Hip dysplasia and cockapoos

needing-help

I'm not asking for medical advice.

I took in my mutt in summer after his previous owners couldnt cope with him. He is now 10 months old and I'm worried about his hips, I can't ask his previous owner about his parents as I have had a few texts off her saying she wished she still had him and how much they all miss him etc so am trying to avoid contact.

Is it common is this breed or am I being paranoid? I am taking him to be neutered soon so will ask the vet to check him while he is there.
I just wondered if anyone had experience of this.
Thanks

krlyr

Firstly, Cockapoos aren't an established breed, they're a cross with a fancy name, so look at whether HD is something in Poodles and Cocker Spaniels. I know of a young Cocker who'd had to have both his hips replaced already due to hip dysplasia.

http://www.cockerspaniel-info.org.uk/health.htm wrote:

Some Hip Dysplasia is also seen in the breed. Hip Dysplasia is more complex and it is likely that several different genes are involved. It is also likely that environmental factors (exercise, growth rate, nutrition) play a contributory role in the development of the disease.

http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/health.htm#hip

Hip dysplasia isn't straight forward though and just having breeds prone to it in his lineage won't necessarily mean he will develop problems. Dogs can score badly with the hip scoring tests and never had a day's trouble with their hips in their life, other dogs can score well but be crippled from hip problems.
Hip dysplasia is something that dogs are born with and environmental factors can play a big part in whether the dog is affected. So I would do some research and follow the advice in terms of what kind of exercise to avoid (throwing balls repeatedly, for example, can be worse due to the sharp stops and turns when they catch the ball), what exercise is good (swimming helps build muscle without putting much weight on the joints). You could look into dietary supplements - glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, green-lipped mussel, etc. to name a few. Fish oils are good but be wary of liver oils - a fish body oil is better, e.g. salmon oil. At 10 months he'll have done most of his growing but not all of it, so be aware of exercise limitations and avoid strenuous exercise or movements that put a lot of force on the joint, e.g. running up and down stairs, jumping out of the car, agility and so on. Keep him lean, no excess weight to carry.
Watch out for any potential warning signs. "Bunny hopping" - running with both back feet tucking in together can be a clue. An unusual or stiff gait, or any change in gait (first symptom in my last GSD was that she started "tripping" over her front paws occasionally - but her elbow x-rays were clear, it was caused by her hips). You could have him hip scored if you wanted but do weigh up the risks of sedation for x-ray when there may not be an issue. A vet can do some manipulation of the joints to see if there's any stiffness or soreness, or less mobility than usual, but you won't get a true diagnosis without an x-ray.
Try not to worry too much about it - there are lots more options to treat hip dysplasia nowadays. The Cocker I mentioned is recovering very well from his second hip replacement and there's lots of management techniques to use too (my GSD wasn't a candidate for surgery so we went down the management route). Is he insured? If not, I would get insurance ASAP so that you never have to make the tough decision of turning down treatment because you cannot afford it. I would go for a policy with a high cover, at least £6000 if not more, because hip replacements could easily wipe out a lower limit very quickly.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2084&aid=444

needing-help

Thanks for the reply. I know they arent a proper breed and I always swore I wouldn't get one of these "designer" breeds but he needed a home and I'm a sucker for cute puppy eyes:rotfl:
I do tend to tell people he is a cocker x poodle.

Thanks for all the info, I will probably get the vet to x-ray him while he is knocked out and I will look into the supplements.

Part of the problem is he is a complete nutter so slowing him down will be fun!

I do have insurance and its something like 12000 a year per condition so that should cover anything if there is a problem

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

[cough] I do hope the Insurance is up to date before you go [cough]


Just in case.

krlyr

needing-help wrote: »

Part of the problem is he is a complete nutter so slowing him down will be fun!

