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I'm so sorry to hear this. I am not familiar with St Bernard's but my then 10 month old German Shepherd puppy was diagnosed with severe HD. He underwent bilateral Total Hip Replacements before he was 2. I think it depends on what your vet and the specialist or specialists (I asked for multiple opinions) say. If he does have severe HD then hydrotherapy etc is not going to fix the issue just help build and keep muscle mass around the hind. I wish you all the best, it is such devastating news to receive. P.S I take it you have had x rays done?

Hi, I'm not sure what to suggest other then I would find a vet that your friend can contact asap. I personally would not wait and see if it is a reaction to the steroids. I live in a small rural town and no after hours vets but I can call my vet and he will come into the clinic if I am worried so I would hope something similar could be the case there. Good luck.

Oh my goodness, how totally adorable

I use it for my nearly 9 year old female GSD. She has HD and mild Spondylosis. She is also on 2 other supplements plus pain meds/anti inflams. I can't say for sure whether it has actually done anything for her but after 2 years on it, I don't want to take her off it. Plus her breeder is a vet nurse at a specialist clinic and they recommend it. Sorry I know that isn't any help!

I have one show line, one working line and to be honest although he is younger, my WL is calmer and has less drive then my SL. So it really does come down to trusting the breeder in my opinion. I was planning to do IPO with my WL, but we moved states and never had the chance. But it would have been interesting to see how much he could have developed.

Good luck with your search and I can't wait for puppy photos on day!

Thank you very much

I am so sorry to hear this Do you mind if I ask what her magic pills are please? (I have a girl with HD and my male with Osteoarthritis is an elbow)

I'm not a breeder but I paid 2k for my male working line GSD 6 years ago.

Thanks sandgrubber, this was nearly 6 years ago. They have cool mats now.

If you do mean hygromas my GSD had them from 10 weeks old. He had to have them aspirated frequently but they would fill back up. Eventually they surgically put 3 drains in each elbow for 3 weeks. He never had another one although the areas are unsightly. I tried everything I could to stop him sleeping on the tiles, including crating and a puppy pen but it appeared to be one of those things. There is a product called 'dogleggs' which I bought that is made of neoprene and protects the elbows. https://www.dogleggs.com/standard-length-adjustable-dogleggs/

I also have a severely storm phobic girl. She is now so bad that even rain sets her off into a quivering wreck. I have tried everything I could get my hands on but nothing helps. When she started trying to climb the shelves of the walk in pantry and the top of the stove (which was on) I had a consult with a veterinary behaviourist. She now gets a beta blocker at the first sign of anything coming to slow her heart rate down. I had read once that Dr Sophia Yin (R.I.P) was looking after her mother's storm phobic dog and it died from a heart attack. In saying all that, she still is a total wreck and I have to hold her tight and play music loud and just try and get her through it.

Just adding my two cents here, I have 2 German Shepherds currently. When I brought them both home as pups I had cats. My half WL/SL was by far more interested in chasing them then my WL was. I managed to control the situation and all was fine. However I could not risk having chickens that the dogs could get to. Molly goes bananas at any bird that dares land in one of the paddocks whereas Cooper (WL) will quite happily lie down and birds will land around him, he just watches. So in saying all of that, I guess it depends on the individual dog and how well you can manage and train.

I'm not sure about whether this could just be a one (or two) off event now. My severely storm phobic girl started off fine until she was at best guess nearly a year old (She is nearly 8). It has got so bad now that even if it starts to rain, she is shaking, quivering mess. I have tried a thunder shirt, DAP, rescue remedy - all the natural stuff. But she is so bad now that after a consult with a veterinary behaviourist, she gets a beta blocker to try and stop her having a heart attack. She also gets valium or xanax. I never pandered to her but after seeing her try to climb onto the cook top (which was on) and climb the shelves in the walk in pantry, I knew I had to try anything. Perhaps if you can try even rescue remedy or something natural if it happens again and go from there. I sincerely hope it was just a one off, awful day for her.