Hip Dysplasia In Dogs

i took my choc lab puppy to the vet about 6 months ago, and had her checked for hip dysplasia. the vert confirmed she had a form of it, but she was too young to operate on, and that it might be able to clear itself up with age. the vet put her on cosequin and metacam, and she takes both daily. she is now 11 months old, and although she is still not 100% like a normal dog should be, she is without a doubt getting better each month, and looks 10 times better then she did in the begining. the vet said they would look at her again after she was one year old, claiming it might work itself out and she may put grow it.

has anyone heard this before, and is she feeling better because she is out growing it, or are the medications drugging her into feeling better but in reality she isnt any better?

what should i look forward too if this is something on going as it is now, to where she feels better but isnt 100% but still plays jumps and runs.. but not as well as a normal puppy would.

jared and SADIE!!
got her from a pet shop. my own dumb fault, ill never do that again. the vet did take xrays. and may vets said it can get more manageable as the puppy gets older and grows into its body. i spoke to my vet today. they said they would check on her again in may.

My 4 month old chocolate lab has hip dysplasia and needs corrective surgery. The vet gave us 2 options. One is a surgery center that specializes in animals. This place can do a very extensive operation, putting pins in my dog’s bones to help put everything back together. This will cost about $2000. The other option is for the vet to do the operation and to remove the ball joint of his hip, and fuse him back together. This will cost about $800, and he will have problems for the rest of his life. Then, of course, there’s always the option to put him down.

Has anyone been through this? If so, what did you do? If you could go back & do it again, would you do the same thing or something different? Will my dog have problems for the rest of his life?
I just looked up dysplasia online & I might have gotten a wrong diagnosis. His hips are actually aligned up properly, but his femur is completely fractured off off the hip.

He has been to the vet, just to be clear on that. I plan on asking her all of these questions are more with his follow-up, but I would like advice from owners with experience on hip dysplasia.

I just found out that my 14 month old beagle x basset mix has hip dysplasia. He doesn’t appear to be in much pain, but he favors the right hip more. He has also mastered the art of three legged running. I am well aware that this condition will deteriorate with age, though.
I need advice on what I can do to help him lead a normal pain free life, what type of exercise is best for him and what joint support could be right for him?
He and my other dog are currently on Drs. Foster and Smith joint care level 1 for support of healthy joints. I plan on leaving my other dog on level 1, but should I switch him up to level three? What other joint support options would be right for him?
Tarson:
I did not BUY my dog. He is a rescue. I would never in a million years think of returning him because something like this came up. I was will aware of the possibilty of bad joints and hips when I rescued him.
My boy is very fit. I made sure of keeping him that way since the day he came to us. He has a well balanced diet and gets plently of exercise. (He is running up and down the hallway and in and out of the door chasing ice cubes as I type this).

My vet is very experienced with bassets and dogs with long back/bad joints. She is also well educated in orthopedics, so I don’t really doubt her diagnoses. He will continue to go back once a month for x-rays and check ups.
It isn’t his right hip, it’s his left. lol. I meant to say his right is fine.

Anyway, it isn’t bad. The stiffness wears off after awhile and it doesn’t radiate and it wasn’t suddenly onset like it would be with panosteitis, which was also a possibility brought up by my vet. he is also never reluctant to run and play, I’m guessing that is the beagle in him.

Hi,

My 8 month old American Bulldog definitely has Hip Dysplasia we got x-rays taken and could see how bad it is (it’s pretty bad) and that he already has arthritis forming. We are going to treat this but I don’t know which route to choose; there are several different surgeries out there and I have a couple in mind I would like to do, I think.

I would like to hear what you treatment you have done with your dog – surgery, medication, suppliments and lifestyle choices – and how they worked out for you.

Were you happy with the surgery you choose? Was you dog able to walk/stand/play ‘normally’ after? Which supplements have shown better results in your dog?

I want this done right for my dog and would love to hear your stories! Thanks from me and Malik!

p.s. any recommendations for fantastic surgeons in the upper mid-west?

My dog (a 3-year-old lab mix who was VERY likely bred in a puppy mill) was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia about a month ago after somehow straining a hip. Although the diagnosis is not yet certain (he is scheduled for a few more tests – x-rays and such, next month), it is extremely likely that he either has or will develop it or another hip issue later in life. He’s been on supplements and prescription food, along with a steady, medium-rigor walking schedule, since then, and has improved to no end.

