I am stating that I have reason to believe that loose hips do not cause as sever clinical problems in this breed as they might in other breeds. I believe that more research needs to be done on the effects of loose hips and hip dysplasia in the breed. Producing sound Neapolitan Mastiffs is of utmost importance to the breed. Judging a dog by the results of a radiograph on an anesthetized animal, which has no reflex muscular tone to hold his joints tight and which is placed in a totally abnormal position simply because that is the easiest way for us humans to get standard pictures of the pelvic area, is to me, an example of tunnel vision it causes amateurs to judge the neo only by picture of its hips. It causes neophyte breeders to forget about everything but a neos hips so that they can cater to a hip-fixated public. I suggest that people interesed in breeding look at many other characteristics of the breed in addition to hips.
Stretching muscles and tendons causes soreness. Crushing and tearing immature cartilage causes pain. So what do you do for this dearly beloved prize on which you have spent a lot of money and who now can barely walk?
You wait, you avoid watching him while he is limping so that you do not get ulcers. You give him aspirin. You let him grow up. You can also give Vitamin C, in addition to the proper food and multi vitamin .Some people also swear by beta carotene with vitamin e, for the anti-oxident anti-inflammatory properties. I have also found shark cartledge and or perna canaliculus mussel products to be very effective in preventing these developmental joint disorders and allowing the joints to develop in a healthy fashion. You keep the puppy light in weight to make it easier for him to move around-remember, he is already too heavy for his age just because he is a neo. You may have to start thyroid hormone replacement therapy. And you wait.
Then, as the puppy grows, and your are feeding him properly and giving him the vitamins and other products mentioned, and not letting him stress his joints with too much exercise or stair climbing or roughhousing with other dogs,you will begin to see him coming up on his pasterns. By ten or eleven months of age, his toes will start to come together again. The limping will be more intermittent. The muscles will begin to develop. By a year of age, things should all be back to normal again. The growing pains will stop, and the dog will be able to get around quite well.
However, I am amazed daily by dogs that I see as puppies and would swear they will grow up to be crippled wrecks. These puppies usually have osteochondrosis of every joint and totally deformed legs. They are dogs that even I would think would have to be put down.But surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, as I am learning where neos are concerned , these dogs grow up to be just fine. They may not become so sound that they are going to be show winners, but they walk and run around fine. I always reserve judgement on limping neos until they are 12-18 months of age. They just seem to get better with age."