Puppy with hip and elbow displasia
My labrador puppy start limping when was 5months old. In 6months we take her to x-ray and vet say that she have displasia (joint laxity) 
I'm trying to find the best treatment. Which glycosamine/hondroitine medicine is the best by your experience? What do you think about liquid glicosamine forms as Synflex ? I read some lucky storries that limping pupies when grow up at 2years have absolutly healthy joints on x-rays.  Maybe someone heard something too ?
here is our x-ray http://photos.fotki.lv/photos/7/W0000803/000080291/000008029076_%23_3_%23_Shinshilla1.jpg We are swiming every day, because I read that it's important to build up a musscles. Sorry for my bad english  |
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| Hello!
I'm sorry to hear that your labrador pup has joint problems.  I am not in the medical field but I can share my experience with a sheepie we added to our pack...
My Panda has hip dysplasia... we knew this when we adopted her in September at the age of 10 1/2 months. We thought we would have to schedule FHO surgery soon after she arrived but she is doing well without it. Her x-rays are horrible- http://www.pomeroys.com/EmmaDarby/MadisonXray.jpg but it's not just the x-rays that the vet goes by when determining treatment. A vet down at Michigan State University's Animal Hospital said it's how the individual dog copes with the problem. We started Panda on Cosequin DS- 1 tablet 3x a day then tapered down to 1 tablet 2x a day. I've heard that others stay at the higher dose. Dr. Jean Dodds recommended GlycoFlex instead because... "...Cosequin has antiplatelet properties and Old English Sheepdogs are especially prone to platelet problems..." So we will be changing over when our current supply of Cosequin DS is gone. Panda also starts her day with one buffered adult strength aspirin which controls the pain. Swimming is said to be the very best form of exercise for a dog with HD because there is less stress on the joints. I think that moderate exercise is important so the dog maintains it's muscle tone but it depends on how the individual dog tolerates it. Panda had been crated or confined too long and she had little endurance when she arrived. Her muscle tone wasn't very good. At first she could only play for about 5 minutes, then would have to sit down and rest. A couple months after she arrived, she could run and play much longer... she also dropped a few pounds. I think the better muscle tone allows her to compensate for what is lacking in her hips... she is able to get up off the floor without as much effort. We do allow Panda to play in the backyard with the other dogs without any restrictions... but we keep the play sessions short so she won't come up lame. And we don't encourage activities with a lot of jumping or fast starts ("fetch" can be tough on the joints if there are a lot of fast starts, stops and turns). Keeping the dog at a lean (but healthy!) weight takes unnecessary strain off the joints too. Careful feeding of large breed dogs is said to be important... ask your veterinarian for advice so the pup does not grow too rapidly. For us, this approach has worked... so far anyway. Again, it depends upon the individual dog. I'm sorry that I don't have anything that I can share about liquid glucosamine (although it has helped my husband!) or HD disappearing at the age of 2 years. They do continue to grow some past the first year so maybe it's a possibility??? I wish you and your lab the best and hope the condition can be controlled with medication. Please keep us posted on your lab's progress! |
| Thank you for answer!
What do you think about adequan (liquid hondroitin for injections in muscle) ? I read that it's working faster than oral glycosamine/hondroitine
I read also about prolotherapy - it is some injections in joint ligaments, which make a small inflamation in theese muscles and as result own body make this muscles stronger and distract joint laxity |
| I'm sorry but I don't have any experience with either Adequan or Prolotherapy. We haven't had to go beyond the Cosequin DS and buffered aspirin yet.
I have read a bit about Adequan shots- http://www.adequancanine.us/ being used for arthritis (which accompanies HD as the disease progresses http://www.offa.org/hipgeninfo.html) but we aren't to the point where we have to add or change Panda's current treatment. I'll have to look into prolotherapy... I had never heard of this before. If you should hear about or experience good results with either of these treatments for hip dysplasia, I hope you will post to let me know. Wishing you the best- Jaci |
| I am so srry to hear about your puppy. That news is all to familiar in this household. I have had the same problem with my beautiful lab Deuce for the last 6 years. I will tell you my experiences & trials & hope that they help you make some very unselfish choices. When Deuce first showed signs of displasia he was a few months old. In my experiences with unhealthy animals which unfortunately have been plent (my mother always says God knows where to send them) when it starts happening early it is usually pretty severe. There are plenty of options out there unfortunately not all of them are guaranteed & you have to determine what the labs quality of life will be & what is feasible financially. I opted to go for the gusto & had the first of several surgeries performed outside the country with a specialist, but as I was told in the beginning there were no guarantees. Deuce could hardly walk from 12/02 to 03/02 & showed signs of a full recovery for about a year, but has progressively gone downhill. At the time elbows were still in the development stages. If Deuce was a young pup and I was in those shoes again I would find a reputible surgeon who specializes in this & just get some new elbows. Unfortunately Deuce is too old & I don't believe he would survive this. Since then he has had some emergency surgeries (as a result of being a crazy lab!) We have chosen to medicate using Meloxicam for the past couple of years & we follow the advice of his surgeon. He said that Deuce would never be a "normal" lab & to just let him set his own pace. We NEVER encourage running that will always have a detrimental effect & be very careful with the stairs. They can however swim until the cows come home. I guess what I am trying to say is that Deuce is my best friend in the world & believe me I have stopped @ nothing for him (infact we were in the Doggie ER on Wednesday night) but it is physically, mentally & financially exhausting for us & Deuce. I am just trying to show you that there are several options & you have to choose what is best for your family & the most humane for the dog. This is very painful for them & the only non option is to do nothing. Not sure how much time you are able to spend with the lab but they do have a "velcro" nature so a suggestion for a non impact exercise is a little bit of "tracking" ina small space, it will proveide a way to tire him out withouty too much strain. Good luck with your dog, just remember to do right by mans best friend- it relly is the loyal thing to do. OH & FYI, kkeeping the weight down & dog foods with Glucosamine are available. They also have injections but I have never used them so I can't really comment. Good Luck- Keep me posted. |
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