How do we find out if Kodys hips are bad?
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| How old is Kody? |
| Kody is 2 years old. His birthday is today!!!! Kody's mom::: I am no expert, but I think there are things that a vet will do to see if there may be a problem. When I took Heart into my vet, at about 2 years old,wanting to make sure her hips and elbows were good for jumping~he manipulated her joints to make sure there was no pain. My vet put Heart "under" and took xrays of her hips and elbows...I had him clean her teeth too!! He showed me the xrays when I picked her up that evening. He stated they looked great, but I had him send them to OESCA for documented results to be listed with her other siblings on the OFA website. I am sure others will be responding to your question!!!! Good Luck and keep us posted.!!! |
The only way to know what is really going on is for the vet to take x-rays of Kodys hips. Otherwise it is just a guessing game to what is happening with Kody. A vet can then give an opinion if they see any problems but also after ask the vet to send the x-rays off to the OFA for a proper assessment and grading. If your vet after x-raying cant see anything too wrong then maybe a soft tissue issue that needs to be addressed with anti inflams and rest.  Kody being 2 years old a good candidate for x-raying the hips to see if anything is going on and any longer term problems. So ask the vet to X-ray the hips to see what is going on if you feel there is more to it. Also the vet should do an extenstion of all the legs, go over the dog down the spine etc to see if any nigglys there, get the vet to check out the front as well as the rear too. Sometimes if there is a problem in the front or the spine if a soft tissue problem/injury they weight bare on the back legs so it can cause limping from the rear, also make sure the vet goes down the spine if that is out or imflammed also it is amazing how it can affect the legs both either the front or rear. Hopefully nothing too detrimental with Kody but do get it assessed and the only way to do that is X-raying his hips for a certain diagnosis. |
| When Frankie was neutered at 6 months they xrayed his hips. We found out that time that he had severe hip dysplasia and ocd in both shoulders. Frankie can get a running start and get up in our bed, but if he has never been able to get into the car without me boosting his butt, or when he gets on the couch he struggles to get his back legs on the couch. It was devastating to find the news out, but we are doing everything we possibly can to help our baby boy. I know at sometime in his life he will need hip replacement. He has had 1 shoulder surgery already. Frankie takes supplements, and goes to water therapy 2x a week. We just went to the vet and he can't believe how well Frankie is doing. Thats so good to hear. If you want to chat feel free to pm me. Lisa and Frankie |
| I agree... request x-rays. It's the only way to tell for sure. The vet will ask about his symptoms and then do a physical exam, probably request you to walk him so he/she can observe the gait. For Panda, the vet also took the hind leg and checked to see how loose the joint was, then extended the hind leg out behind her to test for pain. He asked her to jump off the exam table too... eeks. The only pain exhibited was when the leg was extended behind her... she rammed her muzzle into my husband's chest... so that was an unequivocal yes. Good luck at your appointment. |
| Thanks everyone.... I'll make a point of getting xrays and talk to the vet about it to see what she says about the other tissue exam. Hopefully it's nothing, but I have checked his feet and toenails to make sure he didn't have anything lodged in there. No cuts or anything on them...and I have ran my hands over his hips and legs to test for pain...nothing much in the way of a reaction, so I guess we'll see! Thanks again and I'll keep everyone posted |
| Ask the vet to manipulate the hips and knees, do a visual inspection of area(s), check ankles, feet, etc. We've had a sheepie with major issues in the past. He required many surgeries, but they were always helpful, and very worth it. The intermittent nature of what you describe reminds me of one of Theeper's earlier surgeries. He had an OCD lesion. The vet found a free floating piece of cartilage (sp?) in the knee. I still have it in a little jar. (Yes, I'm freak.) He trimmed off the raw ends of the cartilage in the hopes it would grow in. It never did, but removing that small "stone" made for a fantastic improvement. Imagine a stone in your shoe, now imagine that floating around in your joint. Sometimes it would lodge in an out of the way area and he'd be fine, but other times it would move into a critical area and he'd be in PAIN. Anyway, the OCD (osteo chondritis dessicans...but do NOT quote me on the spelling there either) was not "findable" by x ray, so we decided to "explore" the knee surgically. It really was something we got to when we were out of options and still had no answer. Our current sheepie, Hudson has a funny little somewhat bow legged walk. His bum sways side to side as he goes. It's actually very cute. Our vet checked him out. He's one hundred percent okay, just a little goofy. Hips, knees, everything are just fine. If your vet checks him out and isn't sure what's up, request a referral to a specialist. We have been really lucky with our dogs. Our vet for the last twenty years also happens to be the osteo guy in the area. So we never needed to go anywhere else, and he did amazing things for our little Theeps...including a TPLO that I even got to be in the surgical room during. (But not allowed to touch, which was good...that is one complicated procedure!) Anyway, good luck to you and Kody. Start with x rays for sure...and let us know how things turn out. Fingers crossed that it's something fairly easily fixed. |
