What is possible treatment for canine hip dysplasia?

Question

My female shetland sheepdog who is 6 years old has mild hip dysplasia in her back legs, and after long walks she is often limping. I have taken her to the vet but all that resulted in was some mysterious glucosamine [sp. ?] tablets.

Answer 1

I urge you to try the glucosamine tablets. Just remember it takes awhile to work into her system, it's not going to make huge improvement very quickly.

I had a Saint Bernard with mild hip displaysia. We kept him on a short walking program with a day to rest in between and began building it up. We watched him to be sure not to overstrain him. He had to lose a little weight, so we put him on a doggy diet.

We also got him fixed at this time. We had bought him to breed, but once we found out he had hip dysplasia, we knew he shouldn't father pups and carry his problem down to another generation.

If you have a pool or access to a pool that allows dogs (maybe like a friend's pool or even the vet has a pool?) I have heard that hydrotherapy helps this kind of ailment.

Good luck to you! My Saint Bernard had 14 great years once we knew what his problem was we just worked with it.

Answer 2

Glucosamine is often a great relief to dogs with mild hip probs. But, be aware that it can take some time to kick in.

If the problem progresses, then the vet will treat it more aggressively. Treatment can range from OTC tablets to prescription pain killers to hip surgery. Be sure that she's eating a good food - you'd be amazed what proper nutrition can do. Good meaning Blue Buffalo, Natural BALANCE, Canidae, Solid Gold, Merrick, etc. Science Diet, Iams, Euk, Purina One, and other supermarket brands are not really considered high quality.

If you bought from a breeder, be sure to notify the breeder that your dog has been diagnosed. Good breeders will want to know so that they can have their breeding pair re-evaluated and possibly have all their offspring removed from breeding programs. Bad breeders just won't care. : (

Answer 3

Canine hip dysplasia is a developmental orthopedic disease in which an abnormal formation of the hip leads to looseness in the hip joints, causing cartilage damage. It seems to be genetic. It is more common in smoelarger breeds such as St. Bernard's and sheepdogs.

Environmental factors also play a role in hip dysplasia. For example, it is well known that obesity is a risk factor for the development of arthritis. In addition, dog food that has been over-supplemented with extra proteins, vitamins and minerals to make puppies grow faster can create orthopedic problems in extremely large breeds of dogs that may lead to hip dysplasia and arthritis.

These links give more information.

Answer 4

Treatment of hip dysplasia can be conservative or surgical. The objectives of conservative therapy are to relieve pain and maintain limb function, as well as to continue the dog in as normal a level of activity as possible. Conservative therapy consists of weight control, moderate exercise, and analgesics (pain relief medication). The most important element will always be the maintenance of muscular support. Muscle is built by walking, jogging, and swimming. Acrobatics (playing frisbee, jumping, etc.) should be avoided as they place unnecessary pressure on the joint.

Another medical approach to the treatment of degenerative arthritis secondary to hip dysplasia involves the use of products called polysulfated glycosaminoglycans or PSGAGs. PSGAGs are naturally occurring components of the joint cartilage and increase joint fluid production.

When should a patient receive conservative management as opposed to specific surgical treatment? The answer depends on the age of the dog, the intended use of the dog, the degree of arthritis, the severity of the lameness, and the financial capability of the owner. Approximately 50-60% of the patients may respond to conservative therapy over a long period of time. The remaining 40-50% will require surgical treatment. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict into which category a dog will fall.

Three surgical procedures are currently used in the treatment of hip dysplasia. In young patients with minimal evidence of arthritis, a stabilizing reconstruction of the hip joint is recommended. This involves reconstructing the joint congruency and stopping the subluxation and laxity that lead to severe arthritis. This technique is called a triple pelvic osteotomy. It has been established as a reliable mode of treatment in cases which meet the case selection criteria.

Once the patient (usually adult) has radiographic evidence of degenerative arthritis, it is no longer a candidate for a triple pelvic osteotomy. Over time, many of these dogs will become less responsive to analgesic medications and surgical therapy should be considered. There are two procedures available.

1) Removal of the femoral head and neck (excision arthroplasty, femoral head ostectomy, FHO).
2)Total hip replacement.

Femoral head excision works well for dogs under thirty pounds and those with unilateral dysplasia. It is less satisfactory for dogs over fifty pounds, particularly when performed bilaterally. This is a salvage procedure for those owners who cannot afford the cost of a total hip replacement but need an alternative to constant medication and debilitating pain.

Introduced in 1976, the total hip replacement has become the only treatment available that provides normal hip joint function once advanced arthritis is present. With this technique, the femoral head and neck are replaced with a cobalt chrome or titanium component and the acetabulum is replaced with a plastic cup prosthesis. A five year followup study of 221 total hip replacements revealed an overall success rate of 91%. Total hip replacement can be done on both hips although many dogs (80-90%) do very well with one side replaced

Answer 5

Then you need to call him back and ask for a referral to a vet that is more able to treat your dog, if your vet is any good then he will be more than happy to help if not start calling other vets and which ever one can help you you need to change to as a regular vet and kick the one you have now to the curb!