Clicking
If we can't Xray for it until he's older, is there anything else I can do now to check for HD? I've finally convinced my fiance not to play too rough with him now (he can't hear the clicking, so obviously I'm just being paranoid  ), but should I give him some kind of supplements or something too just in case? Obviously I'm going to talk with my vet about all this soon, but we're in the middle of a move right now so it has to wait a little while. |
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| You can have them x-rayed anytime you want to, at any age. OFA just wants the dog to be x-rayed at the age of 24 months or later for them to issue an OFA rating. Lots of people have what we call "prelims" done earlier on & then another x-ray at 24 months of age or older.
Before I'd go do anything, I'd get a visit with your vet, as you suggested. Let them guide you in what testing should be done at this time. Best not to try to 2nd guess this kind of stuff. |
| The clicking noise is what prompted us to x-ray Oliver at 8 months. Hopefully you won't have the same experience we had...
It was good to find out early though, we have taken a lot of measures to keep him feeling good and healthy. |
ChSheepdogs wrote: You can have them x-rayed anytime you want to, at any age. OFA just wants the dog to be x-rayed at the age of 24 months or later for them to issue an OFA rating. Lots of people have what we call "prelims" done earlier on & then another x-ray at 24 months of age or older.
Oh! Thanks for that, I thought it could be done before 2 years, but that it would be hard to identify for some reason... sounds a bit weird now that I think about it 
I'll definitely chat to my vet ASAP, fingers crossed  |
| Get Bally onto a "Joint Supplement" at the moment. Glucosamine with Chondroiton in it to support the joints.
Was mum and dad Xrayed and scored with certificates when you got Bally? Sometimes too as there growing at a different rate, like they shoot up in leg but the body has not caught up they are growing at a different rate to the rest of the body and going through a "Gawky Stage". They need the time to mature to bring everything into balance. Remembering the breed is slow maturing, overexercising can do damage while there in that rapid growth stage. So tell fiance not to have him charging around, things like running up and down stairs, slipping and sliding on floors etc or walking him for miles on hard surfaces like pathways or roads. He is still developing and the bones are growing at a different rate to the rest of him. There is hereditry HD as well as Enviromental HD. That is with the Enviromental side of things, Overexcising while in the rapid growth stage, slippping and sliding and overweight can cause havoc with their developement. You can have an x-ray done now if you are concerned for a vet to have a looksie to how the hips are developing or to see if there is problems happening there at the moment.. Would suggest also when Bally is 2 to do another and re-check for peace of mind. In the meantime get him onto joint supplements and no overdoing it with him while there is a click in the backend.  |
| Thanks for the great advice as always Lisa!
Both Bally's parents were fine with their X-rays, so I wasn't too worried to begin with. Thankfully we have no stairs (although Bally would adore some ) and most of his exercise is restricted to grassy surfaces. Right now he's wedged himself between the sofa and the wall, upside down and snoring... so the idea of overexercising him sure made me laugh!
Is that Joint supplement fairly easily available? |
| Yes different ones at dog shops but make sure it has the Glucosamine in conjunction with the chondroiton. Most are only just Glucosamine.
Better to get from a health food shop and way more economical, comes in capsule form as well as powder, so what ever the dose is for Grown ups, half the dosage for Bally. Pop it into his dinnys each night, you can get it in powder form to sprinkle on his meal, if not just disguise by mixing the capsual in his din dins. 
If the clicking continues after 6 weeks or so after starting the supplements then have the vet X-ray him to see. Does not hurt the natural supplements to support the joints in the long term life of the dog. |
| We've had three rescue dogs diagnosed with CHD in the last couple of years. All three were x-rayed 5-10 mos old and all three were moderate to severe, two bilateral, one unilateral.
