Advice on Hip Dysplasia treatments please?
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?
Tagged with: Advice • dysplasia • please • treatments
Filed under: hip dysplasia in dogs treatment
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
We have a 5 year old Bulldog and elected not to do surgery. She is curently on Rimadyl, Snovi-MSM, and Royal Canin Large Breed Mobility Support. She is doing quite well on her treatment.
surgery, or medication for the arthritis it causes. i dont know that there is anyhting else you can do. im very sorry… poor thing
One of the best things you can do is keep your AB lean. Keep the weight off of him so that he has the least amount of weight on his hips.
If you can find a warm body of water for him to swim in, this would be ideal exercise. Otherwise, long moderate walks are the best choice for most dysplastic dogs. Discourage running and jumping as much as you can (although with an eight-month-old dog, it can be hard).
You can also ask the vet about pain medication dosages.
I don’t have any experience with surgery; I suspect it is highly individual, depending on the dog, the surgery and the recovery time.
Informing the breeder of the severity of this issue and not breeding your dog are two of the ways you can try and prevent this from happening to more dogs. It’s a hereditary condition and only people refusing to breed dogs before ascertaining their freedom from genetic problems will end it.
You are lucky, though you do not know it, but you caught this very young so you have more options open to you. Young dogs heal much quicker and improve after surgery with good physical therapy. Also, some of your choices will depend on whether it is unilateral or bilateral hip dysplasia.
I’m going to go ahead and give you this link to an EXCELLENT website. This covers so many aspects of hip dysplasia and discusses many options including surgery in detail.
Check out: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_hip_dysplasia.html
As your dog is young, I would suggest having surgery done. If the arthritis is very mild, a triple pelvic osteotomy may be a better choice. Although I have seen quite a lot of femoral head osteotomy surgeries performed, this is typically better for a smaller dog. Total hip replacement is also a great idea, but is very expensive and I have seen complications down the road (an implant made into the femoral head can become infected and mean more surgery). All of these surgeries are going to be expensive. But because your dog is only 8 months old, have another 12 or more years with him and you do not want him to feel the pain of severe hip dysplasia for all of those years. He will be less active and in a lot of pain. So, yes, I would definately go with the surgery.
After surgery and some time not active, you will need to see a physical therapist. Many dogs actually will try not to use the joints, so physical therapy can get them moving again.
Keep your dog’s weight down. For the rest of your dog’s life, you will have to be doubly careful about your dog’s weight. The more they weight, the more pressure is on those hips. Keep him so that you do not see the ribs, but still feel them under a light cover of fat.
Use a good glucosamine/chondroitin supplement. I immediately reccoment Cosequin because it is the only supplement that is specifically designed for animals that has the research to back that it does work. I have seen amazing results with it. Here is a website to the canine formulation of Cosequin (there are also formulations for cats and horses). It can answer so many questions.
http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/products/animal/cosequin/cosequin_dog_FAQ.asp
As for medication, I would definately suggest using an NSAID (non steriodal anti inflamatory drug). The one I see used most with the best results is Deramaxx. It is a pain medication that also reduces the inflamation – great for the inflamed joints of hip dysplasia – without the side effects of steroids. However, you will want to do blood work every 6 months to a year (depending on what your veterinarian reccomends/requires). It is one of the safest and strongest NSAIDs on the market but is also one of the most expensive.
http://www.deramaxx.novartis.us/home/default.asp?page=0_0
If you do not pursue surgery, I would definately recomend the above drugs as well as a food with glucosamine in it and checking out this website on arthritis and joint care.
Even if you do have surgery done, this site is great and covers medications (some I mentioned above), home physical therapy and a lot more.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_arthritis___joint_disease_cent.html
Please, check these sites out. I do not put them here just to make it look like I’m giving a good answer, but to help you because these are such informative sites that I know can help you.
As for a good surgeon in that area, I do not know, but if you talk to your routine vet, I’m sure they can direct you to a fabulous surgical specialist that they trust and have seen results from. Talk to them about your options and your choices because they are the ones who know the most about your dog and the road ahead of you.
I hope something I’ve said has helped and I wish both you and your puppy all the luck in combating this.