Skye2 Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Hi my 6 month old pup has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and with arthritic changes to the right hip. There is still quite a bit of coverage to the hips at this stage. The specialist recommended femoral head oestectomy for the bad side. My dog has a very slight limp and runs and jumps like my other dogs do. He has a slight short stride and there is some muscle wastage on the bad side. He tends to put most of his weight on his good side to do things like pivoting etc. He seems very happy and active at this stage. My management to date will include cartrophen, joint guard, fish oil and we are going to attempt some swimming (if he takes to it). The vet has told me i can hold off on the surgery for the time being but if i notice a significant change to consider the surgery. He says a better outcome will be achieved if it is done sooner before too much damage is done and before he looses too much muscle. He is not a candidate for hip replacement as he is a smaller dog. Pretty much i would like to hear from people who have had this procedure done and are they happy with it. Would you have it done again in retrospect. I have been qouted $3000 having it done by the specialist surgeon. I would appreciate people's input as this is a very difficult decision. My husband does not want the surgery (mainly due to cost and favours wait and see and if he is too much pain PTS). The pup cost us $3000 to begin with and we have not finished paying him off yet along with $1500 of vet bills in the the 3 months we have owned him. I can understand where he is coming from but I believe we can give him a good quality of life and he is a beautiful boy and I can't contemplate PTS. Thank you in advance for any info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) I would appreciate people's input as this is a very difficult decision. My husband does not want the surgery (mainly due to cost and favours wait and see and if he is too much pain PTS). The pup cost us $3000 to begin with and we have not finished paying him off yet along with $1500 of vet bills in the the 3 months we have owned him. Hi there, this doesn't answer your question sorry, but just wondering did the pup come with a health guarantee from the breeder? If your breeder gave a health guarantee when you purchased the pup and is willing to honour it, then they may be willing to refund part of the pup's purchase price to put towards the surgery. Some breeders will, some won't, but it's worth a try, I'd think. Edited September 3, 2009 by Staranais Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I was also wondering what the breeder' opinion was.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skye2 Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 I did contact the breeder but she did not mention any compensation and I suppose I am not the type to ask for it. She is trying to be helpful but clearly states that there is no hip dysplasia in the lines. I suppose i don't want to get into an argument over it and it doesn't really help the dog. I suppose i would like her to offer to help me out with the surgery cost. I can put the cost of the surgery on a credit card and pay it off in time but really want to know is this the best for the dog. I have read many posts from people saying that they have dogs with hip dysplasia and arthritis that they manage without surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 All reputable breeders give health guarantees up to at least 12 months of age...you will get a full refund for the puppy, and either give the puppy back or they may let you keep it, the $3000 refund will help pay for further treatments. If you have no health guarantee you can still approach the breeder for the refund.......it will need to be in writing.......if no refund is offered you can then start proceedings through the small claims court...you WILL win! Pets are commodities in the eye of the law, and they have sold you faulty goods!!! Again, the $3000 refund will help pay for treatments. In smaller breeds cutting off the ball joints the dogs can lead pretty normal lives, not so sure about larger breeds though. Ester C will be a huge help to lubricate the joint & can help regenerate damaged joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) I have only ever seen the results of that surgery on adult dogs- and , compared to the pain and limitations they had- it was great!Pain relief was instant- and dogs who limped into the vet surgery- went out looking happier On checkups , all seemed a lot more active and had virtually no pain. With your pup- I don't know.... and the breed he is- different conformation etc..I can't help, sorry. For the breeder to state there is no HD in the lines is fine-but it doesn't help you Have you seen the parents' hip scores on a certificate?? If you have not been shown anything in writing- I would be asking to see it now.... You paid an awful lot of money for that pup- and if he was born with problems, then I don't think it's fair ( or right). Poor little fella . Edited September 3, 2009 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) I did contact the breeder but she did not mention any compensation and I suppose I am not the type to ask for it. She is trying to be helpful but clearly states that there is no hip dysplasia in the lines. I suppose i don't want to get into an argument over it and it doesn't really help the dog. I suppose i would like her to offer to help me out with the surgery cost. Does she x-ray her breeding stock for hips? Hip dysplasia is a tricky one. You can contribute to it (exercising the pup too much, growing it too fast, keeping it overweight etc) so many breeders are reluctant to refund a pup with bad hips, since they feel they may not have caused the problem. But if you've exercised the pup appropriately and kept it at about the right weight, then I personally think the breeder should give you at least a partial refund of the purchase price of the pup to put towards the surgery. Pups who are kept at the right weight and exercised appropriately don't get hip dysplasia by 6 months old, unless they have a genetic predisposition towards it! Not sure if she has a legal obligation to do so (unless you got a written health guarantee when you purchased the pup), but I'd feel she had a moral one. She also needs to admit that there is dysplasia in her lines now, and take that into account in her future breeding decisions. Edited September 3, 2009 by Staranais Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skye2 Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) Besides the money it is more the pup i am concerned about and his well being the money would make me decisions easier. My concern at the moment is do i do the surgery or do i wait. Edited October 15, 2009 by Skye2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skye2 Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Sorry Staranias you beat me to the reply. I had a problem with limping 6 weeks ago and he was xrayed at the time and they looked okay. I crate rested him and he had Metacam and he came good within 10 days. He has been good since and then the limp flared up again. I had him re-xrayed and the arthritis