Hip Dysplasia Expert Gold Coast/ Brisbane Region

[Sandy88]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum and this is my first post. I have a six month old purebred Newfoundland puppy. Just the other day I noticed when he was walking that I could feel his left hip either cracking or popping when he walked. I have never seen any signs of lameness, pain or limping (only the occasional slowness/ limp for a minute or so after he got up from a long sleep).

We have never overexercised him, and have been supplementing glucosamine chondrition since he was 8 weeks old. I am now really concerned that this is hip dysplasia and he could be experiencing pain and discomfort, and I want an expert opinion.

Can anyone recommend a vet in the Gold Coast (preferably) or Brisbane region?

Thank you!

[Brookestar]

In veterinary medicine, just like in human medicine, there are specialists. There are veterinary neurologists, surgeons, internal medicine, ophthalmologists, dentists, the list is endless. There are specialist radiologists.

Standard vets certainly do much more than our GP's do, but a specialist vet, will not see your dog without a referral from your regular vet. Your regular vet will know all the specialists in your state, not just your local area. While they might not necessarily agree with the need for a referral, I have never come across a general vet that would not refer.

The best course of action would be to find a specialist radiologists, as they are the best at positioning dogs for x-rays, which is the only way to diagnose and to talk to specialist surgeons in relation to surgical options. There are going to be a number of different types of surgery to choose from and you are going to need to do your own research in relation to the best course of action, but nothing can happen until you have x-rays done. There are also animal physiotherapists, which are also going to be essential in terms of rehabilitation and even just management of the puppy/dog. They will not see your dog without a referral from your vet, but you could start consulting with them now, as they can certainly assist before surgery, or even in terms of management if it is decided that surgery is not the best course of action.

If you consult straight with a surgeon they are likely to just do the x-rays themselves, much like your own vet can do. Of course it all depends on how much money you want to spend. There are not going to a huge number of specialist surgeons to choose from, and it will depend largely on how far you are willing to travel. Of course the closer they are, the easier it is to have ongoing contact with them, which can really help in rehabilitation.

If surgery is required the dog will need to be crated for up to 6 weeks after the surgery and you want to make sure the dog is as comfortable as possible in that environment now. Also want to get them addicted to kongs, as they are about the best ways of keeping dogs occupied while in a crate, along with nyla bones, etc. The correct bedding would also play a role in that and animal physiotherapists can assist with that. Also need to ensure that the dog is not expected to jump in and out of cars, you can buy ramps to assist. That they are not using stairs at home, again you can buy portable pet ramps, that the dog is not jumping up on people or onto furniture, etc, etc. They need to be able to be well controlled on a leash and the more work you can put into those things now the better the recovery can and will be.

Glucosamine does nothing to prevent hip dysplasia and has no role in its treatment or management. It has a role in arthritis. however hip dysplasia can result in early onset arthritis if it is not treated properly. But dogs can have arthritis without having hip dysplasia. Hip Dysplasia is largely genetic but also has many varied environmental factors contributing to it. There is no guaranteed way to prevent it, but there are ways to minimise the chances of it.

[Guest donatella]

These guys in Cararra and Brisbane are amazing http://www.vss.net.au/index.php?page=index