Keep in mind the old song lyrics "Ankle bone connected to the shin bone. Shin bone connected to the knee bone...." I have often found the problem was in an area different from where the the most obvious symptom was being displayed (to our untrained eyes). If you are having hips x-rayed, please make sure you go to a vet that knows how to position a dog for hip x-rays. It's not as simple as with humans where you stand them in front of a screen & shoot an x-ray. If the dog is not positioned properly the x-ray will not be true & you could end up treating a problem that really wasn't there. I am lucky. My vet can do good hip x-rays for OFA. But he's a breeder vet of Rottweilers & German Shepherd Dogs. So that can make a difference. I know he does NOT like doing my x-rays on fully coated dogs. Says it is harder to get the positioning correct because you can't see (with the naked eye) what you are working with as easily due to the long hair. You might find there is an inflammation in the lower spine that is causing the problem. I have an oldster (12 years 3-1/2 months) that has OFA excellent hips. He has developed arthritis in his lower back (spine) as he has aged. He has a bit more problem going down into a sit & down. Takes it a bit slower, looking for the most comfortable way to do so. He can still jump up on the couch. He still has that "spring" in his gait that was so pleasing to see when he trotted as a young dog. When we go to get into the van we have moved him to one of the cargo door crates where the height off the ground is less. And he will wait for me to put his front feet on the floor of the van & boost his rear. He used to be the one who hopped right into the rear crate from the liftback door. I guess what I am trying to impress is that I don't want to see you or your dog have any invasive surgery that might not really be necessary. Do you have a good veterinary school near you? They can be very good at things like this & not nearly as expensive as you would think. Young minds, uncluttered with years of practicing , being guided & taught by specialists in that particular field, can alot of times find the problem much quicker & think of minor things that those in practice for years tend to overlook. My own vet told me that 8 years ago when he sent me to Ohio State with one of my guys. And he was right! A dog that anyone else would have been ready to put down is still going strong 8 years later.  |
| Hello everyone Thanks for all of the suggestions and advise! Kody had his vet visit yesterday, wow what a time we had...lmbo...first off Kody did beautiful with getting on the scales all by himself (he normally has to be maneuvered on there). Then he loved all over the tech, after a few minutes while we talked he laid down...I think he thought we couldn't see him if he was laying down . We discussed options for Flea/Heartworm control and then changed his Frontline Plus to the Revolution since it also does the heartworm prevention all in one, we'll see how this goes. Then our vet came in...she started talking to us... next thing you know Kody is up off the floor and starts peeing  a little at first but then every single time she spoke he would pee some more...before you knew it pee was flying everywhere  , it went on for at least 2 minutes...I of course was horrified because I gave him time out front prior to taking him in and he DID Pee  . She said she had never in all her years had one pee that much and for that long of a time frame!! After he got cleaned up a bit she did a thorough body exam from nose to nub as well as numerous X-Rays. She is sending the X-Rays off to make absolutely sure, but she said she didn't see anything wrong or concerning in them  . She also moved him around all over the place and he didn't act like any of it bothered him. She said his weight was good...86.5lbs. She suggested that I start using a Glucosomine and fatty fish oils to help get a head start on his joints for later in life arthritis etc. She said I could either come back and get something from her or even over the counter types at the local pharmacy. Any Suggestions from those who do this already would be appreciated! She also said that she didn't see any fleas on him so his itchy could be coming from environmental allergies, so to up his doses of Benedryl to 2-3 tablet 2x per day as well as full baths more than once a month, if that doesn't work she will give us something different. (I was only bathing him once per month with his short cut unless we needed to clean up a mess...was afraid to dry his skin out) But she said anything from outside sitting on his fur/skin could be the cause of this itching. With all that said I am relieved that he passed with flying colors for now  , my vet has several clients with OES so she is really familiar with the breed, hopefully the experts will say there is no problem as well!  Thank you all for the constant support and advice it means so much  |
Ok all....I'm confused about this whole leg/hip issue with Kody. As I explained on my last reply to this topic Kody has been cleared for now for having hip dysplasia. Do not have anything back from the experts yet. But what gives...Kody is limping a lot today, same leg as always only this time he almost looks like he is favoring it from the knee down. I have checked his paw pads and around them, nothing there...his "shin" feels like it may be a little swollen or at least compared to the other leg. Is it possible that he has damaged or bruised the muscle and he never gives it time to heal?? He will flat fly up and down the fence line when the dogs next door start barking...could he possibly just keep straining it?! I guess I'm going to have to call the vet back tomorrow and ask her whats up with it  |
| I would try and stop Kody running up and down the fence at least till you figure out what is going on. Definitely speak to your vet again. I'm pretty sure you said Cody favored his back leg originally. It may not be Kody's hip that is the problem maybe its his stifle or hock that is injured. They are the joints further down his back leg the equivalent to the knee and ankle in humans although its hard to recognise a hock as an ankle as the bones in our feet are much shorter than those of a dog. The stifle joint is a common area for injury in dogs and can cause pain and swelling in the front of the leg. This web site gives a little info but its really important to have a vet exam Kody. http://www.liv.ac.uk/sath/conditions/cruciate.htm |
| i agree with mim about a rest break from the fence, mine did this like it was his job at the front fence. seems like he had more sprains when he was young then when he was older, as they didn't last very long if we kept him from maniac behavior. curious, is your vet a redhead by chance? |
| My sister had a cocker spaniel that had dislocation/subluxation of the patella. I am not sure if it is breed specific but it caused him to have issues with stairs and to limp at times. It could be a muscle strain as well. My other sister had a Burmese Mountain dog that had a torn ligament in the knee. He had some trouble getting up. Definitely a vet trip is needed if the limping persists after resting. My sisters dogs were all treated conservatively and surgery was needed.....just didn't want to alarm you. They just needed to lose weight to reduce stress on the areas involved. |
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