hip dysplasia
|
|
Oh, Cindy. I'm sorry. 
Is he symptomatic at all? Any self-respecting orthopedic surgeon will tell you that you treat the dog (how the dog feels and is doing), not the x-rays, since there isn't always a correlation between the two. A lot of dogs with CHD in any number of breeds are treated conservatively. It's not like he's a puppy when there are some time-limited decisions to be made. Supplements, moderate exercise, keep him trim and well muscled, maybe see a chiro vet, possibly adequan injections down the road and surgery may never be needed. I know it's distressing to think about to put it mildly, but there are lots and lots of conservative management routes to take in most cases before you ever need to consider surgery. Hang in there. 
Kristine |
Ahhh Kristine I knew you would help  Guinness has had problems for about two years. He plays hard!! Loves to retrieve. There are times when he spins that he yips and limps for awhile. He cries out when he jumpsoff the bed. I had him on the grooming table and when I extended his back right leg out (stright back not out to the side he cried so ) my mobile vet does not do xrays so I took him to a vet that did Gracies HW RX and she sees my fosters for MAGSR. She left me a sample of deramaxx and suggested cosequin G and C which are made here in MD but are expensive and you cannot go directly and get any discount. I have not seen an ortho yet. He hates to swim so that is out. I want to go conservative and treat him appropiately. I just started him in agility he actually did the long tunnel and did the a frame at a very high height Well I guess I have to work on my wild girl sheepie here (she is another story!!) Thanks for the imput |
| Ahh Cindy so sorry. As you know Morgan has CHD issues as well. both of his hips were showing some beginning of HD at his two year X Rays (last year). until lately we have only had some minor indication of discomfort. he doesn't jump up on the bed like the other dogs, he has never been as fast or as strong as Marley and there were occasional yips and yelps like you described. I use DOGZYMES Phyto-Flex CCM Plus for all of the dogs and vitamin c.
this week Morgan is also getting some Vetprofen (my vet prescribes it instead of Rimydl because of the cost) and he seems fine - except he doesn't jump up as much as he used to. I try to keep him trim - we all know I fail there but that has a lot to do with his thyroid issues. and exercise is important. once he gets back on his feet from this most recent bout of skin issues, we hope to get him doing some drafting - it should help with developing other muscles as well. One thing though. I took him out of agility in favor of herding because of the stress on his hips with jumping. I would let him do the A frame if I had one at home and luckily he loves to swim - but only with a life jacket. I kid you not. he will wade into the water, but will not swim until the little life vest is on him. he has been known to walk over to it on the shore and wait for someone to suit him up! You might want to see if Guinness is more likely to swim if you hold up his belly - that was what made me decide to try the life jacket. I don't know what we will do down the road, but if I can keep him happy and busy for the time being we are only treating the symptoms. Best to all |
| Cindy, I'm so sorry to hear this, as we have lived thru it too. Drez was diagnosed with HD at 11 yrs old. Not ever having heard of it before, I didn't know to look for symptoms, which on hindsight, there were some. (That's how I found this forum, when she was diagnosed and I was searching for answers.) If Guinness' hips are not that bad, I would also suggest moderate exercise and supplements.
