Hip, hip dismay

I have a wonderful one-year-old Samoyed named Teddy. He started to display signs of hip problems a few months ago. He seemed to have trouble sitting down and getting up after lying for some time and his hips would make an awful clunking noise as he moved around. He has a very big soft bed which seems to help but a lot of the time prefers to sleep on the hard wood floor to keep cool. He has never shown signs of being in pain and it is not slowing him down or stopping him from being a normal, happy Samoyed puppy. He is very lively and clumsy so I thought maybe he had just injured himself.
The first vet I saw was almost certain it was Dysplasia which I was terrified would be the case. He was put on anti-inflammatory pills and after two weeks I took him back to the vet. This time I saw a different vet and
she was fairly certain he had just injured himself which I was very pleased to hear (pleased that it wasn't Dysplasia, not pleased that he had injured himself). Each vet has suggested I build up his rear end muscles with swimming but he has given swimming a go and his coat bogged him down and he didn't like it.
I want to try cod liver oil or any kind of supplement that can help his joints. I have searched endlessly on the internet in magazines and asked people I know about why this happened and what I can try to help him but I have failed to come up with any straight answers. I'm now left feeling very confused. Each different article I read comes up with a different answer. Can dogs take normal cod liver oil tablets that are meant for humans? Will they do any good? Are there specific products on the market for dogs with this problem? And if so are they ridiculously priced and contain the same things as the human equivalent?
Is there a reason this has happened? I feel terribly guilty when I see Ted hobbling around in case I could have done something to prevent this. I have also tried to find ways of getting in touch with owners of Samoyeds who have hip problems to find out
how they have helped their dogs but I have found nothing.
Emma Douglas


Well, Emma, my feeling is that the cause of the problem hasn’t really been investigated sufficiently. Hip Dysplasia is very difficult to diagnose or rule out without taking X rays. If it was an injury, what kind of injury and why hasn’t it cleared up after several months? My advice is to ask your vets to X ray the hindquarters, or refer to an orthopaedic specialist if they don’t want to carry out further investigations themselves.
Whatever the underlying problem, supplements may well be helpful in relieving the symptoms. Cod liver oil is indeed a good supplement for bone and joint problems (about 500mg daily for a young Samoyed) and there is no special veterinary cod liver oil – ordinary human products will be just as good! Other joint supplements that can help include Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and Hyaluronic acid (the best product containing these ingredients, in my opinion, is Cortavet). Turmeric is a herb with a natural anti inflammatory effect, and Yarrow complex, a combination of several herbs, is another anti inflammatory treatment.
For weak muscles, vitamin E seems helpful and there is a really good supplement of a natural oil that helps strengthen and bulk up muscle for dogs, with the inspired brand name of Muscle Dog.
I could go on – magnetic collars, acupuncture, type 2 collagen, homoeopathic medicines, green lipped mussel, deer antler velvet. All might help. But you do need to find out exactly what is wrong with Teddy first!
Richard Allport, alternative vet