Hip Dysplasia and best exercise regimen

Hi guys - I'm looking for a little advice please. My 18 month old male bullmastiff has mild hip dysplasia. He usually goes for a 20 minute walk on the lead once per day with no issues. However when I let him run freely (once a week) for around 10 minutes he tends to have weakness in his hind limbs for a day or two afterwards. My question is this: is it better to allow him to run freely once a week in the hope of strengthening the joints re. the surrounding muscles, tendons etc (as well as benefiting his cardio-vascular health) or will this practice simply hasten the arrival osteoarthritic symptoms as he gets older? Many thanks in advance!

Hello.   Karen Perry, writing in the Veterinary Times in 2019, said that 'while little is known about the effects of exercise in animals with OA, it is generally reccomended that moderate exercise is beneficial - with no exercise being as detrimental as extremes.'   If intense exercise leads to lameness afterwards, then perhaps this is approaching the extreme end of the spectrum for that individual.  On the other hand, perhaps your dog is thoroughly enjoying this run and its complete absence would take something away from their life?  Maybe jogging a few paces on a lead walk would be a good compromise? This is something to talk over with your own veterinary surgeon, who knows or can ask the specifics and the animal involved.   In my opinion, a small amount of consistent, regular exercise is better than intense exercises that reduces a pets' range of movement afterwards; exercise should, in general, be slowly built up.

Thanks Liz, your advice makes a lot of sense. The compromise of jogging alongside my not be too bad for my own health too! I am also going to introduce some hydrotherapy for the purpose of strengthening the hip joints without impact injury. Many thanks, Ben