Hip Dysplasia ,i Don't Know What To Do...help

[redangel]

Slightly off topic...but is there (or perhaps we should start) a thread on doggy weight watcher. Im all for encouraging good health and owners trying to get their pets down to a healthy weight, people who have succeeded before could post some ideas.

[bridie]

How much do you currently feed her?

She is very overweight. She is such a young girl, and the pressure on her bones must be very painful.

I am surprised the vet actually started the operation though!

I use to feed a varied diet,chicken pieces raw 2,visible fat & skin off,lean mince,cooked liver,a stew of mice,pasta,rice,soup mix & veges,chicken mince.I mixed stuff together & would think she would have had a cup full when the cooked stuff was served.

Yes,I was shocked to think she had thought it a risk but cut her to see any how,this is what really stressed me out that she should suffer for Drs mistake,done now so I will move on cautiously,if I knew her doubts..... thoughts....I would never of booked her for surgery never,take their advice and trust,don't we.

[SparkyTansy]

Please don't put glucodin in her water !!! That is fine for dogs who are ill and weak and thin and not eating.

she does NOT need extra sugars - she has enough fat to burn to provide her with energy Dogs do not normally eat sugar .it is not good for them.

kangaroo is indeed lean.. and a teaspoonful every couple of days will add interest - but don't be tempted to give her more!!

What you describe as "anorexic" is a lean healthy weight for a Chi. She'll live longer and in better health if she looks like that.

Absolutely no sugar.. that' just dead calories to her.

If you want to give her roo than that has to come out of the tablespoon allowance.

You have to remember that your dog has a TINY stomach. She'll eat more than she needs because thats what dogs do.. they gorge themselves.

Her weight is a significant contributer to her current health issues - loving her will see you get that weight off, not feeling sorry for her and trying to liven up her diet.

Remember NO TREATS.. none, unless they come out of her normal daily allowance. That means no bits of toast or other things we all love to share with our dogs.

She will need very gentle exercise. How much does she get now?

I was joking re the anorexia.I had though glucidin would give her extra energy not calories,seeing only allowed a tablespoon of this dry stuff.

As much as the vet reiterated this will not get better with-out surgery,having extra weigh on would not help matters and her mobility of course.It is only muscle power keeping her walking,often wondered why she looked so strong in her front quarters,all understood now,the front bearing all the weight.I have not seriously exercised her out-side the house yard,now is probably not the time to start.The only treats "they" get are Liver,Lamb Crumbles,Roo chews & those hide sticks from Crazy Clarkes,probably 3 times a week.Thought it was Patellas until ex-rays.

This is simply not the case. In actual fact, it would be best to reassess whether she needs surgery AFTER the weight is off. When my dog was diagnosed with HD, the vet gave me my options, but it was of his opinion that he would do just as well as long as he was a healthy, well muscled dog who received supplements for joints. It sounds to me as though the vet you have been speaking to is giving you the worst case scenario as the only scenario without assessing the dogs other needs. Had this been done before she decided to put your pup under the knife, the weight issue would have been addressed.

The responsibility now lies with you to take this extremely seriously. Dogs who are overweight are prone to much more than joint issues. No treats unless they are taken out of the daily feeding quota, joint supplements (fish oil, joint guard or sashas blend) are a must, and exercise in water or on soft ground. Your dog is very small - you have the option of getting a paddling pool to get her to swim and take pressure off those joints, which are not just strained from bad hips, but from weight as well.

lastly, give her the option of energy by exercising her... the more she exercises the more weight will come off. You dont need to give her sugar for energy. Sugar will simply turn to fat if she doesn't burn it off for exercise.

[poodlefan]

Slightly off topic...but is there (or perhaps we should start) a thread on doggy weight watcher. Im all for encouraging good health and owners trying to get their pets down to a healthy weight, people who have succeeded before could post some ideas.

Chewy got Elliot her Golden Retriever (RIP Elliot) from whale to "wow" on the "pumpkin" diet. Reduce normal food by half and supplement with dry baked, mashed or pulped pumpkin (no butter or fats added)

This is the best article on canine weight I can recommend. It is written by one of the USA's top dog sports vets but what she says applies to pets as well.

40% of Australian dogs carry far too much weight. If you love your dog, you won't keep it overweight - it will be with you for longer if its leaner.

Folk need to learn to feel their dogs and adjust their diets if there weight fluctuates too high or low.

[Kirislin]

How much do you currently

I use to feed a varied diet,chicken pieces raw 2,visible fat & skin off,lean mince,cooked liver,a stew of mice,pasta,rice,soup mix & veges,chicken mince.I mixed stuff together & would think she would have had a cup full when the cooked stuff was served.

Yes,I was shocked to think she had thought it a risk but cut her to see any how,this is what really stressed me out that she should suffer for Drs mistake,done now so I will move on cautiously,if I knew her doubts..... thoughts....I would never of booked her for surgery never,take their advice and trust,don't we.

how unusual!

Seriously, did she get all that in one day. My 9 kilo whippet would be lucky to get a cup full of food per day and they are active! She probably only needs a quarter of a cup per day.

I just wanted to add, feeding them more doesn't mean you love them more.

Edited May 18, 2010 by Kirislin

[persephone]

give her extra energy not calories,

energy IS calories

If an animal gets energy from a food- that food has calories All food has 'some' energy value fats, sugars and carbs are highest .

All glucodin is is a HIGH energy source which is quick -acting. NOT good for normal young dogs with heaps of fat reserves !

[tianakaesha]

a cup of food a day? WOW!

That is a LOT.

[poodlefan]

I use to feed a varied diet chicken pieces raw 2,visible fat & skin off,lean mince,cooked liver,a stew of mice,pasta,rice,soup mix & veges,chicken mince.I mixed stuff together &, would think she would have had a cup full when the cooked stuff was served.

