oceanaussi Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) My Kelpie x GSD had severe HD aged 5 years old. I moved back to Germany for a while and thought she might just not be used to the cold. Then it got so bad that she was only walking on 3 legs. I took her to the Vet and we did some X-Rays. Apparently she had severe HD on both sides. :D He said she wouldn't recover just on medication. He suggested 3 methods: 1. the gold-plated stuff (can't remember the exact name but think it was mentioned here before), 2. hip replacement (which is costly and he said sometimes the dog's body doesn't accept the new hip) and 3. PIN surgery/denervation. I decided on the last one but was very scared. Hera was able to walk again on the next day but wasn't allowed to excercise - only short walks several times a day. She recovered so well - even does flyball agan! We go swimming once a week and I give her massages. It was the right thing to do for her! Good luck with your decision! i know it's a tough one. Edited July 21, 2008 by oceanaussi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thank you oceanaussie. We will be making appointments with Dr Wing Tip Wong and Dogs in Motion tomorrow- fingers crossed we can see them soon as this is doing my head in. When i had one of my horses he injured his leg severely, and after thousands of dollars and 3 months of confinement- he never fully recovered physically AND he was lost mentally for good- to the point where i look back now and regret putting him through the surgery and confinement. If i had known then what i know now i wouldn't have done it. I think this experience is colouring my perception here- even though its a different situation, i am so worried about the recovery and the influence on his temperament and life after the surgery. I don't want to make a decision for me that isn't the best for Dexter. Hopefully the information from the physio and Dr Wong will help clear my head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trisven13 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Sounds like some people have had good results. I've only had the one experience and it was with a friend's dog - admittedly one they initially fostered for ADR and then adopted prior to diagnosis. Samson had the femoral excision (???) surgery and I have to say I don't think he got very good results at all. He also has quite severe arthritis in his elbows and so that may be colouring it. Samson is very stiff and doesn't have good movement - his owner admits that he really suffered through recovery and it has only bought him a few years. I'm reasonably certain she wouldn't do it again despite her love for him. I can get her number if you'd like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Rappie- i don't find the carprophen to have any effect on Dexter whatsoever- we are lessening the dose but i will ask the specialist if we should continue with it at all. There are several NSAIDs on the market and some dogs will react different to each of them. Sometimes also we may not see a great improvement if there is a functional problem altering the gait (this is not always the case, just a possibility) such as severe degenerative changes where there is an actual limitation to movement. NSAIDs aren't the be all and end all, but if the patient isn't benefiting from them then they don't have to be on them (but others may work better). Like I said earlier, a multimodal approach is most effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taters Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thank you oceanaussie. We will be making appointments with Dr Wing Tip Wong and Dogs in Motion tomorrow- fingers crossed we can see them soon as this is doing my head in. When i had one of my horses he injured his leg severely, and after thousands of dollars and 3 months of confinement- he never fully recovered physically AND he was lost mentally for good- to the point where i look back now and regret putting him through the surgery and confinement. If i had known then what i know now i wouldn't have done it. I think this experience is colouring my perception here- even though its a different situation, i am so worried about the recovery and the influence on his temperament and life after the surgery. I don't want to make a decision for me that isn't the best for Dexter. Hopefully the information from the physio and Dr Wong will help clear my head! I have heard great things about Wing Tip too good luck with your decision, please let us know how you go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 We have an appointment with Dr Wong tomorrow evening and Dogs in Motion next Thursday- fingers crossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trisven13 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Fingers AND toes crossed here in Albury. Dexter is such a doll - I love his turned up nose - he deserves a long and comfortable life. Edited July 22, 2008 by Trisven13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlettsmum Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 We have an appointment with Dr Wong tomorrow evening and Dogs in Motion next Thursday- fingers crossed What was the outcome Cosmolo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taters Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Yes how did you get on????