Very Worried - 6 Month Old Puppy

[Monah]

Oh Horty we found out our young girl has HD too, about 6 weeks ago. It's a bugger. She's only 8 months old. Her 'ball' is not in it's socket. Went to a specialist and was told the stuff you seem to be doing. ie, joint food twice a day in food, limited exercise (puppies!!!!!!), swimming, lots of rest, massage etc. We are having another look in 6 months as sometimes things can improve with adulthood and then she may need a hip replacement, which he was very honest and said is not a cure all and there can be complications. We are lucky to have a pool and she loves it and has races with our viz to get the ball. The viz has always been a big swimmer but our pup was a bit scared as she cannot negociate the steps with her hips, so we firstly sat on the top step and 'helped!!!" her in. After a couple of days we couldn't get her out! I think she loves the feeling of weightlessness and she can retrieve to her hearts content whereas on land she is in pain. I love to see her enjoying herself so much. We went in with her the first few times for encouragement. I don't think theres any point waiting for a dog who's never swum to get in themselves. Just get them in without any scary moments and be really upbeat and hold them for the first couple of times so they dont panic about not being able to touch the bottom. Once they like it, believe me, you cant get them out! Our pup has improved greatly in her strength and can now outswim the viz. Good luck with your lovely dog. It's really heartbreaking so young because you want them to be able to have all the fun pups should be having. We also use the injections, and around 3 or 4 days per week she has previcox, a painkiller/antinflammatory, which gives her a good break from the pain etc. and you can tell when she's on it, there's such a difference. Poor baby!xxxxxxxxxxThinking of you Also use fish oil and sardines.

[austen]

Oh Horty we found out our young girl has HD too, about 6 weeks ago. It's a bugger. She's only 8 months old. Her 'ball' is not in it's socket. Went to a specialist and was told the stuff you seem to be doing. ie, joint food twice a day in food, limited exercise (puppies!!!!!!), swimming, lots of rest, massage etc. We are having another look in 6 months as sometimes things can improve with adulthood and then she may need a hip replacement, which he was very honest and said is not a cure all and there can be complications. We are lucky to have a pool and she loves it and has races with our viz to get the ball. The viz has always been a big swimmer but our pup was a bit scared as she cannot negociate the steps with her hips, so we firstly sat on the top step and 'helped!!!" her in. After a couple of days we couldn't get her out! I think she loves the feeling of weightlessness and she can retrieve to her hearts content whereas on land she is in pain. I love to see her enjoying herself so much. We went in with her the first few times for encouragement. I don't think theres any point waiting for a dog who's never swum to get in themselves. Just get them in without any scary moments and be really upbeat and hold them for the first couple of times so they dont panic about not being able to touch the bottom. Once they like it, believe me, you cant get them out! Our pup has improved greatly in her strength and can now outswim the viz. Good luck with your lovely dog. It's really heartbreaking so young because you want them to be able to have all the fun pups should be having. We also use the injections, and around 3 or 4 days per week she has previcox, a painkiller/antinflammatory, which gives her a good break from the pain etc. and you can tell when she's on it, there's such a difference. Poor baby!xxxxxxxxxxThinking of you Also use fish oil and sardines.

Monah,

How did you know your dog had HD - was it something to do with the way they were walking? Is it a rescue dog or a dog from a breeder?

[Monah]

Hi Austen, very well bred dog from excellent breeder who did hip scores etc and I have results of parents. Excellent. Just one of those things. HD is genetic and can easily skip a few generations or else be from distant blood relations. The sire was an import so I don't know about his distant ancestors. I know all the relatives of the mother in Aust. all great. None of the others have HD. I could tell from the time she was about 12 weeks that 'something' was abit amiss but put it down to her quiet personality and her big feet. Very unco ordinated. By the time she was 5 months I'd had her to the vet a couple of times with 'leg problems' but we have other dogs so they put it down to wrestling. We rested her for 2 weeks and had her on previcox, all fine. As soon as I walked her a very little way her back leg was 'swinging out' and I knew there was something pretty wrong, had her xrayed the next day and the rest is history. Thanks for your interest. Do you have a problem??

[hortfurball]

Hi Monah, sorry to hear about your girl.

As you say, it is so heartbreaking because they ought to be running around having fun being puppies!

I have Ebony (and Kuges) on the Joint Guard already, but the swimming and cartrophen injections have to wait a couple of weeks as she was just desexed on Friday. I'm really hoping that Ebony's just had some weird growth spurts and will even out somewhat with maturity. If her pelvis grows, it may align better with the hip ball in time, fingers crossed. Oh, it's bilateral, btw, both equally as bad.

Austen, if you have any concerns at all, see your vet, then if it is HD, you can get the management plan going early. If there is a problem, the sooner you catch it the better so you can slow the deterioration by lubricating and protecting the joints, and give your dog a longer life expectancy.