Hip Dysplasia - Alternative Treatments

[tira_mia]

Hi all

My (almost) 4 yr old BC has just been diagnosed with "moderate to severe" HD and arthritis in both hips. He's never shown any symptoms prior to this winter so I'm reassuring myself by saying he hasn't been in pain before this, but the sudden onset has taken me by complete surprise .

I've done a search on the forum but must be doing something wrong as I can't find any info on what people do for alternative treatments - however I know there are threads that exist (somewhere in the vast space of the dol forums ). He's been placed on an initial 10 day course of Rimadyl with the option of Cartrophen injections later on and possibly, a year down the track, femoral head reduction surgery. If possible, I would like to do as much as I can for him without taking the surgery option - as non invasive as possible would be my preferred approach.

So i guess i want to hear everyones stories with dogs who have HD

Did you adopt any dietary changes that you felt helped? (Boy won't continually eat raw for more than 3/4 days (and i've tried everything under the sun!), so complete BARF diets are out of the question). What kibbles do you feed that have helped (there are so many that claim to help joints!)?

And, what alternative therapies such as acupuncture etc have you tried that you believe are useful? I'm located in Baulkham Hills in north west Sydney, but I'm willing to travel if it will help him.

And do you feed any nutritional supplements?

thanking you in advance for any help

Edited April 28, 2009 by tira_mia

[Bjelkier]

So far, what has really help Lestat 4 yr old Lab, is swimming, its built up the muscles very nicely and he walks without a limp now.

Aside from that he wears a jacket most of the time in winter or he ends up very stiff.

He is also on low fat food, being a Lab he gets very fat very easily and its much better for him to be as lean as possible so there isn't any extra strain on his hips. I also add glucosamine (I don't know if I spelt that right) to his food.

So far he seems to be doing very well concidering he couldn't walk very well at all when he was younger, poor darling.

Edited April 28, 2009 by Wolfsong

[Golden Rules]

Yes, swimming is very good, and keeping your dog as lean as possible.

I have a Goldie with HD - plus he has had both cruciates done. I give him 3 fish oil capsules every day and a Glucosamine (1500mg tab) once a day.

At the moment he is also on Metacam as he has started limping badly.

I have previously been using Technyflex - we ran out about a week ago - and I am wondering if this had brough about the current limp.

We also have acupuncture done every six weeks or so - sometime more often if needed. He has been so good lately, we haven't been for a couple of months. But it seems to work well.

Not sure of any foods that are particularly good but as natural as possible would be the way to go. Doesn't have to be BARF everyday. Maybe every second day?

Also my dog has Cartrophen injections every 3 months to help avoid arthritis. I have no idea id that works or not but we will keep on going with it as it doesn't seem to do any harm.

[Cavandra]

Raw diet...eating nothing ever with preservatives, colours, grains etc..............ACV in water bowls ....

DAILY ESTER C

[CavsRcute]

My girl has acupuncture,trigger point therapy and chiropractic treatment( as she throws her back out sometimes). About every 6 months she goes to a canine physio.

Keep them lean, warm in winter and not overexercised. They still need to get out but not running around like lunatics for an extended length of time.

She is on Jointguard at the moment but I don't think it is working as effectively as it used to so I'm thinking about cosequin tablets. She is on Traumeel which is a homeopathic anti-inflammatory and I give her a Cartrphen injection every month

I live on the North Shore, so if you are interested, I can give you some names.

[tira_mia]

Thanks guys for the tips

Does anyone know where near Baulkham Hills there are swimming areas for dogs? The few lakes i've seen around here tend to be rather polluted or lacking in water...not any good for swimming.

CavsRcute - names would be super! Mainly for the acupuncture and trigger point therapy. I know of some places who do it around here but would rather go by recs.

is there a general guide as to how much glucosamine/kg we should be giving?

Boy's on the lean side so he's fine with that, but he hates wearing jackets, so keeping him warm will be my main headache this winter!

[Poodle wrangler]

*Keep your dog a lean weight (can feel ribs easily with the flat of your hand)

Less weight places less stress on joints.

* Gentle exercise ..swimming being ideal... if impractical then perhaps regular, shorter walks on leash (to avoid sudden jumping/ changing directions etc.)

Building the muscles around the joint can help support the joint. Some gentle movement is better than total inactivity for CHRONIC joint issues like arthritis in humans.

*Warmth. Maybe a heated bed? Bring dog indoors if normally outside at night etc.

Problem with hips is that it is a mechanical issue- the parts just don't fit together properly.

It's hard to know what's working when your dog can't talk, either.

Many dogs are more stoic than we'd be with the same pain.

Best wishes with your dog

[Rebanne]

Chiropractic tuneups, acupuncture and ask about gold bead therapy. Lean but well muscled and the usual additives like glucosamine and yes the cartrophen injections are good as well.

[CavsRcute]

Thanks guys for the tips

Does anyone know where near Baulkham Hills there are swimming areas for dogs? The few lakes i've seen around here tend to be rather polluted or lacking in water...not any good for swimming.

