7464 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Cody is a 5 year old male Golden Retriever. He was diagnosed with Hip Displaysia at 5 months old. He weighs 34kg. The vet has said this weight is pretty good but he could be a kilo lighter. Since the weather has cooled down Cody has been pulling up sore after walks. He starts limping towards the end of our walk and when we get home he’ll walk very slowly and limp. He’ll also lie on his bed and not move for the rest of the day. I’ve stopped taking him every day as I thought it might help if I gave him a day to recover between walks. Is this the right thing to do or should he still have a walk every day? I walk about 3km; Cody runs all over the place and does zoomies with any dog that’s interested so he’d do more distance than me. We walk around and over a mountain so the terrain can be rough but he still gets sore when we just walk on paths. He will still jump but I wonder if I should try to stop this or let him do it while he can. He swims in summer and seems to handle the exercise well but it’s too cold to swim now. Cody has become very slow to get up off his bed. His legs also jerk when he lies down, it doesn’t look like a voluntary action and it’s only very recently that he started doing it. Can anyone give me advice on anything else I can do to make Cody comfortable? I want to do what I can to make his life a good one. He is my best friend and it upsets me to see his hips getting worse. I am prepared to let him go when his quality of life is unfairly low and there is nothing left for me to do to help him but I want him around and happy for as long as possible. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula- Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Is Cody on any medication or supplements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7464 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Hi Paula. Cody is not on any meds or supplements. I had him on Sasha's blend for a year but I didn't notice any improvement so the vet said not to bother with it. He only had his annual vaccinations and checkup last month, the vet didn't mention giving him anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula- Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I adopted Angus when he was 9, with bad HD - he's now 11 and a bit more. Angus initially ran with a bunny hop, dragged his feet when walking and even had trouble when standing still. Running your fingers along his spine caused him to flinch. We started with a course of cartrophen, which was one injection a week for four weeks, then another every 6 months. There was a marked improvement. He gradually deteriorated and we could see he was starting to be in pain again, although as happy as ever for walks and cuddles he had more trouble rising and getting into the car. Angus now gets an injection every 4-6 weeks, and he plays like a puppy, jumps on the lounge, jumps up and puts his paws on my shoulders and is doing very well. I give him a gentle massage every day. Running my hand down his back doesn't hurt him, he now rolls over and paws my arm for a belly rub. Our vet said that not all dogs react well to it, however Angus had a noticeable improvement after two injections. At some point the cartrophen may not be enough, but Angus is a happy fella at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 (edited) . Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7464 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Thanks for the advice I will try shorter walks - I thought they were pretty short as he used to do 6km walks when he was younger. What's the new joint guard? I will also talk to the vet about cartrophen. It's great that Angus is doing so well. 11 is a pretty reasonable age too. I'll be very happy if Cody reaches 11 years in good health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 (edited) . Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 are you letting him off lead? probably dont, he will have to have controlled walks and no zoomies....stopping twisting turning is what makes him ouch and rotate's the hip a bit too much.. walkies on leash daily if you can probably not quite 3kms see how he goes.....poor little baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 you will probably also need to have him on glucosamine and chondroiten such as 'joint food' by natures way or similar in supermarket...the powder form is great....you should be giving him this every night, same as sashas blend but not so dear...this will help him a great deal. Cartrophen injections are not expensive either. Also perhaps seek the opinion of a muscle manipulator, often vets dont know alot about the goings on in the nerve/muscle department. These guys can really help a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peigirl Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Missing link plus is a supplement you might want to consider – it contains glucosamine plus lots of other goodies Cost me about $45 for a 1 pound (454 gram) packet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttaburra Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Has he had Xrays of both the hips and the lower lumbar. He might have sponlylosis of the lumbar region as well as the HD. See if he will accept a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in his water, if not try adding it to his food. Basically, the main supplements for arthritis are, fish oil capsules, Green lipped mussel, and Glucosomine, the same as for humans. A bit of a Google around and you will find recommendations for dosages for Canines, and possible sources to purchase them. Fish oil capsules are cheap, so that's easy to get started. The other 2 are less cheap so that's where you might want to shop around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7464 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 are you letting him off lead? probably dont, he will have to have controlled walks and no zoomies....stopping twisting turning is what makes him ouch and rotate's the hip a bit too much..walkies on leash daily if you can probably not quite 3kms see how he goes.....poor little baby. He is off the lead as soon as we get away from the road. I'll try him on the lead, he doesn't like it because we never do it (that's my fault) but he'll learn. I thought I was doing the right thing with the walks, the vet said we had to keep him lean. Has he had Xrays of both the hips and the lower lumbar. He might have sponlylosis of the lumbar region as well as the HD. See if he will accept a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in his water, if not try adding it to his food. Basically, the main supplements for arthritis are, fish oil capsules, Green lipped mussel, and Glucosomine, the same as for humans. A bit of a Google around and you will find recommendations for dosages for Canines, and possible sources to purchase them. Fish oil capsules are cheap, so that's easy to get started. The other 2 are less cheap so that's where you might want to shop around. He had Xrays when he was 5 months and then at 6 months when he was desexed they Xrayed him again. He also had them at about 2 years old. I've never heard of sponlylosis of the lumbar region, I'll ask his vet. The vet said he's seen dogs with better hips that were lame. I feel like I've failed him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Don't be too hard on yourself!!! You're doing the best you can for Cody and I'm sure he appreciates your effort! I've seen how happy he is when he's with you! Don't give up and don't feel bad! SMILE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttaburra Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 (edited) Sorry, its probably more the sacral area, sort of lower lumbar to base of tail, the part of the spine that is behind the pelvis. Osteoarthritic osteophytes (bony outcrops) can sometimes press on the nerve roots. I have seen this occur in a Red Setter. It's been a few years since his last X-Ray, so it migh help now to show how the hip disease is and if there is any spondylosis (but more experienced people might confirm this). These things can occur at any age, though of course usually when the dog is older. You haven't failed your dog, some just get these diseases younger, it happens with people too. With good treatment I am sure Cody will go one for many more happy years. Edited May 18, 2006 by Abergavenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 nope your doin fine job, just keep up that pain management, seek some good advice from a reputable vet perhaps restrict his exercise to lead only and see how he pulls up afterwoods....they may also recommend a anti inflam such as metacam or ppppp i cant remember. Oh yea its previcox... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Panther Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Yep, just make the excercise shorter, doesn't sound like he's handling the 3kms very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zia's Nuthouse Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 Yep shorter walks and no offlead unfortunately One of mine has arthritis and he gets an offleasher about once a fortnight. The rest are onlead. Vet was very specific about this. As someone said all the zoomies, twisting and turning only aggravates it. Don't beat yourself up, you're doing the best you can Good luck to you and Cody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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