Hip Displasia

[German Shepherd Lover]

my rescue pup, a 6 month old staffy mix was diagnosed yesterday with hip displasia when xrays were done to see if his right hip was broken (and unfortunately it is ), also revealed displasia in his other hip..

The displasia isn't causing many problems for him at the moment, but i was wondering if there was anything I can do to slow the progression of it, such as modifying his diet or something. What kind of things would I need to do to make life easier for him and make sure he doesnt stress his joints?

Any help appreciated, thank you.

Edited July 13, 2006 by German Shepherd Lover

[Russkie30]

I think a couple of ideas would be don't overfeed him and don't over exercise him. I'm sure a supplement of some sort would be beneficial. Good luck with him.

[wolfgirl]

Glucosamine has been known to help from what I have been told and I'm sure others will have more helpful suggestions as well. One thing is to have his feed bowl on a telephone book or stool rather than on the ground where he has to stress the hips to get to it. Let us know how he is doing.

[Rottshowgirl]

GSL sorry to hear your news, your poor baby!

I have been down this path, my BYB Rotty girl was diagnosed with severe HD at 12 months, although the signs were there much earlier, I just didn't know what I was looking at.

The vet who diagnosed her told us to PTS, which was a devastating thing to hear. She still seemed active enough to us and apart from being a little lame (the reason why she was at the vet in the first place) she had no other signs of discomfort.

We decided to get a 2nd and 3rd opinion and did lots of our own research before making a life-and-death decision. We decided to keep her going and attempt to manage the situation (the lameness fixed itself with time) and I am proud to say that she lived relatively pain-free to the ripe old age of 8 and a half- within normal lifespan for a Rott. In the end bone cancer got her, not the HD.

The vet who treated her for the remainder of her life (we didn't go back to the vet that recommended PTS, we started referring to him as Dr Death instead ) used her x-rays to show other people who's dogs got diagnosed with HD that they could manage the situation.

We did do a few things differently and I'm not saying that this will work for everyone, but it worked for Mali;

-Keep his weight down with a low-calorie diet. We gave Mali lots of veges so she felt like she was still eating a lot.

-Low impact exercise- swimming is perfect as it takes some of the weight-bearing for him. If you are taking him to the beach you may need to carry him over the soft sand to avoid twisting of the hips. Don't overdo it either, just moderate amounts slowly building up time.

-No chasing balls or anything that will mean quick changes of direction.

-Moderate amounts of walking, always on lead.

-Investigate natural therapies. Glucomsamine is great, or shark cartilage. Any of the human arthritis herbal supplements, or an animal version called Sasha's Blend. We used Sasha's Blend, thought it was brilliant.

-Raising his food and water bowls is also a good idea.

-Don't let him jump up and down from car or bed, train him to wait until you can lift him.

-Raise his bed off the ground- means less distance that he has to get up or down.

We were also recommended major surgery for Mali but chose not to and our management strategy gave her a good quality of life.

Take your time, do as much research as you feel you need to and don't be pushed into really drastic action until you are confortable with the option.

My thoughts and hugs are with you and your baby.

[German Shepherd Lover]

Thanks so much I'll be sure to put these suggestions into action, but I guess the ones relating to diet are the only ones i'll be able to use right away.

Right now he's staying at the vet for an opperation on his broken hip (not the displastic one). Staying 4-5 days at the vet... then I'll have to rest that leg for 2 weeks, then gentle exercise..

I'm not sure how long it will be before he will be able to put weight on that leg, and limping would stress the displastic hip, should I be worried about this? Though the only time he would be on it is when he goes outside to the toilet.

[cavNrott]

.

Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[wolfgirl]

Maybe towel him when going in and out to the toilet, trying to explain this so it makes sense, place towel under back legs and hold towel up with both hands so you are taking his weight so he is really only walking and putting full weight on his front legs. Probably not a great description and hopefully someone else will be able to explain it a bit better.