By the time she was diagnosed, non-surgical options were not a viable solution. We had an FHO (femoral head ostectomy) performed on her left hip. We also were told about total hip replacements, but as you said, it was $8000 per hip, and that was 4 years ago. We just couldn't have afforded that, so we went with the FHO. The plan was to let the left side heal, then have it performed on the right side. But she would have never been strong enough for her left hip to support her right side as she healed so we never had it done. We were advised to keep her exercised to help the muscles strengthen and take the place of the missing femoral head and for awhile, it was okay. But as she aged she got weaker from a combination of bad hips and age. It was just a matter of time. But I look at it this way - we had the FHO done on her right after her 11th birthday and she was able to stay with us for another 3-1/2 years. If we had not done anything, she would have been gone a lot sooner. After her surgery, we started her on Flexicose (GC supplement) and Metacam daily for the pain and inflammation. Flexicose is a liquid and you just put a small dose on their food. It smells like grape juice and Drez never fought eating her food with it on it. Here's their website: www.flexicose.com Good luck with whatever you choose. |
Guinness is only three  We tried swimming at a canine rehab center (with our therapy dog group) he had a vest on and looked so frightened and tried to get out of the pool I think it traumatized him If I could have gotten in with him I think it would have gone better. I will take all the advice from those of you that have experience with this My older lab had severe elbow dysplasia but she was ill when we discovered it and she did not live much longer. Just a few min ago Molly sat on his hip and he screamed I think he is tender dur to the manupilation for the xrays |
4dognight wrote: Guinness is only three
We tried swimming at a canine rehab center (with our therapy dog group) he had a vest on and looked so frightened and tried to get out of the pool I think it traumatized him If I could have gotten in with him I think it would have gone better. I will take all the advice from those of you that have experience with this My older lab had severe elbow dysplasia but she was ill when we discovered it and she did not live much longer. Just a few min ago Molly sat on his hip and he screamed I think he is tender dur to the manupilation for the xrayshe probably needs some pain reliever and anti inflammatory - the vet profen seems to work well for morgan. and morgan was only three yesterday as well. |
|
Mopsy was diagnosed at 8 months. I saw the x-rays and the hip was barely in the socket. At that time the vet advised not doing anything until she showed signs. Around the age of five or six she went on Etogisic then in the last few years I had her on Rymadil. We kept her weight steady and did not exercise her a whole lot with anything other than short walks since more than that bothered her. But she played a lot and rough housed with the boys. She learned how to compensate as she got older and really only started falling the last couple of months. We were blessed to have her 10 1/2 years. |
| OH no! Poor Guinness. I don't have much advice, since we're in the beginning stages of this, but this is our plan (I'm sure it'll change!)...
We are keeping Barney trim. It was not easy to do since this boy loves food. But, he's gone from 99 at his heaviest to around 80 right now, so it's doable. We give him glucosamine every day in his food. The kind we get (I always forget the name!) is for humans and we get it at Costco (in a blue bottle with red/orange logo on it). Like Drezzie's, this is berry flavored, and it doesn't stop Barns from eating it (I don't think much would). We only walk him. No strenuous exercise, although for Barns that is perfectly fine with him. And that's what we're doing. More preventative measures than anything else. We always keep in the back of our mind that he'll probably need surgery. For the most part he doesn't seem to be too bothered by it, but like his collapsing incident this summer showed, he does have it... Maybe you could try saving up for the operation, just in case? So if he's only 3 now and needs the operation at age 8, then you'd have 5 years of saving for it (I know life doesn't always work like that...) He's only 4... |
| I am so sorry about Guinness.
Oliver was diagnosed at 8 months with severe HD. We were devistated, and took him to numerous vets for options. Some recommended a THR, one a TPO, and one "do nothing". We went the "do nothing" route. In doing nothing, we feed Science Diet j/d, give Consquein DS, and have a strict exercise routine. For about a year we went to hydrotherapy to build muscle and even out the muscle mass on the hind legs. 
As mentioned above, we are always aware of Oliver's weight. We keep him on the thin side, just above the "too thin" mark. No one can notice because he is fluffy. One vet told us that for every pound the dog is over weight it is four pounds of pressure on the hip. He goes for 1/2 mile walk in the morning, 2.5 miles at night, and we also run in the backyard, weather permitting. With one hip more sore than the other, you should watch which way Guinness is pivoting when walking/running. Encourage him to pivot right and left equally to encourage equal muscle mass on the thighs. We have been lectured on how bad Science Diet food is for Oliver from many people. I have tried to find a different food for him, but out of all the companies I have called, Hills is the only one that can actually hand me a research study that proves the food is beneficial for dogs with HD. I would seriously consider this as an option. You can buy it at Petsmart for $51 per 30 pounds vs. $77 at the vet. It sounds expensive, but we only go through a bag a month. Consequin DS is also much cheaper online than purchased through a vet. I would also recommend that if you are giving a pain killer, such as Deramaxx, that you also give milk thistle for liver health. Not all dogs with HD require surgery. We are building muscle mass with the hopes of not having to do surgery. However, because we are keeping him thin, and he has the muscle, we will most likely do a FHO if needed. I've read many studies that show an FHO works great even with large breed dogs. I know how much it hurts to find out your little guy has HD, so I am sorry for your pain. Just take it a day at a time. Give him an extra hug, sratch his butt a little longer, and throw the rope one more time. Remember you do have options, and if your vet can't give you 3 viable options, you need a new vet. |
Thank you all for the info As far as the science diet what is in it that helps?? Suppliments like omega 3 fatty acids I hear that helps . I wonder if he was too active as a pup he was here with my thundering labs. All my dogs are very active (well my old lab has slowed down) but they run like a herd of wilderbeasts. I have picked up all the toys in the yard so he is not running and spinning a lot . The vet that did the x rays did discuss options and I need to get the report sent to my reg vet and then discuss with her and an ortho. vet. I know you that have dogs with this know but I am just so bummed about this. I think I will listen to you all . Suppliments , watch his weight (he could lose a few pounds I guess) and look into some holistic stuff accupuncture ect. Its so nice to know you are all here  |
| I'd take him to an orthopedic specialist for an evaluation.
