Hips

[daisycorinna]

Are bad hips hereditary? How much food should a puppy eat a day? She is 13 weeks old

[canUdigIt]

Well the answer to that, is

Kinda.

bad hips are a combination of things that no one really understands, while parents who are affected generally produce more offspring who are affected, but may never produce an affected pup.

On the otherhand, parents who are phenotypically not dysplastic can also produce dysplastic offspring. There are many contributing factors thought to be at play, genes as well as environment. Things like feeding and exercise can play a role in dysplasia. Even when all things are done right.

Kind of like in children. Mom and dad may never have a disorder, and yet all of their kids do. Its a crap shoot really.

Feed your pup what she will eat and keep a nice waist. Nothing wrong with a rolly polly puppy, but at 5 months or so you will notice by the feel and look of your pup whether or not she is a good weight.

Most of all, buying a pup from a good breeder is probably the only thing you can control. If your pup turns out dysplastic after that, sorry thems the breaks.

[imported_bacatherine]

The previous poster said it well. It can be hereditery but not totally they suggest keeping your puppy on the lean side (not skinny just lean) and not forcing exercise such as running with them on a leash. Playing in the yard, short walks, and playing with other dogs are good exercise though as they can stop when they get tired.

How much food varies so greatly by what type of food your feeding and your puppy it's hard to say how much she should need. I started with the bag suggestion then if she started looking tubby I backed it down some if she was still looking a little thin I'd give her more.

[windycanyon]

More hereditary than not (moderately heritable is the term used by the Merck Vet handbook).... the deeper the pedigree w/ hip clearances, the better your chances will be that your pup is healthy. Smaller lines TEND to be safer bets than large lines as growth may not be as fast in smaller ones.

Dysplasia means "bad fit". All hips start out normal. When growth gets out of sync, that's when dysplasia happens. Can be *aggrevated* by too many calories, but not "caused" by, per se. Excessive activity can aggrevate it thru damaging growth plates or if muscles/tendons don't keep up w/ bone growth, but unfortunately, it's difficult to tell the difference. Common sense is called for in raising a pup. Limit jumping (lift pup in and out of vehicle, etc), limit running on hard surfaces but encourage good muscling through moderate exercise and adequate nutrition. Don't keep pup skinny nor fat. There are tons of good references on the net....