Hip Dysplasia

[carycaryon]

Hi Everyone,
This is my first time on your chat room and I would really appreciate as much advice and opinions from as many people as possible.
My 7 month old Springer Spaniel was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia yesterday and we have an appointment with an Orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday to discuss our options. I would like to know what the recovery period is like after surgery and the long term prognosis. Is anyone sorry they had it done? If I don't do it, can she lead a somewhat normal life? Which surgery, other than total hip replacement, is the best?
Thanks very much, Cathy

[Appylvr]

I've never had it done myself, but I know a lady that had her GSD worked on. I don't remember what the surgery was exactly but it was both her back legs, maybe her knees? She's doing great now, the only thing they try to keep her quiet and not running around a lot.

Also, her son has a Bullmastiff/Pittbull mix. He's got bad hips, so his owner had both of his hips replaced. He's doing much the same as the GSD. He's fine, but the only thing they try to keep him from running around a lot...

7 months old is awfully young for a dog to have that problem... Poor little guy Give her a hug from me. I didn't have the money to do that surgery for my dog, Lady. She has never actually been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia, the vet has said it was arthritis, without even really checking her. She has been going through this condition since she was about 6 years old and she is going on 12 years. She's on joint pills, Rimadyl, and gets a cortizone shot every 6 months or so.

[watters1006]

Hmm how did they find out at such a young age? I want my Saint Bernard checked and her vet said that they can do an exray at 2 years of age.I wanted to make sure she doesn't have it for breeding purposes.I am so sorry to hear that your pup is going through this at such a young age.

Tina

[carycaryon]

Thank you for your responses....I noticed that when she gets up after laying down "for awhile", her front end gets up first then she sorta pulls her back end up and she's alittle stif for a short time. Once she gets going she's ok and very playful, in fact the vet looked at her a month ago and said she did'nt think she had a problem just by looking at her. I knew something wasn't right so I had her xrayed Friday which confirmed hip dysplasia and that her right side is worse than the left as it is almost alittle dislocated. My concern is will I have more problems, long term, with the surgery or without the surgery so I thought if I could get a many opinions as possible I could try to make the right choice. This is such a big dissision and I hope I do the right thing. Cathy

[BabyElephant]

Sorry to hear about your pup, I know that GretaJack has a lab who has this condition. She hasn't had surgery done on her though. I think she gives Greta glucosomaine (sp?) - I'm sure she'll give you some great advice when she comes online.

[hisfirst]

My big lab mix had to have surgery for hip dysplesia. He was rough housing with his brother, and his hip dislocated. That was absolutely horrible, he just screamed and screamed until I got him to the vet and she put him out. Two days later, it dislocated again and we made the decision that surgery was necessary to avoid this again! As much as I love my dogs, I had a very difficult time justifying a $2000 hip replacement, but our vet didn't even suggest that, she suggested hip removal. Basically what they did was cut out the hip socket, so that his hip was held only by the muscle and lligaments as the pain comes from bone on bone rubbing. This didn't make much sense to me as I couldn't figure how you walk with no hip socket. He was in the hospital overnight, and wouldn't bear any weight until about the time his stitches came out (7 - 10 days I think) He didn't seem to be in much pain and gradually he began to "toe touch" then before I knew it, he was racing around the yard with his brother and never had any more problems. He was about a year old when we had it done, he's 9 now, and runs and plays with the best of 'em. He's still strong as an ox!

[Dog Watcher]

I knew my Rottie had Hip Dysplasia at 8 months due to her lazy sit. I had x-rays done and they confirmed my suspicions. For myself, I was hesitant about getting such a surgery done to a young dog. So, I opted for improving her diet and giving her supplements.

A really good supplement I found is <http://www.activexamerica.com/syn-flex/index.php> (Syn-Flex). You can also try finding a supplement (I prefer liquid) which contains Glucosamine HCL, Glucosamine Sulfate, MSM, chondroitin, Manganese (Ascorbate). Then supplement with powdered Yucca. I give Yucca to my Rottie 4 days on 3 days off. The best place to find liquid Glucosamine supplements at a reasonable price is at a tack store...or if you own horses you can order some in. I got my supplements from greenhawk. I also improved my Rottie's diet, I give her a vast variety in her diet including some raw meals (always freeze meat then thaw before serving this will kill any protazon), I give her a variety of veggies including my favorites Sweet potato, Broccoli, Cauliflower, broad beans, carrots, garlic cloves, I throw some lightly steamed veggies into my blender and throw in a raw egg shell and all, with yogurt or cottage cheese. I always make sure I can get as many organic produce as possible and my yogurt is always organic, plain with live bacteria cultures in it. I also feed kibble, mainly kibble in the morning, raw meal at night. For Kibble I like all the Natura products, I switch my foods every 3 months for variety; it's not good to feed one kibble for too long. I feed EVO, Innova, California Naturals, Karma, Wellness, Solid Gold, Eagle pack...I always mix my kibble with canned food of the same brand as canned is better for your dog than kibble.