Use his breeds to your advantage! Cocker Spaniels were bred for the field, to flush out and retrieve birds. Poodles were used for similar purposes - their coats ideal for retrieving in water, and one line of Poodles used to hunt truffles. So you have a dog that is going to love to sniff out and retrieve items, you could turn your usual walks into a combination of fun and training, teaching a formal retrieve, getting him to hunt out his favourite toy in long grass instead of just throwing it to fetch (teach him a "find it" in the home/garden first, then walk through the long grass and drop the toy without him noticing, then send him back for it. Alternatively have a helper hide the toy while you distract him). Teach him tracking - scenting out an item following a trail you've laid (you can find guides on how to teach tracking online, or many places are holding workshops/classes nowadays). Once he's used to hunting an object, get a helper and make him hunt out you in a big game of hide'n'seek! Find a safe area he can swim in (many hydrotherapy pools offer "just for fun" short swims). Vary walks so he is always on the ball and tires himself out mentally as well as physically, you don't need to exhaust a dog with exercise to tire them out (sometimes it can have the opposite effect, you create a dog with so much stamina that it becomes impossible to wear them out, and the adrenaline created by excessive games of fetch can make a dog more hyper than it was pre-walk!)

needing-help

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

[cough] I do hope the Insurance is up to date before you go [cough]


Just in case.

Lol I knew it was but I still went and checked when I read this:rotfl:

needing-help

krlyr wrote: »

Use his breeds to your advantage! Cocker Spaniels were bred for the field, to flush out and retrieve birds. Poodles were used for similar purposes - their coats ideal for retrieving in water, and one line of Poodles used to hunt truffles. So you have a dog that is going to love to sniff out and retrieve items, you could turn your usual walks into a combination of fun and training, teaching a formal retrieve, getting him to hunt out his favourite toy in long grass instead of just throwing it to fetch (teach him a "find it" in the home/garden first, then walk through the long grass and drop the toy without him noticing, then send him back for it. Alternatively have a helper hide the toy while you distract him). Teach him tracking - scenting out an item following a trail you've laid (you can find guides on how to teach tracking online, or many places are holding workshops/classes nowadays). Once he's used to hunting an object, get a helper and make him hunt out you in a big game of hide'n'seek! Find a safe area he can swim in (many hydrotherapy pools offer "just for fun" short swims). Vary walks so he is always on the ball and tires himself out mentally as well as physically, you don't need to exhaust a dog with exercise to tire them out (sometimes it can have the opposite effect, you create a dog with so much stamina that it becomes impossible to wear them out, and the adrenaline created by excessive games of fetch can make a dog more hyper than it was pre-walk!)

To say he is a cross between 2 such clever breeds he is quite thick:o
He is really good at find it though and will find out any toy that you hide and most of his walk is spent with his nose glued to the ground!
He say his first squirrel today and he gave chase, of course it went up a tree so he spent the next 10 minutes looking confused :rotfl:

He loves water but only if there is 3 foot of mud in it:mad:

lolseh

If it was from 'responsible' (anyone who crosses isn't responsible imo) breeders then the parents would have been hip scored, pra clear etc. If your that worried you could pay to get the dog hip scored but not all vets are able to score you often need to go to a specialist.

needing-help

lolseh wrote: »

If it was from 'responsible' (anyone who crosses isn't responsible imo) breeders then the parents would have been hip scored, pra clear etc. If your that worried you could pay to get the dog hip scored but not all vets are able to score you often need to go to a specialist.

I said in my first post he was a rescue and it will be difficult to find out about his parents. I did find out how much was paid for him and:eek: It's no wonder the breeders are doing it!

My vet does do hip scoring (he does everything I have never seen so much technology under one roof:rotfl:)

Person_one

lolseh wrote: »

If it was from 'responsible' (anyone who crosses isn't responsible imo) breeders then the parents would have been hip scored, pra clear etc. If your that worried you could pay to get the dog hip scored but not all vets are able to score you often need to go to a specialist.

Its entirely possible to be a responsible breeder of crossbreeds, its just that sadly they are harder to find.

ka7e

You're lucky to be able to get his hips x-rayed when he'll be under GA for neutering, as it's the GA that is the most expensive component of the procedure! Does your vet score them himself or send them off to have it done elsewhere?