At the conclusion of this article, you will have two choices –
1) Make a major paradigm shift in your thinking, or 2) Keep following the crowd and accept the results you get from
doing so.
If you are not one to accept new ideas, I caution you to stop reading now!
Many years ago, I started breeding Labradors using the only information I had at hand – books, veterinarian recommendations, and what the majority of people were saying.
Without experience, I really had little choice.
After three decades in the practice of breeding, training, and nutrition, I’m now the one doing the writing. It would be far easier to just copy and support what others are saying, but that doesn’t fit my character. I’m going to tell you what I really think, knowing full well my competitors will love the ammo. If you don’t agree with this article, it’s OK. You will not be disagreeing with me – you will be disagreeing with the doctors that taught me.
Ready to read on? If you have bought into man made global warming, stop reading
now!
What is hip dysplasia?
Abnormal femur head and/or acetabulum, developed during growth or later in life due to remodeling of the bone structure.
Is hip dysplasia genetic in nature?
No. It is not known to be genetically caused. In fact, after hundreds of millions in
research over many decades, there has not been a single gene or combination of genes proven to be responsible.
Is all hip dysplasia the same?
No. There are different degrees of dysplasia.
Can my dog get dysplasia from walking, running, or jumping out of
the back of a pickup truck?
No, unless he fractures or breaks the hip from a bad landing.
Can a puppy’s hips be certified?
No. Dysplasia (abnormalcy) is developed during growth.
What causes canine hip dysplasia?
Nearly all dysplasia can be traced back to 1) the lack of ability to synthesize
(manufacture) vitamin c, or 2) the inability to absorb vitamin c. There is also dysplasia caused by injury, but that is a different topic.
What keeps a dog from manufacturing or absorbing Vitamin C?
Chemicals used in dog foods and internal parasites. There may indeed be more causes, but these are the two most recognized. There can even be a genetic component to the lack of ability to manufacture vitamin c, but that is not detected through hip certifications.
If the parents of my puppy have certified hips, is there a better chance
my puppy will also have good hips?
No.
What is the best way to ensure my puppy grows up with normal hips?
The food and treats your dog consumes must contain the right ingredients to allow
manufacture and absorption of vitamin c. It must also NOT contain other ingredients that inadvertently block the process. Unfortunately, these chemicals are not required to be listed on the ingredient panel.
Your dog must also remain parasite free, as parasites (internal, such as Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm and Tapeworm) take up all the vitamin c in the dog’s body.
Why is Ascorbate (Vitamin C) so important in developing normal
hips?
Loosely speaking, you can think of Vitamin C as the molecular glue responsible for
bonding calcium. Without Vitamin C, the acetabulum and femur head will not grow
correctly.
Can I give my dog Vitamin C from the store?
Yes. However, store brought Vitamin C will only contain chemically manufactured
structures, consisting of four molecular endings at most. Vitamin C manufactured by the canine will contain the structural endings needed by their body. Keep in mind if your dog has internal parasites or is consuming chemicals through diet, no Vitamin C will hold benefit.
Can my dog develop later in life hip dysplasia?
Yes. Your dog can maintain perfect hip structure for years, and due to an interruption of Vitamin C, have remodeling of the hip structure, resulting in poor contact. A dog’s body is sulfuric acid based, and remodeling of the hips happens quickly.
Are there other causes of a dog’s ability to stop manufacturing or
absorbing Ascorbate? (Vitamin C)
Yes. Some viruses interfere with the mechanism of production. There is speculation amongst researchers that certain vaccines can at least temporarily stop or limit Vitamin C production, but as far as I know, this has not yet been proven.
How did you come up with this information?
I hired top researchers and nutritionists that are much smarter than me.
How did you obtain the near eradication of hip dysplasia in your
breed stock?
I took a great leap of faith in the doctors and researchers I hired, developed my own dog food so I could control the ingredients, and took parasite control very seriously.
Do you still perform hip certification checks?
Only occasionally. I have performed a number of tests on progeny, in order to verify our program works.
How does your rate compare to the national average of breeders that
depend solely on hip certifications?
First, keep in mind that we produce and place several hundred pups per year, as
compared to the breeders that may have a few dozen pups.
In the past 10 years, we could count the cases of dysplasia on one hand. In nearly
every case, the dogs with dysplasia had received injuries, developed untreated
parasites, or consumed an off brand food.
The national average for breeders is one case dysplasia for every 19 pups born. Ours is roughly four pups in 3,000.
Why do other breeders insist that hip certifications are the way to go?
I believe people are very slow to change their thinking, especially when it involves
shaking the ladder they’ve been climbing for so long. Also, the information you have just read is only now being introduced through a handful of veterinarian training courses this year. We’ve taken a lot of arrows over the last decade, but now the community is starting to come around – slowly.
Does anyone remember when doctors recommended mercury for a child’s common cold? Or promoted great health through cigarette smoking? How about when they promoted the use of margarine or artificial sweeteners?
It took years for us to understand the truths of these recommendations. Now, hardly anyone would dare put margarine on their food (did you know it was developed as a turkey fattener? It kept killing the turkeys, so they made a butter substitute for humans out of the stuff).
So, if you’ve read one of the blogs stating a breeder is terrible for failing to obtain hip certifications, ask yourself which one you want to follow? The crowd of chickens all clucking together that still has 1 in 19 pups with a terrible condition, or a breeder that dared to stand out against the noise and has nearly no dysplasia?
The choice is yours… Think on your own.
Recommended reading – “Dysplasia’s End”. This was written years ago by Doctor
Wendell O. Belfield, who was shredded by his colleagues.
Ends up, he was right.
http://www.belfield.com/pdfs/Hip_dysplasia.pdf *Note: Article was written in 1976 by Wendell O. Belfield – His website appears to be offline now