Canine Hip Dysplasia - urgent advice needed

gettingready

Frugalista wrote: »

Actually, that is not true. The breed average hip score is no worse than many other breeds - and surprisingly lower than a lot of other breeds.:D

http://www.bva.co.uk/public/documents/Breed_Specific_Statistics.pdf

Wow, thanks for that, did not know.

wornoutmumoftwo

Well I rang my vet and mentioned the triple pelvic osteotomy operation, and she said...no. She thinks it can be managed on medicine but she did say they would see where he is in 9-12 weeks time. She said the op wouldn't really 'fix' him, but everything I've read it suggests there's a 90% sucess rate. So now I'm really confused.

Back next week for a check up and going to ask to be refered to a specialist anyway.

krlyr

wornoutmumoftwo wrote: »

Well I rang my vet and mentioned the triple pelvic osteotomy operation, and she said...no. She thinks it can be managed on medicine but she did say they would see where he is in 9-12 weeks time. She said the op wouldn't really 'fix' him, but everything I've read it suggests there's a 90% sucess rate. So now I'm really confused.

Back next week for a check up and going to ask to be refered to a specialist anyway.

Don't forget that you're fully entitled to go to another vet practice if you want, there's no rule to say you can only register at one. If her opinion is clashing with that of many sources then I would want a second opinion. One thing I appreciate about my vets is that if they haven't heard of something, or don't have much experience/information on it, they will go away and research it - read the same articles I've found, look it up in their own literature, etc. rather than dismiss the idea entirely. If they still don't agree with it then they will explain why, in depth, and let me have the final say.

Wellyboots6

Taking my pooch to the vets tomorrow as I am worried he has HD.

Just found this thread while I was looking for advice.

Id there anything I should ask the vet, or make sure they check etc?

Just want to make sure I make the right decisions if it is HD as he is 6 years old but still has the mind of a puppy!

wornoutmumoftwo

Hello, I started this thread back in January and have cone a long way. My boy's now 8 months and had hip surgary (FHO) and I've learned a lot.

My vet started us off with an x-ray to see how bad it was, a lot of HD can be managed with drugs, what makes you think your boy has it? (If you don't mind me asking)

Wellyboots6

I have wondered for a while as when I first had him (aged 5) his back left leg seemed to turn in a bit.

He had no muscle tone whatsoever on his back end though, so I gradually increased his exercise and built up his muscles and his legs seemed to become a lot more stable and 'stronger'.

Just recently though I have noticed his leg turning in again. He is also doing the 'bunny hop' run that I have seen mentioned quite a bit. He started doing this a few weeks ago.

Occasionally when he gets up after lying down his left leg seems stuck and he can't use it or put weight on it. It sorts itself out after a few seconds of him hobbling.

If it HD and an op would be suitable I would want it doing ASAP as he is so young in his mind its a shame that his body can't keep up with him. If they wouldn't do it for a while though I maybe wouldn't get it done, as when he gets older I don't think he would appreciate being sedated and having a long recovery time

wornoutmumoftwo

It could look worse than it is, my dog had it very bad: bunny hopping, stiffness etc and he wouldn't put pressure on his left leg at all (tiptoing).

Some dogs cope with painkillers and limited exercise.

Surgery is last resort really, but these are the ones I know of:
There are three surgical options - TPO where they shave the joint and fix with a plate, but he might be too old for this. FHO (Femoral head excision) which my pup had - they remove the ball joint and a false joint forms with scar tissue, and finally Hip replacement.

Best thing you can do is get an x-ray (he'll be sore after as they manipulate the hips to see how lax they are), once you know what you're dealing with you can examine the choices.

My pup was on his feet after 2 days, but it is a long recovery of six months, but after that he'll have a long mobile life.


Feel free to pm me if you wish, I have a facebook page as well where I've been logging his progress, we're two weeks post op and he is doing brilliant.

gettingready

very good read:

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/118528-diary-hip-replacement.html

Wellyboots6

Thanks GR.

The vet said she wouldn't want to risk operating on him due to the risks with him so looks like we will be managing it with tablets.

He just isn' the best at taking tablets. Plenty of practice now though!

wornoutmumoftwo

I hide my dog's in his food they're really not as smart as cats, my cat used to eat around a tablet - the dog wolfs it down.