CavsRcute - names would be super! Mainly for the acupuncture and trigger point therapy. I know of some places who do it around here but would rather go by recs.

is there a general guide as to how much glucosamine/kg we should be giving?

Boy's on the lean side so he's fine with that, but he hates wearing jackets, so keeping him warm will be my main headache this winter!

hi TM,

I use Mark Hocking at Gladesville Vet Hospital, Victoria Rd, for the trigger ponit therapy. They also do acupuncture.

I have been using Belinda at St Ives also for acupuncture but she has just left to have a baby! We will probably go back to Olivia at Balmain Vet for the acupuncture. There is a vet down at Ku-Ringa Gai Vet Hospital that also does it but I don't find it as effective as he does a "western" version while the girls do more chinese style.

Helen Nicholson is a very good canine physio. I believe All Natural Vet, Russell Lea also do the alternative therapies but I don't have any recent experience there.

Good luck

[tira_mia]

thanks everyone =) all the suggestions are great, and i'll be putting most of them to use!

a bit of a silly question...but would using a product like glyde (which can help in pain relief) encourage him to overexercise himself more, which may in turn cause more damage...? As he's still young i'm hoping to minimise further damage but being a border collie....well, they're a pretty hyperactive bunch . A walk in the park isn't complete for him without a chase with his friends, which i'm really worried will hurt him more

[rugerfly]

Thanks guys for the tips

Does anyone know where near Baulkham Hills there are swimming areas for dogs? The few lakes i've seen around here tend to be rather polluted or lacking in water...not any good for swimming.

CavsRcute - names would be super! Mainly for the acupuncture and trigger point therapy. I know of some places who do it around here but would rather go by recs.

is there a general guide as to how much glucosamine/kg we should be giving?

Boy's on the lean side so he's fine with that, but he hates wearing jackets, so keeping him warm will be my main headache this winter!

Hey there. PM me if you need a hand or advise with anything, I live in Baulko too. Ruger has had a FH&NE five months ago.

[poppop]

Highly recommend Flexicose Plus - this is a liquid glucosamine (plus has other good arthritis type ingredients) and you give the daily adult dose on the dog's food - tastes fine, not yucky like some supplements. Google it to find the mailorder details. They deliver the next day.

My girl started on fish oil as it's meant to be great for HD/arthritis - but within a week she was shockingly itchy all over - so we took her off it and it took 2 weeks to get back to normal, so we had to find alternative supplements.

Also keep the Cartrophen injections (now called something else but everyone will know what you mean if you say Cartrophen) on your mind as they are fantastic for many dogs - mine only ever had the 4 week course (1 injection per week) when she was first diagnosed and since then has had one or two at the start of each winter. The day after the first one she has always been exceedingly bouncy, though the norm is apparently to see a great improvement 2 weeks after the last of the 4 injections.

Also think of the Cartrophen at times when your dog wakes up very stiff and almost unable to walk - we had this the morning after she spent an afternoon at a fete and did too much walking around. The Cartophen was great in this instance - with an improvement seen by that evening.

And finally: excess weight must be kept off, or taken off - we just reduced her kibble amount and added veg and low fat yoghurt at every meal, and she still has that diet now. And 2 on lead walks of about 15 mins, twice a day.

Good luck!

[Nekhbet]

cartrophen is Pentosan - one and the same thing different label.

I found it useless with my rott but if it works for your dog stick to it.

I have to be careful what I feed my boy as parvo as a pup made his system really sensitive. Royal Canin large or giant breed is the only diet he can be on long term and not suffer, along with chicken carcasses.

I got him acupuncture, electro stim therapy, chiro, at home massages, and fish oil caps/glucosamine tabs

it can vary from dog to dog, you just have to do whats right for them but holistic is something I would try first. This took my dog from being a cripple at around 8-10 months to running about now at nearly 20 months.

The one thing I do refuse to do is give him the occasional med. He tends to go and then overwork himself - supplements are fine, meds are a no no. If he is sore then he should rest but he has an opportunity to be on a soft bed with a heater now in the winter and not too much soreness. Just because a dog has bad hips means he is a cripple. Keep the body fat down, the muscle tone up and definately put a jacket on them in the cooler weather irrespective of the coat type.

[~Archie~]

Thanks guys for the tips

Does anyone know where near Baulkham Hills there are swimming areas for dogs? The few lakes i've seen around here tend to be rather polluted or lacking in water...not any good for swimming.

CavsRcute - names would be super! Mainly for the acupuncture and trigger point therapy. I know of some places who do it around here but would rather go by recs.

is there a general guide as to how much glucosamine/kg we should be giving?

Boy's on the lean side so he's fine with that, but he hates wearing jackets, so keeping him warm will be my main headache this winter!

