This is a disorder that has been proven to have a genetic basis. It is not caused by nutrition. Hips are affected by a large number of genes: some may be recessive. The problem is that we don't know how to identify any of them. We do Hip x-rays to eliminate dogs from breedings that are affected. This lessens the likelyhood of passing the genes that can produce it. We know that two "normal" dogs can produce dysplastic puppies. Alone the parents do not have the combination that creates dysplasia, they are unaffected. But, together they may pass on to their puppies the three dominant genes that make abnormal formation of the hips. Simply put . . . if the parents are carrying genetic material for hip dysplasia - so will the offspring.