Treatment Options For Hip Dysplasia

[Tracey*]

Just wanted to bump the thread up and say how useful (and comforting) everyone's stories have been

Mischa has just been to the vet for desexing and has had some x-rays which show HD in both hips We still need to visit the specialist though, but I really want to be prepared with information and questions for when we go in (in the next week).

She's just about 6 months now, and has the pony prance (cerebellar ataxia) aswell as the HD which makes her very wobbly at times. (eta: we were allowed to take her xrays with us for when we go into the specialist )

I've read everyone's comments on Triple pelvic osteotomy, and also the use of vitamin c and glucosamine -- i'm definately going to take everything into consideration.

Has anyone undergone a triple pelvic osteotomy?

My poor baby! I read this thread before we went into the vet's today thinking surgery wouldn't be a good thing, but after talking to him ... I don't know now!

Edited June 22, 2005 by Tracey*

[Pup's mum]

He is only ever really bad after too much exercise, the more he does the worse he is.

If this is the case then really you should look at the type and quantity of exercise and find the "ideal" amount of both. As his condition improves because of the methods of treatment you are using then he will probably feel better and want to do more. IMO it's important that you be even more vigilant if you want your boy to still be able to walk in a few years. You'll find activities I'm sure that will keep him mentally alert without overtaxing him or undoing the good that treatments are providing......

I can highly recommend Cartrophen shots but found once started i had to be very vigilant with my old girl that she didn't overdo it because the drug made her feel so much better.

[Koza]

Our Stella also has very suspicious rear end. I took her to vets 3 times already, but each time she was diagnozed with likely, but uncertain injury. She always has difficulty rising after she layed, and sore leg for a few seconds. It appears and diappears. I don't like it:( I'll ask for an x-ray and will give that stuff recommended here earlier.

[ktarrant]

Hi All,

My little (or not so little) 12 month Bernese Mountain Dog has just been diagnosed with HD in one of his hips. He doesn't really show any lameness or anything. He seems to favor it a little when he first stands up after a nap, and when he walks that legs looks a little more wobbly than the other. I don't know if this is the effect of the vet pulling at the hip during the X-Rays monday, or if there is pain that I hadn't noticed before. There is no evidence of degenerative arthritis yet.

The vet has recommended a second opinion, to look at a TPO operation. It seems an effective way of reducing the risk of him becoming lame in the future. Does anyone know if the dogs can have a fully active life after TPO or is their movement still restricted? If they have to be restricted, then maybe it is better to leave him as is, and just look at vitamin C supplements, glucosamine, green lipped abalone, and Sasha's Blend for the time being...

What have others done when faced with this decision. Has anyone had a dog with HD that hasn't shown any behavioural signs? I am really looking at Arthritis prevention rather than cure at the moment!

Cheers,

Kate

[*Bella*]

Can anyone tell me how much a TPO costs?

[malleerr]

Hey Bella - Mallee had a bilateral TPO last year and Ill just say they are expensive especially if they go wrong!!! All up including hospitalisation we spent over $15K - but as i said hers went wrong - i would say around $6000 for both sides???? I can't remember exact figures.

Edited December 6, 2006 by malleerr

[*Bella*]

Hey Bella - Mallee had a bilateral TPO last year and Ill just say they are expensive especially if they go wrong!!! All up including hospitalisation we spent over $15K - but as i said hers went wrong - i would say around $6000 for both sides???? I can't remember exact figures.

Thanks for the info, my shep puppy is being xrayed at desexing because she's a bit unstable/awkward in her back legs. May not be HD but the vet said if it is, then the TPO option would be available to her because she's under 12 months.

[curlyking]

My suggestion is that you look into Gold Bead Therapy. I know of someone that had this done on their dog and say the result is amazing.

This was discussed only last week in this forum so do a search both here and on the net

[FlippingKazza]

Hello,

Well my boy is nearly 3 now and has shown a lot of improvement since I first posted this message.

We decided not to operate, the breeder and dog chiropractor strongly reccomended against it.

This is the maintenance program we are following and seems to be helping a lot.

- Glucosamine tablets, 1 per day with evening meal. 1500mg glucosamine with 100mg chondroitin. The Microgenics brand is good, 180 tablets for about $50 from Health food stores. He is so good at taking the massive tablet, I just pop it into the back of his mouth and he swallows, I dont even need to hold his mouth!!

- Cartophren Injections at the vet, course of 4 injections over a month every 6 months.