There is an operation called the FHO (I THINK???) where in younger dogs they can just remove the top of the femur and the muscles will learn to hold the leg in proper position. But that would be if Guiness needs surgery at all, or maybe up until age 7 or something. We waited too long with Jake to do anything surgical about his hip; I don't know if it would have prolonged his life or not. |
activity doesn't cause displaysia (maybe an injury would?) i let Morgan do what he feels up to doing and that includes playing like a wild man with Miss Marley - who has the hips of a pin up model  .
they have always been mismatched when it comes to activity and she has developed a habit of running around him in circles when he is tired, when he feels up to it they take off together again - actually quite funny. I always think quality of life - so letting him play is a good thing in soooo many ways. It relieves boredom, stress and and gves them an outlet for the sheepie creativity. If there is a real mismatch with the labs - limit who he can play with. right now Morgan can't play with the puppy - because newfie puppies don't know their own size and at 9 months, not too many brains
If you can find a way to get him somewhere where he doesn't necessarily swim in water but walks through it - that helps build up the muscles too. and I agree you have to be in the pool (or lake etc) with him he is a momma's boy  |
| You are right he IS a mommas boy a big mommas boy..... |
| I am always a big advocate of Flexicose, too. It helped Lucy more than any of the anti-inflammatories even did.
I hope that, with management, Guinness doesn't have a lot of pain or issues. Poor kid. |
Ron wrote: There is an operation called the FHO (I THINK???) where in younger dogs they can just remove the top of the femur and the muscles will learn to hold the leg in proper position. But that would be if Guiness needs surgery at all, or maybe up until age 7 or something. A FHO (femerol head ostectomy) is what we will look into for Oliver when the time comes. It can be done on a dog or cat actually, at any age as long as the animal is thin and has the muscle mass to support the structure. One great thing I love the FHO is it leaves options for later in the dogs life. Although very hard on the dog, a THR is still possible after a FHO. If something goes wrong with a THR, there are no other options. We also looked at the success rate of the FHO verses THR, and the rates are very comparable. With a THR the likely hood of having to undergo more than one surgery is great with chances of infection and mechanical failure. I also love the fact the FHO is much easier to recover from. Quote: If you can find a way to get him somewhere where he doesn't necessarily swim in water but walks through it - that helps build up the muscles too. and I agree you have to be in the pool (or lake etc) with him he is a momma's boy
We had great success with hydrotherapy. Oliver did an underwater treadmill, building muscles without the pressure on the hips. I would highly recommend it. |
Drezzie's Mom wrote: By the time she was diagnosed, non-surgical options were not a viable solution. We had an FHO (femoral head ostectomy) performed on her left hip. We also were told about total hip replacements, but as you said, it was $8000 per hip, and that was 4 years ago. We just couldn't have afforded that, so we went with the FHO. The plan was to let the left side heal, then have it performed on the right side. But she would have never been strong enough for her left hip to support her right side as she healed so we never had it done. We were advised to keep her exercised to help the muscles strengthen and take the place of the missing femoral head and for awhile, it was okay. But as she aged she got weaker from a combination of bad hips and age. It was just a matter of time. But I look at it this way - we had the FHO done on her right after her 11th birthday and she was able to stay with us for another 3-1/2 years. If we had not done anything, she would have been gone a lot sooner.
