dysplastic dog - Page 2

I adopted an 8 year old, at that time 92lb. bitch with unilateral HD. I worked very hard on getting her weight down, however the lowest I got her was 82 lbs. Glucosamine Chondroitin was new on the market and I had that imported. When I noticed her having discomfort in the beginning (hope no one gets on my case now), I gave her baby asperine. Then we eventually wound working up to Rimadyl. My wonderful girl was on heart meds and Rimadyl works contrary to the heart meds. Well I took the risk. One Winter, Alex could not walk with us on our walks so I purchased a cart and on even surfaces I would pull her. I had a younger dog at that time and she needed her exercise but I did not want to leave beautiful Alex out. Well that worked fine. She turned 12 years of age and up to her last day she could always walk up and down the steps to the bedroom. I was at home sick with pneumonia on the last day of her life and decided that we were going to enjoy the beautiful Spring day and took my dogs to the river where everyone allows their dogs to run free. A kind of dog park. Alex played in the water and socialized with dog friendly people. We came home, and I lay down in the living room, Alex next to me. She never woke up. The dog did not die of her dysplasia. She died of natural causes and I think she had a wonderful life despite her disability. I sure loved that dog.

Kosta, What about the option (once your dog is showing signs of discomfort) of amputation of the limb, since it is unilateral?? I have seen many dogs enjoy a full life (you'd be amazed at how fast they can adjust to having only 3 legs, and how well they get around!) after having one leg amputated (for various reasons). Just another option...I know some people have a real aversion to owning a 3 legged dog, but if the dog is fine, and you are mainly concerned about the well-being of your dog, it is definitely an option you could consider. :) Just a thought. Good luck with your dog. It's always hard when the vet gives no real options. -Melanie

I have an 8 yr old female with unilateral HD. I took her to get her hipsd done at 27 months and the right hip was not only lax, there wasn't much head to fit into the socket. One vet told me it was probably due to an injury as a puppy. None I can think of. She is very lean at 85#s, I have her on glucosamine supplements, and swim her most days in warm weather. She never complains, hops up on the bed and the couch. No way would I ever even have considered a replacement or putting her down. Even after the Xrays she still twirled a lot of helpers around doing the bitework she loves. I believe your dog will tgell you when he needs help. Minta

vomfelsenhof, what you are suggesting is almost brilliant on a young dog!!! I do have to say with Alex, the leg which was affected atrophied and you could see by the wear on her nails that she was pulling the leg along as she walked. I messaged her leg but the atrophy was really progressed. I also had one unhappy experience while taking her along the boardwalk on the beach that she got one of her nails caught and pulled off the nail. Keeping that leg well conditioned and ensuring blood circulation is critical. But if I had gotten Alex as a young dog, I would have seriously considered amputation knowing what I know today.

My first Malamute had moderate unilateral HD, left hip. I was shocked when I had her xrayed. She never took a lame step in the entire life, had no supplements and lived to be 13 dying from old age.

Thanks for all the feedback! all comments very helpful; the dog wants to work and the worst thing that could happen to him is deprive him of play and bites i thought of the leg amputation when he starts developing symptoms last night as a good idea. my concern is the way the xray looks; the neck of the femoral head has been remodeled with areas of translucency that i guess correspond to fibrous tissue and new bone formation; after seeing it i wondered, how the heck are you not in pain?? i wonder if the surrounding structures, tendons and ligaments are not affected, but he seems not to mind; i will keep him lean and eventually i will get used to his new condition. i didnt' like the hip replacement idea ever since it was suggested. i've had dogs for several years and this is the first time i come across a dog with this bad of a hip. Kosta

I wouldn't amputate the leg unless he is not weight bearing on it as long as he shows no signs of pain. Hip replacement when done correctly has an extremely high success rate. It was perfected in dogs a long time ago.

Kosta: I assume you took the dog to an orthopod, but you may want to take the dog to another orthopedic specialist or a veterinary college for a second opinion (don't forget to take the xrays with you). Also, if you do have to have a hip replacement, most dogs do very well with only one hip being replaced in a lifetime, regardless of the condition of the other hip. If you are here in the states, there is a finance company called CARE/CREDIT which will finance surgeries/procedures over #300. & charge no interest for the first year providing you pay it off within a year. They also offer other plans which do charge interest, but allow a much longer time to pay off the surgery. 91% of all dogs have no complications & are fully recovered after 30 days.

(cont'd) Most orthopods are not slash happy nuts doing it for the money (if that were the case they would be M.D.'s as it is a lot more lucrative). You do need to find one you trust & have a good report with. They usually will put a young pain free dog like yours on supplements, moderate exercize & diet. When the dog exhibits pain symptoms there are now a variety of really good meds available today, from NSAID's to opiod based painkillers. As you can see from most who have posted, HD is NOT a death sentence, many of us have dogs that have lived long, active, happy lives.