- Cod Liver Oil drizzled over dinner

- Dog Chiropractor every 3 or 4 months. Peter Schofield at Mulgoa ( near Penrith NSW) is fantastic!!!!

- Non slip mats throughout the house ( we have wooden floors) he no longer crys when he tries to stand after exercise. Just go to bunnings and buy the yoga mat on a roll, you can cut whatever length you need. He has a mat in each room and only lays on those.

- We dont take him for long walks on concrete footpaths, 10-15mins is all he can take. He seems fine at the dog park or beach as he can go at his own pace, rest, play ect. He can stay 40 mins and be fine.

- Regular exercise - Our vet believes as the dog gets older and builds more muscle he is able to support the "loose" joint better. This muscle needs to be maintained.

- No jumping!!!

- Swimming is supposed to be good but my Mallie hates it so that doesnt work for us.

[malleerr]

*Bella* Posted 7th Dec 2006 - 10:33 AM

Thanks for the info, my shep puppy is being xrayed at desexing because she's a bit unstable/awkward in her back legs. May not be HD but the vet said if it is, then the TPO option would be available to her because she's under 12 months.

Hi Bella,

Hope all goes well with your x-rays and that it is not HD. If it is think long and hard before making any decisions on surgery and get all the info you can on all options available, if she does not seem to be in severe pain or pain at all from personal experience i would opt to try and maintain the HD first. But that is just my opinion. Give me a yell if you need any info. As i said in the last post Mallee has had the bilateral TPO and also after that she has had a bilateral femoral neck and head excision.

Hope she is ok.

[MTD]

Hi Flipping Kazza Im glad your boy is doing well . My girl was diagnosed with HD at 7 months of age last May I opted for the non surgical option and so far things are slowly improving so feel I"m managing the disease well. She has glucosamine chondroiton, Vit C, and Bowen Therapy as well as gentle excersise/massage and keep the weight down so far haven't had to have any anti inflammatories except at the beggining So I"m keeping my fingers crossed.

I suppose the method of treatment does depend on the breed of dog Maggie is only a small breed weight of 12 kg) age and severity but the specialist steered me away from surgery as he feels we would get better results this way.

[claire]

hi, manon our 7month gsd cross has just been diagnosed with severe HD. one of her hips is not staying in the socket. as THR is not affordable for us the removal of the femoral head was recommended. we have discided against this because we don't want to put her through the torment of the confinement but more so the painful physio aftercare. knowing that once that 1 has healed we'll have to put her through it all again for the other hip. could anyone out there advise us of the successfullness of drug related pain relief and management. i've read many hopeful testimonies from owners with afflicted dogs who have not agreed to surgery and i'm looking for hope that our severe HD girl can stay comfortably with us for a little longer. we'd also welcome experiences from people who have dogs that have had the femoral head removal operation, particularly the post operative care/rehabilitation. thank you.

[malleerr]

Hi Claire - our RR had a bilateral Femoral Neck and Head Excision just over a year ago now at the age of 7 months. We had the TPO done first but unfortunately there was too much unseen damage done to her pelvis area from the HD that the operation failed her which required the FNHE. It definatley wasn't our first choice of operation, but a year on things could not be better!! While Mallee's recovery time was quite extended i believe that in normal circumstances its only around about 8 weeks. Mallee had no real pain at all after the operation besides the normal after op pain, and believe she would have suffered less had she not had the TPO in the first place..

If we had our time over again with Mallee we probably would have tried to keep her going a little longer on pain relief and such, and when things got bad again (which in all honesty probably would have only given her an extra few months) opted for the Femoral Neck and Head to be done.

There is a really long thread called Cruciate Ligaments Reptures in the Health Section started by Kelly Louise - its probably a few pages back, Mallee's whole journey is pretty much in there if we want to check it out.

Good luck with it.

[claire]

manon was diagnosed with severe HD 5 months ago. we decided to avoid surgery and keep her on pain medication until it was no longer effective and then have her put to sleep. our vet and an orthopedic specialist thought that the pain medication would only be effective for a few weeks. 5 months later, manon is still with us and we're weening her off the metacam (anti-inflamatory pain medication). she loves to swim, so we take her swimming nearly everyday, with minimal walking and only on grass and sand, never hard surfaces. she gets vitamin e, c, garlic, fish oil and glucosimine every night. she also eats alot of egg shells and whole fresh fish. no one thought she would still be with us this far on, so only now is she recieving injections to improve her joints, 1 a week for 4 weeks (don't remember the name of them), which seem to be working very well, she is more wild than ever! we don't know exactly what has helped her maybe it's a combination of our treatments/therapies and her amazing spirit. our vets thinks that we will probably be blessed with her for another 2 years, which to us seems a miracle considering the severity of her HD and her diagnosis. :D

[Poodle wrangler]

This is a bit different, but I've worked with humans who have joint replacements for over 5 years.