My 6.5kg poodle boys wouldn't get that much - and they do an hour of offlead running a day!

I'd be working on no more than a 1/4 of a cup of anything in a meal for your girl.

Time to put her on a food diary with very strict portion control.

Edited May 18, 2010 by poodlefan

[myzchev]

Hi have high energy Belgian Shepherds who play daily [and I mean PLAY] and are training and trailling. My trialling dogs only get a 1 and 1/3 cups of Pro Plan and they are BIG dogs!!!!.

I also have a Belgian Shepherd who is 14 years and 8.5 months old with SEVERE HD. Be Be has a hip score of 64. I have NEVER let her get fat and she gets regular gentle exercise that included lots of swimming when she was younger. Be Be is still alive today because I was careful with her diet and her exercise.

Be Be at her age and level of fitness gets 3/4 of a cup of Pro Plan, is 57.5 cm at the shoulder and weighs about 22.5 Kilos. Be Be is an older style, heavier built style BSD.

I would give your Chi no more than a 1/5 of a cup of low calorie but high quality biscuit and that is it for the entire day. If you feel she needs a bit more, then give her a very small amount of tinned green beens or grated carrot.

NO TREATS, NO EXTRAS until you have got at least a kilo off of her.

BTW Be Be has never seen a specialist though I do have a first rate vet and never had surgery to correct or aid her HD - she never needed it. But in your case I would recommend going to a specialist or another vet for a second opinion!

Good luck

[RubyStar]

a cup of food a day? WOW!

That is a LOT.

Especially considering my LABRADORS get 1.5 - 2 cups a day each! And might I add, my Labs are lean - 24.5kg a piece.

Good luck getting her weight down, some great advice in here

Edited May 18, 2010 by RubyStar

[badboyz]

Hi Bridie, do come into the chihuahua breed thread: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...948&st=2040 and you will see more photos of healthy weight chis to compare you girl too. My Fable is about similar age to your girl, though longcoat, but you can see her photo there as well.

[Sandra777]

See someone has suggested The Bloomin Vet - as you might be in the area consider hyrotherapy - right up the road at the Middle Road roundabout.

A cup of that mixture - lucky she didn't grow into a Great Dane

Best of luck, you may well be surprised what happens when she weighs what she ought to.

[bridie]

Get the weight off and you will probably find that she doesn't even need the surgery. Halve her meals and give her some mashed pumpkin or grated carrot as a filler. Don't expect the weight to come off overnight, it can be a long process.

Thanks kirty,just can't see how these bones would...could... come together apart from surgery,love to think it could.I was really shocked when i saw the exrays,as to how it is and to how it is in a normal dog.

[bridie]

See someone has suggested The Bloomin Vet - as you might be in the area consider hyrotherapy - right up the road at the Middle Road roundabout.

A cup of that mixture - lucky she didn't grow into a Great Dane

Best of luck, you may well be surprised what happens when she weighs what she ought to.

MMMM know this place very well,was never suggested and I never thought of it,will ask t'morrow

[persephone]

bridie - the joints will never become the shape they are supposed to, BUT with less weigh on, and the right treatment- her muscles will grow stronger and help support her joints!

It will be a way into the future.. and you need to just do baby steps , but you CAN get her to a point where she will be happy to enjoy everything she can

[bridie]

First off... Chill. Relax. I started to get stress for you reading your post!!

This is fixable and managable Remember dogs are excellent at picking up moods and energy, so if you are always stress... so is your dog!

My boy has HD and can't be operated on.. so the most important thing for me to look out for is weight. So it's time to put your dog on a diet... like the others suggested, just half the meal everyday. NO treats till the weight is under control.

Exercise is important too. Like some light walking everyday or swimming is best. It builds muscles and put pressure off the joints.

If in doubt, you can ask to see a specialist... but I reckon the first thing they will tell you is to put your pup on a diet.

Yes,I understand,diet starts today on a tablespoon of Hills Sciece....60 little pebbles!I did buy some barf Kangaroo rolls,surely she can have a table spoon now and then.I'm going to ask if I should put Glucodin in her water.Front desk at Vets said,you could really get the weight down fast by giving cabbage cooked in beef cubes,she would starve because there is no way she'd eat that.

Serious?! They told you to do that?

I've never heard that before! haha

Absolutely....perhaps I should get onto that one,like hell,lose weight because there is no way any-one would eat it!

[tdierikx]

From your photos, I can see that your girl is a VERY much loved little lady... now it's time to "love" her with food a little less - and she will be around to give you her own special love back for many years.

I don't want to scare you, but obesity in such a young dog can have huge health impacts very quickly if not remedied early. You don't want her to have heart failure at 3 or 4 years old, do you?

She will be able to give you just as much love and cuddles as a slimmer girl... honest!!

T.

[Danois]

1 cup of food for a chi chi - my 50kg + great dane only gets 6 cups of food a day. I think his foot is bigger than a chi chi's stomach!

[piper]

& would think she would have had a cup full when the cooked stuff was served.

1 of my border collies gets just under a level cup of food and the beagle a fair bit less.

Good luck with getting the weight off of her and helping to improve her quality of life. Reduced weight and improved muscle tone will hopefully see her much more comfortable.

I'm not sure if supplements like glucosamine and fish oil would help in your girl's case.

[mokhahouse]

I am sorry for your troubles with your chi. My labs are 26kg and get 2 cups a day so I would think your little one would need a lot less than a cup. I take Mokha who has HD swimming twice a week. Since you have a chi I was thinking she could probably swim in a full bath for some extra exercise. She could do it every day and that would help her lose weight and is not hard on her joints.