has developed in that short time. The first x-rays could have been taken with him in the wrong position but the specialist didn't really comment on that. He was suprised at the findings on xray considering what the first xrays showed. With regards to diet and exercise. He has always been under weight for a bulldog, i have struggled to get weight on him as he is a very fussy eater. With regards to exercise I work three days a week and he is put in a grass run by himself on those days and whenever i am out of the house. The other days i.e weekends he is able to freely play but he does tend to play for a couple of hours and then comes inside for a sleep in his crate. I wouldn't say he is excessively active. I don't take him on long walks. I did do some lead training with him as i was showing him but this would be say 10 minutes 4 times a week. The breeder seems to think that maybe i have mismanaged his exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) One of my wolfhound pups had an accident at eight months of age that required a femoral head ostectomy, as well as extensive pelvic surgery. Luckily she was a smaller girl and bounced back like you wouldn't know she had no femoral head. her gait was affected, but she had good mobility and her ligament/muscle strength became the hip 'joint'. I did crate her strictly during the long recovery period (oh boy was'nt that a fun time with a baby giant breed in a crate !!!) and only very tiny ON lead outings in the back yard for toileting. If we'd had access to a canine hydrotherapy centre, I think Didi's recovery would have been even better. I feel your quote is very high, but I'm thinking General veterinary charges, not specialist fees. fifi Edited September 3, 2009 by fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Aussiedogs, 3000 is a lot for one hip to be done? I realise its a specialist. I had problems with dodgy xrays too that made things look so different. The op should be around 1600. Can you pm me the details of your vet and specialist? Rob Zammit is a fantastic vet, I suggest you ask him to do some xrays, he has awesome machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavalier Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Small breed dogs do very well after the femoral head excision procedure. We have also performed the procedure on larger dogs (up to 40kg) and they are doing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 This was done recently on a dog I was fostering (7 mths old and weight about 5kgs) The difference for the dog was amazing - pain obviously gone and now (2 mths later) he is running around using the leg normally - I was amazed at his recovery!!!! The operation was done by our local vet and the cost was significantly lower than your specialist quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skye2 Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 This was done recently on a dog I was fostering (7 mths old and weight about 5kgs) The difference for the dog was amazing - pain obviously gone and now (2 mths later) he is running around using the leg normally - I was amazed at his recovery!!!! The operation was done by our local vet and the cost was significantly lower than your specialist quote. Thank you this is the kind of post I was hoping for. I want to know how my dog is likely to be after the procedure is done. I don't have faith in my local vet other than just vaccinations so it is a little difficult to find another vet to entrust my baby to. The specialist seems very good and I know his quality of care will be excellent. I would stand a better chance talking my husband into the surgery if the cost was lower. I have seen Rob Zammitt once before so maybe I should consult him. I only don't see him regularly as he is over an hour away but it might be worth investigating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 He does a lot of them Aussiedogs, as you know people from all over go to him. I have never ever seen neater stitching than his Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickojoy Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 At the beginning of this year, our 14 month old GSD was xrayed and came back with HD and Arthritis in her elbows, we made the decision to PTS, only because she was young and she wouldn't have had a quality life. You need to weigh up your options with this, are you going to afford the medications for life, the special diet, the ongoing xrays to see if it has gotten worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skye2 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Good news on my bulldog. I emailed the xrays to the breeder and she had two vets review the films. She has decided she will pay half of the surgery cost if required as well as pay for the next lot of xrays or the offer of another puppy. I am very pleased with this as it has now taken the pressure out of the situation for financial reasons. My pup is going very well. At present it is very difficult to detect a limp at all. He has one more Cartrophen shot to go and has started his Joint Guard, fish oil and Ester C. I try and keep him from playing with my other dogs as much as possible with sensible exercise. We have tried some swimming but am having difficulty in getting him to enjoy this. I put a life vest on but he is terrified and is desperate to get to the side. I am not sure to continue with this. I have thought about taking my other dog along to try and give him some doggy support. The vet in New Zealand who sees lots of British Bulldogs thinks that as far as the hip dysplasia goes he has seen a lot worse hips and in fact if he xrayed most bulldogs there would probably be some degree of dysplasia. He thinks at his point (arthritis aside) to rest the pup as much as possible while he is still growing and just give him lead exercise or swimming (yeah sure!!) and then re xray when the growth plates have settled as long as the dog continues to be relatively mobile and pain free. Of course, i am still left with the arthritis and no doubt surgery will be inevitable. The femoral head is free of arthritis but the acetabulum has a small amount on the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlygirl Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Hi there, I'm a vet nurse that has dealt with bulldogs through my work and yes none seem to have great hips. They dont generally seem to have problems though. Perhaps you could try walking your pup in water that is say chest deep instead of swimming properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peibe Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 My Shar Pei boy had this operation when he was 4 years old It was traumatic as he hated being confined It has given him 3 years so far with me that he would not have had before, but it has changed his temperament, he has gone from being a happy, friendly, playful dog to a serious one But who is to say what caused that I swim my boy weekly, with a life vest, he hates it but tolerates it I think he has realised that swimming makes him feel better Goodluck with your boy, he sounds adorable and good on your breeder for offering to help out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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