Need Opinions
Last year while Panda was under full sedation, I had the vet check his hips as I was getting concerned that after a lot of running he appeared to limp slightly afterwards. They took x-rays and did a hip rotation while he was under and it was discovered he had moderate hip dysplasia in both hips. 
I read the positive results that have been done in this area with a new procedure, but most recommend that it be done when the dog is still young. Apparently the best success rate is done using a different kind of surgery than the conventional one of years past, but only done on dogs under a year old. Panda is past that age and would have to have the conventional surgery. Panda is aprox 5 years old. I know as he ages he may eventually go lame, especially if he developes arthritis, and I would like to possibly have surgery done before that even happens. I don't have experience with hip dysplasia other than my mom who had hip surgery and raved about the increase in her mobility afterwards. So here's my question and I will discuss it with my vet this coming Tues when I see her. Would you guys wait as he shows no sign of having problems with stairs or short runs ( I stopped going to the dog park as I couldn't stop him from really running hard with the other dogs) and haven't seen him limp since. Would you have it done asap or would you wait a few years? I don't have that kind of cash at the moment as it's aprox 2,000 per hip. I have no qualms about getting a loan to cover the surgery but for those of you that have experience with this, what age did your dog have the conventional surgery done for dysplasia? I sort of want to have some quidelines so I can ask the vet and discuss it with her. Is it okay to wait another year or two? I'd appreciate your opinions or advise for those of you familiar with the procedure. Thanks in Advance. Marianne and the boys |
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| I am not 100% sure but I believe that most vets wont do that surgery on animals over 1-2years of age because their growth plates have already closed and it is really hard for them to heal.
Don't take my word for it though and still ask your vet. It is an amazing surgery and all animals I have seen go through it, granted they were less than 1year old, came through it like they were a new dog. |
| I think someone here had it done on an elderly dog with good results....
A lot of dogs never need treatment, preventative measures can help immensely, like glucosamine and chondroitin supplements now to slow down the advancement of degeneration of the joint. If he's not lame now, chances are it is not too severe and he should be fine for some time yet. I personally have never had a dog with HD though, so I'm sure someone with more experience in that area would be more helpful. |
| Marianne,
Barney has HD so we've been thinking about our options too. He's too old (at nearly 17 months) for that first surgery, so we'd have to do the more conventional surgery. We are going to have his hips re-evaluated when he's 2 to see how they've progressed. My thoughts are that if the dog is younger he can recover better from surgery and if I knew that 99% chance of him having major problems later because of the HD, I would go ahead with the surgery before major symptoms start occuring. That said, since Panda isn't showing much in the way of symptoms, I wouldn't hesitate to wait. That way, you could start saving up for the surgery so you wouldn't have to take out as much in loans for it. JMO and it'd be interesting to hear what your vet says... |
| We had a femoral head ostectomy (FHO) performed on Drez in Nov 04 when she was a little over 11 yrs old. Other than a total hip replacement (too expensive, and too risky, considering her age), this was the only surgical option presented to us.
She did well with the surgery, but because of her age and how the first hip healed (although it's better, it isn't perfect), we will not have the second hip done. Her repaired hip would not be strong enough to support her through recuperation of her second hip. She still gets around fairly well, but stairs are her enemy - she can't get up or down them without help. Sometimes getting up from laying down is a struggle. The whole thing makes me both glad and sad. Glad, because if we hadn't had her first hip done, we wouldn't have her with us today; and sad, because we watch her deteriorate before our eyes. But through it all, her happy smile shines through. Just breaks our hearts. 
Had I known at an earlier age that she had this condition, maybe we could have done more (surgically) for her. But our prior vet (who is our prior vet for a very good reason!!!) never suggested x-rays for possible problems, never mentioned the possibility of HD even. This was our first experience with it - I had never even heard of it before. It's also initially how I found this wonderful forum - looking for solutions. My gut feeling is as Steph said - the younger they are when they have surgery, the better chance they have at a full recovery. Good luck, and keep us posted. Chris |
| Hi,
Thanks so much for the input from all that responded. Chris, thanks for your input as you reflected my thoughts exactly, that I perhaps didn't put across very well in my post. I know there is no natural cure for HD and although meds do help in prolonging the eventual outcome. My main concern was should I get the surgery done within the next year or two while he's still young enough to be able to withstand such a major surgery.? Thanks for telling me of your experience with Drezzie. Barney1 - You echoed my sentiments and concerns exactly..wait ?.. or also realize that any animal does far better with surgery and it's success the younger they are. Please let me know if you find out any more info too and we'll both keep each other informed as to our options. I know when Shaggy became lame her last 6 months (not HD but arthritis and previous dislocated hip injury that became painful in her old age) she was unable to go down stairs but could manage going up them. Due to her small size I carried her down the stairs several times a day to the back yard. She was 46 pounds and I weigh 102. Like your Drezzie I had Shaggy a bit longer as I was able to manage lifting her but am worried I wouldn't be able to do the same thing with Panda who is a fairly big boy. I just happen to live in a large home where the main living area is upstairs so my boys have to go downstairs daily to access the backyard. Thanks again everyone and I'll post again and let everyone know what the vet suggest as well regarding this. Marianne and the boys |
| You could install one of those elevators that people with wheelchairs use in home with stairs! How fun would that be! |
| Hi Marianne-
Our Panda has bilateral HD and is just over a year old. She is on one adult buffered aspirin in the AM and 2 Cosequin DS- 1 in the AM and 1 in the PM. We keep her real lean so she doesn't have the added weight harming her already defective joints. We also exercise her with just regular play in the back yard with the other girls... we let her decide when she's had enough. So far, so good. Swimming is the absolute best exercise for a dog with HD because it allows the muscles to strengthen but takes the weight off the joints while doing it. Based on what we have learned (so far, anyway), we will be waiting until regular meds no longer keep her comfortable... our vet said that she may actually never need to have surgery despite her horrible looking x-rays http://www.pomeroys.com/EmmaDarby/MadisonXray.jpg . Their isn't much of a cup left for the head of the femur to fit in. These x-rays were taken when she was 9 months old, before she entered rescue, and bone changes had already taken place so the TPO, the most favorable choice of surgery for young dogs, was no longer an option for her. We hope she will live a pretty normal life but if she ever needs surgery, she'll have an FHO where the femoral head is removed. NEOESR, the rescue we got Panda from, would not adopt her out if we were to consider the total hip replacement because of the higher risk of unfavorable results. It was actually part of our contract that she would have an FHO if it's ever needed. I think they generally wait until surgery is absolutely necessary because of the recovery time required and surgery always carries a risk. Each dog reacts differently to their disease so it's not the x-rays that determine whether surgery is needed but how the dog is getting along. Good luck to you! Please post with any info you learn along the way? |
| Hi Jaclyn,
Thanks to you for your information and I appreciated hearing more info - knowledge is power I always think. The more we sheepie owners are aware of all the options the better informed choices we can make. The vet office I've been visiting for over 20 years is one of the best in my opinion. They have a lab, technicians, assistants and three vetrinarians whom work out of the office. I trust their opinion. This morning I arrived very early in order to have Panda sedated for the "works" so the vets could go over his body with a fine tooth comb which wouldn't be possible if he were awake. The vet whom has seen Panda the most will call me tomorrow with her opinion as to what is best for my boy. I'll keep everyone posted as to what recommendations they suggest if anything is new other than what most offered here. Thanks again! Marianne |
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