Only one had clicking, the ten month old (and she had the mildest condition of the three) but that's the reason her owner had her x-rayed. I'd never heard of it being a symptom before, but her last rescue OES was dysplastic as well, so she knew to get her checked. Live and learn. The good news is all three are on supplements, kept at a sensible weight and with appropriate levels of exercise and though they're all still young, all are doing extremely well. The 2 1/2 year old is (still) extremely athletic and apart from the fact that she tires more readily than my guys and doesn't pop up out of a sit/down as easily, you'd really never know. Her owner is even doing some light agility with her and lots of obedience. It helps, I think, that she's a lightboned bitch. But also that her owner keeps her very lean and fit. Even if he doesn't have CHD, the supplements can't hurt and it's good advice given his age not to do anything to damage growth plates. That said, it takes a major traumatic injury at that age to cause "environmental" CHD. Short of that, the predisposition (poor joint fit and/or laxity) needs to be there. The good news is that the fitter they are, the better the soft tissue supports the joints and the less instability = the less chance of arthritis forming. So though you don't want to let him be too crazy, please don't think no matter what happens that you should wrap him in cotton. He NEEDS exercise even if his hips turn out to be wonderful. His growth plates should be closed by 14-18 mos old. After that, this is no longer a concern. At about a year, the only real restriction is no heavy road work and no repetitive jumping, especially over elbow height and since young dogs are idiots, some care on slippery sufaces doesn't hurt. Otherwise the running and so on he does of his own volition is just fine. Best wishes and
Kristine |
| You can use the sujpplements that are for human too. Buy them right at your local drug store. I give my guys 1 tablet a day. It is triple strength Glucosomine/Chondroitin with MSM. |
| Thanks for writing all that out, Kristine!
I'll pop into a health food shop tomorrow and buy Bally some of the Glucosomine/Chondroitin... should be fun to give him, he's a champion at hiding pills under his tongue for ten minutes and then spitting it under the couch
I'm very glad to hear that it takes quite a lot to cause environmental HD, because even though we try to keep him from anything too over the top, he really can be a crazy boy sometimes. Thanks for all your help, hopefully I'll have some good updates in the next weeks |
**Bally** wrote: I'll pop into a health food shop tomorrow and buy Bally some of the Glucosomine/Chondroitin... should be fun to give him, he's a champion at hiding pills under his tongue for ten minutes and then spitting it under the couch
I just toss them on top of their kibble. They must have a decent taste because even Isaac will eat it right up & he's known for ONLY trusting his kibble & dog biscuits to be safe to eat.  |
| I give Barney liquid glucosamine...it's for humans. I just pour it on top of his dinner. So that might be an option if you can find it. |
| I would definitely talk with your vet and if need be get the xrays done. Ellie was diagnosed with HD at just 7 months old. Her symptoms were the bunny gait, slow to get up off the hardwood floors and after a long walk or going to the dog park, I noticed that she wasn't putting all of her weight on her back right foot. I thought she was just being a goofy puppy when she hopped around like a bunny (back to feet together) and thought maybe she had injured or pulled a muscle when she wasn't bearing much weight on her back right foot.
Both, Ellie and Lulu get Glucosamine/Chondrotin in the morning. They think it is a treat and gobble it right up. I buy it from Sam's or Costco. |
Lulu&Michelle wrote: I thought she was just being a goofy puppy when she hopped around like a bunny (back to feet together)
So I've been wondering about this -- is it normal for a puppy to run with their back legs moving together rather than separately? Or should they have a separate stride right from the get go? |
Valerie wrote: Lulu&Michelle wrote: I thought she was just being a goofy puppy when she hopped around like a bunny (back to feet together) So I've been wondering about this -- is it normal for a puppy to run with their back legs moving together rather than separately? Or should they have a separate stride right from the get go? I have a 9 year old girl that has always run that way from time to time & she has an OFA Excellent rating on her hips. Depends if she's in a trot or a full-out gallop. |
| Lots of dogs run with that bunny hop as puppies, and some as adults and are still perfectly fine so I definitely wouldn't consider it an indicator. |
Valerie wrote: Lulu&Michelle wrote: I thought she was just being a goofy puppy when she hopped around like a bunny (back to feet together) So I've been wondering about this -- is it normal for a puppy to run with their back legs moving together rather than separately? Or should they have a separate stride right from the get go? I think it depends if they do it all the time or just at certain speeds. It can be an indication of neurological problems more than CHD, if its happening all the time. |
Well we took Bally in to the vet today, but had too many distractions with a minor ear infection and a paw he's been worrying at, so the vet's promised to have a really thorough examination on Saturday instead when he goes in for his check up... in the mean time, I've started popping the Glucosamine/Chondrotin tablet into his dinner at night and he's just eating them! I've never seen anything so amazing, my fussy little puppy swallowing pills the size of horse tranquilizers at his own will. I had to call my fiance in to make sure I wasn't seeing things  |
| Glucosamine is usually extracted from the shells of crustaceans, prawns and things I think.
Maybe they taste good  |
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