I also make sure my dog is getting plenty of omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids. I supplement her diet with Hemp seed oil, Flax seed oil and crushed flax seeds, sardines, canned wild Alaskan salmon. I also give her a supplement called Astragalus as an immune booster. I also give her plenty of raw bones and turkey/chicken necks for the cartilage...your dog has lost cartilage so replace it in the dogs diet.

These are a few things I opted to do for my Rottweiler instead of the hip replacement surgery. She is now 7 years old and has not had a bad day or any discomfort since she was a young adolescent. The Yucca I use as an anti inflammatory instead of using the dangerous anti inflammatory from the Vet. I will not and will never use Metacam or Rymadyl unless my dog was really old and obviously uncomfortable. I found these med's from the vet can mask pain and allow the dog to do more harm to themselves.

These are just my suggestions. Its difficult to keep a young dog calm and still after having hip replacement surgery. I have heard of many people having had it done and have had wonderful results. I chose to treat my dog naturally with a better diet and supplements, for me it has worked and my dog runs around like a pup even though her hips are horrid. She swims a lot, this is a great exercise for a dog with hip and joint problems. I make sure her exercise is consistent and never spurts as that is the worst thing you can do for a dog with hip problems. You may want to try acupuncture and hydrotherapy as well. Also, keep the weight down, there is nothing worse for hip and joint problems than excess weight.

Good luck with your baby, and hip dysplasia is not the end of the world. At least for me it wasn't. My Vet's are continually surprised at how well my Rottie is doing.

[weezyNollie]

Hisfirst- if your dog dislocated the hip, then it is not hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is a genetic disorder with the laxity in the hip and abnormal joint. The procedure you are talking about is a bit confusing.. I think you are talking about the femoral head osetoectomy - which is when they cut the head of the femur and let the muscle/cartilage/tendon recreate the joint.

I think and have seen good outcomes with surgery in young dogs. Always upkeeping with the supplements and other outside factors, such as limited excercise, avoid cold floors (or cement), keep weight in control, etc etc. contribute to a healthy dog. The recovery period varies with every dog. Ours stayed in ICU for up to 2 nights, but usually went home after one night. Of course it takes a bit of time for the hair to grow back and gain strength.. but I would say 6 weeks or so.

Depending on your ortho specialist, they will have a hip replacement surgery they like and feel most comfortable with. There is Total Hip Replacement, Femoral Head Osteoectomy, Total Pelvic Osteoectomy and a few others that are just coming out. The THR and FHO is done in younger dogs which the TPO is in older dogs.

Good luck.. hope the surgery works well for you.

[carycaryon]

I can't thank you all enough for your help and advice. As of right now I am leaning towards not having the surgery as the more people I talk to, the more people say they just take special care of there dog and they do well. What keeps going through my head is something that I read about CHD that said "treat the dog and not the xray" and so I'm just watching her every day and seeing when she seems more sore ect. When she runs around like nothing is wrong, I say to myself " ok, she'll be just fine and then she'll lay down and get up and walk stiff or do that bunnyhop and I'll say" what is she going to be like in 7 years from now? Well, I'm just going to do the best I can to take good care of her and do more research and just take it from there. I'd still appreciate anyone who wants to throw out an opinion or two. Thanks again, Cathy

[GretaJack]

Sorry that I am late on the subject, but as Baby said, my Greta has HD. She was diagnosed at 8 months old, which is when she tore her ACL. At that time, my husband and I did not have the money to have a hip replacement done. We seriously thought about putting her down. What kind of life could she live? Well, the vet put us on 6 weeks of leash walk only, 3 weeks into leash walking, Greta ran away for the first and only time in her life. She wanted to run and darn it there was nothing I was going to do about it. From that day on, we decided that Greta would stay with us as long as she could do what made her happy- run.

So Greta is going to be 5 in July. She has good days and bad. I think her bad days are worse for me than for her.

Greta is in Glucosamine Chondrition (not sure if I am spelling that right) and has been on it every since she was diagnosed. I think it has done wonders for her.

My advice to you.

#1 and the most important. Keep an eye on her weight. The worst thing that you can do is let her get over weight. Extra weight carried on a bad hip can be a death sentance for that joint.

#2 Make a list of what your dog LOVES to do. The day she can't do those things, it is time to contimplate your decision. Is surgery an option at that time? How much discomfort is your pet experiencing?



I will tell you that at this time, I would recommend not having surgery. Surgery should most likely always be an option in the long run so you can change your mind as time seems fit. It is very hard to take a puppy, have such a serious, in depth surgery and then keep them inactive for the healing process. Keep your pup as active as possible. It really does seem to help. It helps keep the joints lubricated and helps keep weight in check and a tired puppy=a well behaved puppy anyways.

Please, if you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask. I am by no means an expert on this, yet I deal with it every day. And every day is different. Please let me know if I can be of any help. Katie