the oils are used to help repair and bebuild the muscle/skeletal system. you can also use borage and salmon oils. i took the following from a website about bad hips in dogs.
"Keep your dog light and lean. Excess weight can put even more strain on the already sore joints. Keep your dog a bit lighter than maybe what you think he/she should weigh.
Ample exercise. Walks and swimming are 2 great exercises for dogs with hip problems. Catching Frisbees and tearing around retrieving are NOT good ideas.
Massages seem to help lots too, as well as improving blood flow to the area and helping sore muscles. Try this essential oil rub with the massage. Try to rub down to the skin, and if the dog licks it off later that is ok too:) Take 2 drops of lavender oil, 3 drops ginger oil, 4 drops rosemary oil and dilute in 30 ml vegetable oil. This rub can be used on any affected joints. Caution - rosemary oil can induce seizures in seizure-prone animals. And you always want to get the highest quality oils - ones without synthetic ingredients. Never use essential oils on cats or around birds.
Supplements. Below are a list of supplements that have either proven to help dysplasia or haven't been proven to help but may (anecdotal) -
Cosequin*
Adequan*
Yucca*
Glycoflex
MSM
S.O.D.
shark cartilage
glucosamine
Chondriotin sulfates
Manganese Ascorbate
Acupuncture/Acupressure
Chiropractic
Gelatin*
Vitamin C*
Flaxseed*
DMSO
gold bead insertion
Bromelaine
Evening Primrose oil
Vitamin E*
Vitamins A and D - such as in cod liver oil*
Hokamix
Cetyl Myristoleate
Golden Treat (brand)
Magnetic therapy
Fish oil (different than cod liver oil)*
The flower essence Ocotillo, available at
http://www.medicinegarden.comJoint Rescue, a supplement from the vitamin shoppe
http://www.vitaminshoppe.comA nice warm and padded area to lie in is important also in pain management.
Some pain relievers, such as aspirin, Rimadyl, etc. have been used in the past for treating pain due to dysplasia. I do not recommend any allopathic pain relievers, because of the negative side effects. There are specific homeopathic pain relievers that your homeopathic veterinarian can recommend, as well as specific Chinese herbs. It really depends on the individual animal.
As you may or may not know, I advocate a natural diet for cats and dogs. I believe that this can help with preventing dysplasia as well as keeping the animal healthier so that dysplasia doesn't hinder the dog's movements. The biggest single improvement on Tabasco's hip dysplasia was definitely the switch to a natural way of feeding. If you are interested in learning more about feeding naturally, please let me know and I will send to you my INTRO to BARF (Bones And Raw Food).
Avoiding all members of the nightshade family - potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant - can really help too, as sometimes they aggravate arthritic conditions."
hope he gets along well with this. he is a beautiful boy!