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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Benefit of hip x-rays for 2yo gsd? (4 replies)
Benefit of hip x-rays for 2yo gsd? by jra on 24 March 2011 - 01:40 |
| Our recently adopted 2yo is being spayed this week and the vet has said she can do an x-ray of her hips while she's out, if we wish. I'm just wondering if it's worthwhile to do so. We haven't seen any problems, but we also don't know her complete history. Thoughts? Thanks in advance. |
by Emoore on 24 March 2011 - 03:06 |
| Just to have a heads up to know if there are any upcoming problems. If she has problem hips she might not show problems at such a young age, but you'd want to avoid a lot of jumping or running on hard surfaces. |
Emoore by hexe on 24 March 2011 - 04:44 |
| Co-sign what Emoore cited--your dog will be better off if you know whether or not her hips are normal. If her hips are normal, you'll know that you can rule that out if she ever suddenly seems to be lame or painful in her hindquarters, and that you'd need to consider if the lameness or pain is from a tendon or back injury and proceed accordingly. If there's any evidence of remodeling of the joint seen at this age, you will need to be absolutely diligent about keeping her weight on the low end of the scale for her size (you shouldn't be able to see her ribs, but you should be able to feel them if you just lightly place your fingers over them), and you'll need to limit the type of exercise she gets to things that don't aggravate the condition. It will also let you know that you need to talk to your vet about getting your dog started on some chondroprotective agents (glucosamine and chondroitin, MSM, etc.) and possibly even start Adequan injections to help limit the rate at which the degeneration progresses. IMO, it's totally worth doing them, and if you can save a bit of cash by pairing it up with the spay, so much the better! |
by Bundishep on 24 March 2011 - 07:33 |
| dont waste your money if 2 and shows no problems yours chances are very good and since your not breeding her |
by mirasmom on 24 March 2011 - 14:42 |
| The vet just wants more money out of you, if she's not limping or showing signs of HD, than it's just more $$$ to tack onto your bill. Seeing that you are getting her spayed, just make sure you do not over feed her as her hormones will change and she will be able to gain weight fairly easy. |
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