After her surgery, we started her on Flexicose (GC supplement) and Metacam daily for the pain and inflammation. Flexicose is a liquid and you just put a small dose on their food. It smells like grape juice and Drez never fought eating her food with it on it. Here's their website: www.flexicose.com Good luck with whatever you choose. Guess no one caught my first post on this thread that talked about the FHO we had done on Drez. |
| I paid attention I am taking all this in Thank you all !! |
| I caught it too, but wanted to make sure people knew the FHO wasn't soley for young pups. |
Drezzie's Mom wrote: Guess no one caught my first post on this thread that talked about the FHO we had done on Drez. You're right, I missed it! 
Our vet told us that our dog would never get up again after the surgery. He was 11, but I think he also had Degenerative Myelopathy making his legs weak. |
| So much good advice, yet it still depresses the heck out of me to read through this thread
I know I sound like a broken record, but I hope some of you who are currently dealing with this and whose vets have the x-rays will consider checking with Dana who is our contact person for the CHD study in our breed to see if they still need more samples. Info below taken from www.oeshealth.org January 19, 2007 Ostrander Hip Dysplasia Study Participants Wanted! As some of you may know, the Old English Sheepdog has been chosen to participate in a research study being conducted by the Ostrander Lab to locate the genes for hip dysplasia. They are looking for 20 unrelated dogs who have been diagnosed by OFA with Excellent hips, and 20 unrelated dogs who have been diagnosed with Moderate to Severe hip dyplasia by your vet, OFA or Penn Hip. Participation in this study requires a blood sample, 3 generation pedigree, and a copy of your dog's Hip x-rays. If OFA has the copy of your dog's hip x-rays, then a consent for release of the x-rays will need to be signed. If your dog generously gave blood for this study at the 2005 Centennial Show and was rated OFA Excellent or with hip dysplasia, contact Dana Mosher in the Ostrander Lab to complete the requirements of the study. If you have any questions, need to sign a consent form, need supplies for drawing blood samples, or to further discuss the study, please contact: Dana Mosher Samples Manager/Ostrander Lab - CGB/NHGRI/NIH Bldg 50 Room 5347, 50 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-8000 Phone: 301-451-9390 - Fax: 301-594-0023 - mosherd@mail.nih.gov If you only have partial pedigree information, I may be able to help you. Send me a PM. Even if you don't have pedigree info, I know she has gratefully accepted x-rays and blood samples on several rescue dogs. The phenotype screening available to us now (x-rays) has helped decrease the frequency and severity of the disease in breeding programs where it's used, but with a genotype (DNA) test we could really make inroads in making these kinds of dicussions a thing of the past, providing breeders use the tests available to them. Kerry's right - a dog who develops CHD was typically predisposed. For all that, we can't wrap our dogs in bubblewrap and we have to let our dogs be dogs. There are a few accute type traumatic injuries that can lead to hip problems that may mimic CHD to some extent. Dislocating a hip is probably one of them. Rare, but it happens in wild child dogs. I do try to make sure that dogs who play together are fairly evenly matched, but that's to protect the overall dog, not just hips. These guys play rough as we all know, and labs are probably one of the relatively few breeds who are just as hardy and unconcerned with their own body's preservation 
A friend's young rescue OES plays with mine and knowing she has moderate CHD I limit the number of hairy terrorists she can play with at any given time. She was diagnosed at under a year old but you'd be hardpressed to tell except for some very slight instability (and her owner heard a clicking sound) and we'd like to keep it that way. In fact, she was one of the rescue dogs who has contributed to the Ostrander study. She's also contributed to the CHIC DNA collection. Every where she goes, people seem to want her blood
Kristine |
| Kristine.
I will send you a PM. Guinness is three and my one lab has passed (they stay young forever) and my older guy has slowed down due to bad knees. My big problem is my new girlie Molly she is a party hardy gal and really pummels Guinness. If I had known his hips were bad I would not have gotten her . BUT we are in love and I guess there is not much we can do....I need to find the best ortho vet I can I don't care where. Can anyone make a recommendation??? I have used the U of PA but just don't know now.... Thank you everyone. This is just a great board (really far better than the lab and GSD board I am on hear that Ron??) Cindy |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|