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 After an 1hr and 45 minute drive in peak hour we saw Dr Wing Tip yesterday evening. He confirmed the diagnosis but also added that Dexter may have elbow dysplasia as he has soreness in both elbows with no obvious cause, although nothing showed up on x rays He went through the 3 different options- total hip replacement, triple pelvic osteotomy (sp?) and hip denervation. OH and i have discussed at length and have decided to proceed with the hip denervation in combination with physio, glucosamine, ester c etc. We need to consider the possibility that his elbows may need to be done so we are very hesitant to put him through four lots of major surgery and subsequent recovery times. Hip denervation has a recovery time of 3-5 days and both hips can be done in the one surgery. Any thoughts welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 After an 1hr and 45 minute drive in peak hour we saw Dr Wing Tip yesterday evening. He confirmed the diagnosis but also added that Dexter may have elbow dysplasia as he has soreness in both elbows with no obvious cause, although nothing showed up on x rays He went through the 3 different options- total hip replacement, triple pelvic osteotomy (sp?) and hip denervation. OH and i have discussed at length and have decided to proceed with the hip denervation in combination with physio, glucosamine, ester c etc. We need to consider the possibility that his elbows may need to be done so we are very hesitant to put him through four lots of major surgery and subsequent recovery times. Hip denervation has a recovery time of 3-5 days and both hips can be done in the one surgery. Any thoughts welcome Hi there, that's what Hera had done (posted the pics earlier) both sides in one operation. But as the denervation more or less only takes the pain away, we had the PIN Operation at the same time and it really helped! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 What is the PIN operation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taters Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I've not heard of that procedure before Cosmolo sounds very interesting would be interested to know whats involved good luck, hope you have a speedy recovery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 Its a procedure that aims to destroy the majority of sensory nerves in the hip joint. Its been around for 5 years and the dogs that had it 5 years ago are still pain free. The only disadvantage is that it is unknown what happens after 5 years, but it still leaves the options open for a hip replacement if the pain re appears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Ok, I'm trying to explain in very simple words as I'm not a Vet and I did the operation when I was in Germany so most of the info is in German. I've spoken to my local Vet here in Australia and it's been done here as well. This is a pretty good document: www.melbvet.com.au/pdf/chd.pdf The denervation seperates the tendences over the inflamed joint capsule so the dog doesn't feel any pain. The PIN operation (Pectineusmyektomy) is a cut in the pelvis and the removal of a muscle from the bone. The legs of the dog look more like a 'V' turned around, so the joint capsule doesn't rub against the joint anymore. Sorry about the bad description. From what I googled the PIN is very similar to the TPO but I'm not sure if it's the same. I did both operations (PIN & denervation) on both sides on the same day and paid around $800. Hera was 5 years old when she had the operations. She now has a little bit of a problem on her elbows which I treat with Pernease Powder and weekly swimming. She does Flyball and agility without any problems. So for us the surgery was very successfull. Hera was so bad before, she only walked on 3 legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 The vets here won't do the TPO both sides at once. So we have considered the possibility that if his elbows are bad too- we might be looking at 4 lots of surgery and confinement, which i don't think he would deal with The PIN operation sounds similar to the TPO but there are three cuts in the TPO. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Well, that might be the difference. I'm not sure. I wish you guys good luck! We had no problem doing it all at once but the operation has been done in Europe for a long time now while the Vet here tole me it's relatively new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Pectineal myectomy is a procedure with a similar aim to denervation - it provides symptomatic relief pain associated with degenerative changes, but has no bearing on the development of further changes / pain / osteoarthritis. It's a fairly superficial procedure that involves transecting part of the pectineus muscle (you see this muscle when dog lie on their back) to reduce tension on the underneath surface of the hip joint. It's not a permanent procedure and the benefit can last for months to years. The TPO is quite a different procedure where the whole hip socket of an immature dog is realigned, with the aim of their active bone growth remodelling the hip to prevent further degeneration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Thanks for clearing this up, Rappie. Like I said I'm not a Vet and it's difficult to describe what the Vet showed me on sdome model hips. Plus, it's hard to compare 2 procedure in different languages! :D Yes, the Vet sad that it might not last forever - depending on the dog. We've done the operation 4 years ago and it's still ok. At least now I know what the operation is called in English! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taters Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Hi Cosmolo Just wondering if you went to dogs in motion and if so, how did you go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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