Hip Dysplasia Questions - Page 1

My almost 4 Yr old Import girl has been diagnosed with Severe Hip Dysplasia, I have her on a supplement currently that has Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin, and Hyaluronic Acid but I'm not seeing really any change. She doesn't really show pain unless she has done a lot of walking that day. Can you guys that have Dysplastic dogs tell me supplements or medications have helped your dogs. Also have any of you tried Accupuncture with good results?

Thank You.

Beth

cod liver oli, vit c, omega3, swimming/hydrotherapy, massage i havent tried acupuncture but heard that its good also homeopathic arnica works well build muscle up by hill work

best of luck

tracie

If she doesn't have a problem unless she's walked a lot, don't overlook the obvious - don't encourage her to walk a lot. The supplements you are giving her seem like the right ones. Why force her or allow her to do more than she can do physically without experiencing pain? Frankly, if she has severe HD you are pretty lucky she's not doing a lot worse. Sounds like she is easily managed at this point, but if she continues to stress herself that all could change very quickly. 

Wufpack:  sounds like you have her on the right supplements.  I also  have a 2 year old with severe hd.  Luckily she does not show any signs of discomfort yet and is still active and doing schutzhund training.  She has problems with the jumps, but other than that is doing well.  I keep her lean and I take her swimmng as often as possible.  If your dog shows discomfort after walking, then I would limit that.  My previous gsd that I lost last year also had severe hd and by age 8 - really could not take her  on walks anymore.  Swimming would have been an option to build up muscle, but we did not have the dog pool back then. 

Good luck with your dog,

Cheryl

Wufpack, I found Synovi G3 Soft Chews to be a big help -- you can get them on the Internet -- they taste like liver, smell absolutely  horrid, and are Radar's favorite "cookie."  Acupuncture worked well for him, too.  We had a hard time keeping him still initially, he is so high drive, but found that if we played a CD of soothing cello music during the acupuncture session, he got pretty mellow.  I would suggest using only a licensed DVM to do this (the acupuncture, not the cello playing).  What helped the most, I think, though, were the Adequan injections.  If you cannot swim a dog, try slow walking on level ground in deep sand to get those muscles working.  Don't overdo it, your dog will let you know when she has had enough.  I wish you and your girl the very best!

The supplements are fine You also might consider a chiropractor have had good luck with them

Jeff