There is a swimming pool for dogs out at Londonderry from memory, not too far really, just up the M2/M7/Richmond Road

[Tim'sMum]

I've done a search on the forum but must be doing something wrong as I can't find any info on what people do for alternative treatments - however I know there are threads that exist (somewhere in the vast space of the dol forums ). He's been placed on an initial 10 day course of Rimadyl with the option of Cartrophen injections later on and possibly, a year down the track, femoral head reduction surgery. If possible, I would like to do as much as I can for him [u]without taking the surgery option [/u]- as non invasive as possible would be my preferred approach.

Sorry...I have to ask, but why 'without taking the surgery option'?

Friends found that their Lab (byb pupp) was a totally different dog after having surgery. One hip was worse than the other but he is 8 yrs old and has had both hips done now. He loves his walks too and copes really well...and is no longer in pain.

Rimadyl and Cartophren are both really helpful for joint problems but HD is a structural deformity of the joint.

So why muck about with 'alternative' treatments when surgery can solve the problem?

[sheree_e4]

My boy is on rimadyl daily and also fed HILLS J/D I have found major improvement since feeding the J/D.He has not started injections yet but that will come next.

[Cosmolo]

Tims mum- i can't answer for the OP but we chose non surgical options because our boy would not cope with the recovery after surgery and would need 4 separate surgeries. In many cases where the dog is over 12 moths, surgery doesn't fix the problem- the vets i have spoken to have called it a salvage operation.

Cartrophen injections have been a god send for my boy as well as bowen massage, raw diet, light weight and restricted exercise.

[tira_mia]

I've done a search on the forum but must be doing something wrong as I can't find any info on what people do for alternative treatments - however I know there are threads that exist (somewhere in the vast space of the dol forums ). He's been placed on an initial 10 day course of Rimadyl with the option of Cartrophen injections later on and possibly, a year down the track, femoral head reduction surgery. If possible, I would like to do as much as I can for him [u]without taking the surgery option [/u]- as non invasive as possible would be my preferred approach.

Sorry...I have to ask, but why 'without taking the surgery option'?

Friends found that their Lab (byb pupp) was a totally different dog after having surgery. One hip was worse than the other but he is 8 yrs old and has had both hips done now. He loves his walks too and copes really well...and is no longer in pain.

Rimadyl and Cartophren are both really helpful for joint problems but HD is a structural deformity of the joint.

So why muck about with 'alternative' treatments when surgery can solve the problem?

As Cosmolo has said, the vet has described it to us as a salvage operation. As i understand it, the femoral head op cuts (or has the potential to...not sure which) the range of movement in any hip it's done to by half - that is, if we were to go ahead with this op, his range of movement would be limited to about 90 degrees (as opposed to the full movement he has now). I've also been told that once the growing of a pup is complete, surgery is definintely an option further down the list, as anything surgery can help with wont fix the problem entirely.

By all means I'm not ruling out surgery, but with a BC who (a) loves to run and chase other dogs and (b) is only 4 years old, i would like to delay surgery for as long as possible, especially if it's not really a cure but a temporary fix.

Sam_Lab - thank you! Will have to research it. I wonder if 4 years old is too late to intro him to the concept of swimming

Nekhbet - interesting to see your approach..because i'm finding my boy's overcompensating whenever we walk him now. I'm not sure if it's the rimadyl talking or the fact his "3 rough-n-tumbles with other dogs a day" got cut down to 3 walks + a rough and tumble only a few times a week....but he's doing laps by himself around our backyard and whenever we get out of the house. He's finished his course of rimadyl so I'll be starting him on Glyde supps to see how he goes with that, but if anyone knows how to tell a border collie to slow down i'd love to know

poppop and sheree_e4 - definately keeping the cartrophen in mind too!

Edited May 8, 2009 by tira_mia

[Nekhbet]

Tims mum no everyone has the money - I am looking at about $20000 to fix my rottweiler (well POTENTIALLY they cannot guarentee) as all 4 legs need doing. Then there is the daily physical therapy, the medications, the multiple vet visit etc and i am not putting my dog through that.

ALso what most people do not realise is that femoral head excisions etc are not always guarenteed for dogs over 15kg. My rottweiler is 45 and thin as a rake (he could easily grow to 55 + if he didnt have HD) so what if it makes him worst? Or he cannot get up at all?

He went from being carried out to pee to running about by himself with natural therapies. He's not on any veterinary products at all he's on human supplements as they're easier for me to afford.

Surgery I dont think should be the immediate first step if it is managable without.

[CavsRcute]

Tims mum- i can't answer for the OP but we chose non surgical options because our boy would not cope with the recovery after surgery and would need 4 separate surgeries. In many cases where the dog is over 12 moths, surgery doesn't fix the problem- the vets i have spoken to have called it a salvage operation.

Cartrophen injections have been a god send for my boy as well as bowen massage, raw diet, light weight and restricted exercise.

My girl has had her first Bowen Therapy treatment today. She also has acupuncture and trigger point therapy, as well as supplements, so will see how she goes with this.