Hip Dysplasia in the Shikoku

So less than stellar hips are something I'm seeing more and more in the Shikoku. The more x-rays I see, the more disappointed I become. I've heard NIPPO members in Japan scoff that it must be something about what people are feeding the dogs overseas, and I ridiculed their comments. Perhaps they were not totally wrong. Read the below links for a little twist on our now conventional wisdom regarding HD.


http://www.usdaa.com/article.cfm?newsID=2288

I've got a unique environment in which to test the theory that it is dog food that is a large factor in HD. Many NIPPO members still feed their dogs traditional meals: rice, small amount of fish/meat, and vegetables. My mentor in the Shikoku breed does. I could test these dogs and see how their hips look.

Comments

  1. This kind of makes sense. We know that processed foods are not good for people and can lead to health/nutritional issues, so why not the same for processed dog foods? If that's the case, then would many dogs also fed kibble in Japan also be suffering from hip issues? Maybe it would be useful to find out too how nihon ken in America that are being raw fed are doing compared to dogs that are being fed kibble.

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  2. The amount of protein fed overseas is different than what's fed in Japan though. It wouldn't be comparing like to like.

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  3. Interesting concept... I have noticed that my Shikoku ( whose OFA prelim graded her at HD moderate) was showing better movement and flexibility when she was switched to a raw diet after previously eating kibble. Also experienced less knee issues with my Husky (diagnosed with LP grade 2) while on a raw diet.

    Do you have general percentage estimates of the ingredients in this traditional diet?

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    1. Percentages vary, but the majority of the meal is rice, topped with maybe 10% vegetable, 20%protein.

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  4. Oh man, I wrote a HUGE response to this and then for some reason it disappeared when I hit "preview". I don't have the energy to write it again.

    Anyway, in short, I think this is a red herring.

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  5. Long time reader, piqued to comment by the note about the 'traditional diet'. Are the 'small' amounts of fish or meat fed with bones? I do not see a significant source of calcium in the traditional diet. My understanding is that meat and bone are the two most important components of the 'balanced' canine diet.

    - Clara

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    1. Fish is often given with the bones, but not meat. Chicken gizzards are often quite popular forms of protein. There are definitely nutritional deficiencies in this diet, but with table scraps being added into the mix, I guess it evens out a bit.

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