Possible Dengenerative Myelopathy? Hip Dysplasia?

[rivergem]

Hi,

I am a little worried about my 9 month old labby, he went lame last week on one leg - took him to the vets where she had a look and feel, pretty much said it was either a hurt muscle in his thigh or early signs of HD. Gave me some anti flem to give him for a week and said it if wasn't better to call back after a week.

After much research I have come across Dengenerative Myelopathy and although he is only 9 months old (its said that it affects dogs 5-14yrs) he is showing some signs that I don't want to just ignore...

1. Brought him home at 8 weeks old from registered breeder - parents with good hip scores

2. Has always had a part of his lower back/spine that if you scratch his bottom shakes really fast (he has always been kept lean)

3. His back legs have always been a little wonky, a bit of bunhopping and he seems a little weaker in his back legs (eg not as much muscle as the front) - saying this I havent really seen it affect him, still walks, runs etc without any noticeable pain

4. Went lame on his back left leg last week, lasted about 5 or so days but he has been back and walking on it the last couple of days

5. I feed all my crew a raw prey model diet and the vet suggested to get him onto commercial biscuits and maybe cook some rice/pasta for him to go with the meat (hmm... don't really trust this vet)

If anyone can give me some advice, knowledge or their own experiences that would be great...

If anyone can point me in the direction of a vet/chiro/expert in this type of field who know's their stuff that would be excellent :rolleyes:

Anywhere from Sydney area through to Newcastle (I'm on the Central Coast).

Jess

[Cavandra]

Firstly the very last thing I would so it go to Commercial foods!!!!

Peter Schofields & Garry Barnsley are the best peopel to see, in Sydney. I have been to Barnsely & have been happy, but most show people go to Schofields apparantly these days. I now have 2 greyhound guys I see up here in the Country, one for muscle & one for chiro when needed. I dont find Vets know enough to treat antything structural.

Puppies can go through growth spurts, in my breed I have seen perfectly sound puppies grow into minor puppies with slipping patellas, due to growing faster in the hind & having straight stifles, when they catch up & the turn of stifle returns the problem is gone again......... However, "bunny hopping" is usually associated with HD.

If your pup does have HD, then of course you have some options to look into in time, but "Ester C" supplement is something I would have him on ASAP, health food shops or online at Vitamin King, or Natural City to name a couple of places.

[Guest Tess32]

You might want to consider taking him to a chiro or bowen therapist etc. My puppy wouldn't "sit" for a few days once and I freaked out thinking it could be something terrible when it turned his muscles were very tight etc. One chiro visit and he was sitting the next day.

[rivergem]

Thanks for the replies guys.. another thing I forgot to mention is when he sits, he sits right back and to the side with his back left leg flopped out to the side in a real casual position.. I hadn't thought too much of it as my other lab sits back on her bum as well... it's so annoying not knowing what it is..

Thanks for the referrals too... will give a call on Monday to organise something...

I have ordered Joint Guard over the net which I was going to start giving him as well as swimming him at least a couple times a week plus some structured short walks to build muscle in his hind...

One thing with Ester C - I've heard lots of people rec it and all great stuff, although does it have calcium in it aswell?... my understanding is that it is or can be dangerous to supp with calcium?

Thanks :rolleyes:

[stormie]

Personally I think this sounds more like HD than DM.

How much exercise did/does the puppy get?

I know everyone has different opinions on diet, and whilst I feed my older dogs raw, I prefer to feed a high quality commercial diet to growing pups as they are nutritionally balanced for growth, with a correct calcium/phosph. ratio.

[Dogsfevr]

Very simple x ray the hips & see where things stand

[rivergem]

He has free access to a fenced paddock off the side of the house all the time, it is probably about an acre or so, have only been taking him for 10-20 min walks on grass for lead walking... I was worried about over exercising him.. maybe I haven't been providing enough to build up the muscles sufficiently?? Every second weekend or so I take him to the beach for a run around and swimming.

I would get him an x-ray but as far as I know it might not neccesarily show up much even if he does have HD... especially because he is still young. This is just my understanding so please correct me if I am wrong.

I ordered and received today a commercial dog food brand name Orijen so it is no grains - I was going to feed that in the morning and raw at night and see how it goes...

[outatime]

DM has a slow onset... so if he suddenly went lame, its probably not DM.

Google 'jack flash gsd' and you will find a wealth of info on DM. Have a look at the symptoms - they usually start with back end weakness and knuckling (for example).

Feel free to PM me if you need any help - I lost my dog a month ago from suspected DM.

I hope I'm right that your dog doesn't have it.

[outatime]

I would get him an x-ray but as far as I know it might not neccesarily show up much even if he does have HD... especially because he is still young. This is just my understanding so please correct me if I am wrong.

and definitely wont show anything associated with DM as there is no diagnosis for it.

[Dogsfevr]

If he has HD it will show up on the x rays.Personally i wouldnt be changing diet for no good reason.

We have rayed a 9 month old due to concerns & all was fine,for what it costed it was easier to now what was happening plus we always use Bowen.

Have you contacted the breeder>> They may suggest a vet who has more experience in this area (hd etc)

[Miranda]

Very simple x ray the hips & see where things stand

I agree with settrlvr, hindquarter lameness and bunny hopping are frequent symptoms of HD and I wouldn't take the dog to a chiropractor until this has been ruled out. I wouldn't bother to change the diet either.

Take the puppy to a vet who specialises in HD x-rays, don't just take him to the local vet, most pet vets don't have enough experience in this field and you need someone who does a lot of x-rays and knows exactly what they're doing regarding positioning etc. Your breeder should be able to give you the name of a suitable vet.

Your puppy may or may not have HD, but you have to know one way or the other and x-raying the dog is the only way to find out.

[InspectorRex]

I totaly agree with settrluvr and Miranda- x-ray will show if the dog has HD. I would not be mucking around with chiro's or changing diets etc until you get the dog x-rayed by a Vet who specialises in hip x-rays, as Miranda say most normal Vets do not specialise in this area, similar to Human GP's.

I had a pup that was lame and bunny hopping- had it x-rayed at 7mths- sure enough HD was the diagnosis.

[rivergem]

Thanks so much for everyone's responses... they all help to build some perspective

I will ring Riv's breeder on Monday morning and get him to a HD expert vet hopefully sometime this week for x-rays - that way I can rule HD either in or out.

[Rappie]

If a young dog is showing signs of discomfort or pain from hip dysplasia then there it is likely to show up on an xray even at a young age, because there are usually already bony changes taking place within the joint. If you are concerned about HD then I would recommend an xray - if the hips are fine then good, if they indicate a problem then you can start all the supportive treatments knowing what the problem is. I have no major issues with chiro / massage / accupuncture etc but I feel that they are best implemented after a diagnosis has been made.