He’s trained for Advanced Canine Rally-o and Novice Obedience (hobbies, obviously. He’s not AKC registered, but it helps us communicate!), HOWEVER, I am unsure whether or not to re-start the exercises for this, as both will eventually lead (Rally-O already) to having to go over jumps. I was not going to, but this last week he’s done sooo much better and is back to his old self. (I saw him quite jump on a chair the other day to look at me through the window – but I made him get off immediately.)

So, should I go ahead with it? Should I wait until the x-rays come back? Should I just drop it altogether and work on the ground?
Thanks, guys!
And I’m certainly NOT going to give up on him because of HD! I’m biased, but he’s the best dog ever, so no matter what we’re going to do /something/ as a team. Be it Rally-O or therapy, work gives us a stronger bond. And I have continued his training on the ground during this month.

We have an American Bulldog who is going on two years old. A few months ago I noticed her getting up slowly, and recently she has been favoring her right hind leg. She is pitiful. I felt around seeing if any spots were tender. I couldn’t find any on any part of her leg. We think it may be her hip. Everything I have found says hip dysplasia is genetic. Can it be caused by something other than genetics? Does this sound like Hip Dysplasia? She became pregnant on her first heat. Could that have anything to do with it? Please help.. I’m worried about my dog.

i recently found out my 3yo Dane, Fergie, has HD, arthritis & a bad knee. The vet has her on G3 & Deramaxx. She acts like it doesn’t hurt her &, other than a slight limp, you’d never know by the way she runs & plays. I have 2 other danes & during the day i keep them seperated from her so they don’t play rough while i’m away. When i get them back together, they play like they haven’t seen each other in years!

My problem is this: Fergie is a very energetic Dane who’s full of play, but her recent diagnosis is requiring her to rest. How do i let her get expell some of this energy without her hurting or straining herself? I’d love to be able to let her swim (i’ve read that does wonders) but i live in Ohio & its not the season for that. Also – there aren’t any facilities around that cater to animal therapy. The vet says to leash walk, & we do, but she’s still peppy after that! I hate to deprive her of playing w/the other dogs, but i have no way limiting how rough they get. Help!
Sidenote: Fergie is supposed to ‘rest’ for about a week. By ‘rest’ i mean ‘take it easy’ and not run sprints or wrestle with the others, until the G3 can start to work it’s magic. She’s not confined to a crate or not allowed to exercise – we leash-walk every other day. =)

my dog is about 17-18 years old, she has cushing’s and hip dysplasia. i took on treatment myself (under the supervision of my veterinarian/mentor) and she has done great a complete 180. however the past few days she has been doing increasingly worse and i think it may be finally coming to an end. i’ve been trying to look up the end stages of cushing’s and syptoms of kidney failure and what to look for that would kinda push me in the direction of thinking it’s time and to know what i’m looking for. also do to her hip dysplasia she hasn’t moved in almost 6 hours from the spot she was in when i woke up this morning. If anyone has any suggestions for me to make her more comfortable I would greatly appreciate it, I am a firm believer in homeopathy and would prefer suggestions in that area but at this point I’ll do anything just to make her more comfortable at this time.
Also, if you know of any books you can suggest that I can do some reading, i’d really appreciate it.
the vet recommended ars. alb. which would help her with fear of death.

i’m only 22 so she’s been here for most of my life and about a year ago i lost 2 puppies that were only 5 days old and i was a wreck for months, i can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like without her

Is there ANY WAY to sorta “prevent” Hip-Dysplasia in a GSD? Pills, medicine, anything!!! ( But not TOO much $)

Ya see, I hope to adopt an adult GSD mix from my local shelter. ( Or get one for Christmas. But don’t worry, I am totally responsible, as see in my other question below. )

I was wondering if there is a way to prevent it? What pills / food do you use? Has there ever been a GSD without Hip-Dysplasia? Is a GSD *MIX* better off not getting it than an all GSD dog? Please help me!!! Thanks.

Oh, and NO, THIS IS NOT FROM A BREEDER SO I CAN NOT CHECK THE PARENTS!!! I AM “ADOPTING”.

Thank You SOOOO Much Everyone!!! :):)

MY OTHER DOG QUESTION, PLEASE ANSWER!!! : http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArbWyLXiWAo7WpaVpKc5Kh_sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071213114322AAnX9i8

( I am asking this because I know GSD’s are very likely to get it, and so I was wondering how to prevent it. Ya see, my neighbors had a GSD that was hurt
very bad from Hip-Dysplacia, and died by an accident by falling down the stairs, and so I am a tad worried. )

* LET THE POOR GSD WHO FELL REST IN PEACE *

Thanks.

Our lab has hip dysplasia and needs the exercise.