Different to dogs, I know, but here's my 2 cents' worth:

* All ops carry risk of death, anaesthetic alone carries risk, albeit very small

* A good result isn't guaranteed, no matter how good the surgeon

* The older the patient, the more the risk.

Having seen what people go thru, I would try all medication and other treatments b4 going for the surgery option.

I'd want to know my dog had no other medical problems b4 surgery and simply wouldn't have surgery done on an older dog.

[Danelady]

Hi everyone, just reading through all of your replys. I have seen a lot of dogs with HD and we manage the condition in here either pre or post op with hydrotherapy in conjunction with Cartrophen injections and joint supplement and a good healthy lean weight. Hydrotherapy does work wonders in keeping the muscles toned around the hips and shoulders which are often associated with compensation problems. Look into that if you can. Pity you didn't live in Melbourne...

[Tara and Sam]

my Border Collie x heeler x bearded collie was diaganosed at the age of 3 years old Hd after xrays

to what score I dont know

he did have Cartrophen injections back in 1999 after being xrayed

I have read with much interest your suggestions of treatements

are the treatments recommended here still advisable or anything updated that helps

Sam seems to be active , will run , and play with no problems that notice

I did notice a few weeks ago that he is a bit stiff in his back hind leg when getting up

he can be lying by the side of my bed and go to get up and it also looks as though his left legs seizures into one spot , until he stretches leg and then he walks fine

I notice he not jumping up on the bed as much as he used to

he does NOT appear in pain

tonight (being bit colder ) I notice a slight limp when he walked

can Hd turn into Arthritis ?

woudl new xrays shows if HD got worse ?

Sam is now 10 1/2 years old now

I would love to hear any updates on news for new medication etc before I take him back to vet to get it checked

Joint Guard where do you get this from ?

Glucosamine is this the human one ?

TechnyFlex Canine , this would be from the Vets ?

Vitamin C , is human one ?

Massage , from who ?

(that sounds a dumb question ) but could I massage his hips for him

Thank you

[Kaz]

My Wolfhoundxrotti had a triple pelvic osteotomy on one hip with resounding success.

It was done by Tony Black at Kuringai Veterinary hospital. It was unfortunate that the other hip was too far gone to do anything about as the procedure went so well. So he's on the natural remedies as well as his elbows are also buggered.

[*Bella*]

*Bella* Posted 7th Dec 2006 - 10:33 AM

Thanks for the info, my shep puppy is being xrayed at desexing because she's a bit unstable/awkward in her back legs. May not be HD but the vet said if it is, then the TPO option would be available to her because she's under 12 months.

Hi Bella,

Hope all goes well with your x-rays and that it is not HD. If it is think long and hard before making any decisions on surgery and get all the info you can on all options available, if she does not seem to be in severe pain or pain at all from personal experience i would opt to try and maintain the HD first. But that is just my opinion. Give me a yell if you need any info. As i said in the last post Mallee has had the bilateral TPO and also after that she has had a bilateral femoral neck and head excision.

Hope she is ok. ;)

Thought I'd update to say that I had Kayla x-rayed and there are no signs of HD. Kayla is still uncoordinated with most activities including picking things up in her mouth, is unable to walk up and down stairs very well at all, has trouble sitting and lying down and she also has a high stepping gait where she throws her front legs out as she walks. She has been diagnosed as having neurological problems and I am currently giving her vitamin mega b tablets which may or may not help at all, but I cant afford an MRI to find out what's wrong.

She is otherwise healthy and happy and should live a relatively normal life

[CavsRcute]

Tand S, you can buy Technyflex Canine over the net at Greenpet.

My Cavalier has monthly acupuncture and regular trigger point therapy for her HD. She also takes a homeopathic anti inflammatory called traumeel. She is about to start her month of Cartrophen injections, as she has arthritis in her hips. I also put a wheat pack on her hips and massage them, the way that the physio showed us. I don't know whether it helps but she really likes it