[Rottshowgirl]

Maybe towel him when going in and out to the toilet, trying to explain this so it makes sense, place towel under back legs and hold towel up with both hands so you are taking his weight so he is really only walking and putting full weight on his front legs. Probably not a great description and hopefully someone else will be able to explain it a bit better.

Good suggestion Wolfgirl!

GSL you use the towel as a 'sling'. Make sure it is a decent length, put it under his belly just in front of his back legs. Grab both ends with your hands and pull up until you can feel the towel tighten. This will just take a little weight off his back legs, just make sure that you keep the towel that's under his belly 'wide' so it doesn't cut in.

You will probably need to get someone to be in front of him coaxing him forward until he gets used to the idea and make sure that it doesn't slip backwards as this could hurt his hips

[malleerr]

Hiya,

Here is a pic of our girl Mallee with her towel sling on just to show where it should go and to get the general idea of it - sorry i don't have a photo of her standing with it on. Not a very good photo mind as you can tell she had had enough of the sling when this photo was taken. Mallee had severe HD which resulted in two ops being done first a TPO which was unsuccessfuly (her pelvis shattered and collasped a week later) then a bilateral femoral neck and head excision. So understandably she had had enough by this stage - she was in the sling for around 3 months.

BTW she is fine now - 8 months on. If i can help you with any questions at all just send me a PM if you like.

[German Shepherd Lover]

Thanks for the help everyone, I really appreciate it . It's good to know that HD can be managed! I was a bit pessimistic because most of what I heard before was that it can cripple dogs before theyre even middle aged and theyd be in agony for most of their lives.

my little one will be home early next week, the surgery went well

[7464]

My Golden Retriever, Cody was diagnosed with severe HD at 5 months. He will be 6 in December and has had very few problems. When he was diagnosed the vet said he'd seen dogs with better hips that were lame. This set the fear into me but it hasn't been too bad.

Cody has had to stay lean as extra weight is more of an issue than normal. Luckily he's not the sort of dog that keeps eating when he's had enough and he doesn't raid the treat jar. He swims a lot in summer and I am now reducing the amount of running he does as arthritis is setting in. He's still a very happy dog. He doesn't seem to complain when he is clearly in pain, he just slows down a bit.

The towel sling is a great idea, I'll keep it in mind as Cody's condition is sure to worsen as he ages.

[kaywoman68]

My mum's rotty had hip displasia. She took him to Sydney for appointments and eventually decided to get surgery done. He had to go back to Sydney after the op to have check-ups. He's been given the all-clear.

He's spoilt rotten by mum, my stepdad and me. I must feed him a treat as soon as I arrive at work. Im not allowed to start work until I give him a treat cos he'll sit there with those cute rotty eyes and pout until I do. It's so hard not to give in Rex also gets chauffered to and from work. He sure knows how to live the life He'll jog every now and then but no jumping which suits him fine as long as he's boss

[Hazz]

Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supplements would be benefical.

Devils Claw Root powder is also a potent painkiller, used only on worse days and not to be used as an everyday supplement.

Also there are vets surgically applying acupuncture needles, which I've seen to have a very good positive effect on HD sufferers.

[spoilt lab lives here]

i have found a website about a supplement which can reduce pain in joints and things like that

sasha's blend website

It seems to have a good reputation, im pretty sure you can get it from the vets. I am going to try it my old girl Ssha who has arthritis in her back legs if it gets any worse

hope this helps

[German Shepherd Lover]

Thanks again for sharing your experiences and advice

I know my vet sells sasha's blend but will have to look around for the other supplements.

I also noticed the hills prescription diet j/d (joint disease). Does anyone here know if its any good?

[morgan]

Try Diana Hayes - Hip Dysplasia

We have used her Skeletal Aid and OCD remedies on horses with great success. One gelding fractured his fetlock a while ago, and the Skeletal Aid worked wonders on him - it works for all sorts of bone problems. I would also look at Synflex, a natural liquid glucosamine/chondroitin product with anti-oxidants and enzymes.

[German Shepherd Lover]

Thanks Morgan I will check those out