependant and some are available by prescription only.  Alot of people have good luck with products containing Glucosamine and Chondroitan but the key is to make sure the product has enough of these in it to make a difference.  Many foods advertise that they contain these but it is not an adequate amount for medicinal purposes.  Again, check with your vet on how many miligrams per day if you add the two products to your dogs diet.

For severe cases of Hip Dysplasia, there are some surgery options if your dog is a candidate.  If your vet does not do surgical procedures to help with Dysplasia, you can ask to be referred out to a vet that does.  If that sounds too scary, you could start with an office visit where the vet would review the x-rays and discuss options for your dog.  Good luck and keep us posted!