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What nutrition and supplements prevent hip dysplasia in my Labrador?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | unneutered | 1 year old | 55 lbs

Hi! I know that Hip Dysplasia is a common health problem with Labradors. Although my Lab's pedigree shows that none of his ancestors have been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia I still want to make sure my boy remains healthy. I just read in an article that this could be prevented with "proper nutrition" but I'm not really sure what such a nutrition should include. Until now I fed my dog "Synoquin growth" as a supplement but according to the description this is only for dogs up to 1 year.thanks

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Emily, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 8th, 2017

The best way to assess if your dog has abnormal hips or not is to have your veterinarian you a good orthopedic exam, which sometimes require sedation, as well as there are certain x-rays that can be taken to assess his hips. This includes what's called an OFA you as well as a Penn hip study. The latter can only be done by certain veterinarians but the OFA can be done by Moe small animal veterinarians. Given his breed keeping him on a joint supplement is a good idea. One brand called Dasuquin by the Nutramax lab has been shown to be effective. currently you could consider omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.

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    Answered By Emily, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    That should say alternatively, not currently. If you have any concerns that your dog could have abnormal hips I would recommend discussing with your veterinarian doing those x-rays. Sometimes if we catch it early there are some surgeries to correct certain problems. Other times we medically manage dogs if they become symptomatic for bad hips.

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