My dog has hip dysphlasia?!?

Question

My dog was diagnosed with hip dysphlasia a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately it is in both hips. We were given meds and special food for him (helps loose weight) and they are costing $300/month. Yes, i know it is a lot, but i will do anything for my horses and dog.
We got him from the SPCA and we/they think that he is a lab/shephard/bernese mnt dog.
He is now beginning to have difficulties even sitting down and getting up. He also sometimes yelps and cant walk on his right leg, as it is worse than the left. We cant even let him go off-leash at a off-leash park for 15mins or else he will be in excrusiating pain. and we have tried so many meds for this but none seem to help.
The most scariest thing off all thought is that he is not even 2yrs. He is 1yr and 9mths!!
Any sujestions or what our next step should be? I dont want to see him always being like this, in all this pain.

THX.

P.S. the hip surgery is out of the question- it wastes the puppy years, as the docs say.

about "loosing puppy years"-- the pups have to have one hip replaced at a time, after the surgery they cant play at all. Then when they are better they have to have the other one done, and rest for about another year, by the time he has new hips, he will be old and will not want to play anymore.

he likes to exercise- even if it hurts.
but after he just can not handle it, he just does not know when it is too much!!
so like all of you think that i should go with the hip surgery... is there a vet clinic/place in BC, Canada (preferibly Vancouver) that is less than $1,400-1,700 for the surgery??
If you have all ready answered the question and know a place, e-mail me at [e-mail]

thank you guys sooo much.

hey sorry. the surgery will cost $14,000!!!

Answer 1

Have you tried the Science Diet J/D formula for him? It has high level of fatty acids in it and really seems to help. Also, there are supplements called Duralactin and Cosequin that help too. I have a dog with mild shoulder dysplasia and the two supplements keep him fairly pain-free, and they only cost about $40 a month for the both of them. If your vet has it there is a shot called Adequan that actually helps repair the joints. I have seen dogs with severe arthritis in their hip that act like a puppy after they received the series of Adequan shots. I hope that this helps your puppy!

Answer 2

I agree with cs. If you think about it, he's really painful and limited in his activities now. I don't agree with surgery "wasting the puppy years." I would do what is best for him at a young age so that he's not in pain the rest of his life. The meds sound like they only mask some of the pain, and the food will only help him lose weight. However, even thin dogs are in excruciating pain with bad hips.

I would definitely talk to a board certified orthopedic veterinary surgeon and get their input in on having surgery. The sooner you have it done, the better. He may be painful for a short time, but they can give you strong paid meds during and after recovery. It sounds like he is uncomfortable most of the time right now.

Good luck!~

Answer 3

I got a lab puppy 10 years ago who was diagnosed with hip dyspalsia when she was only 2 also. At first we restricted her exercise to swimming and other things that would keep the weight off of her joints. Another important thing is to keep their weight down. A heavy dog will put extra pressure on their joints causing pain. We did have her on pain meds but after moving her into our home during cold weather and providing her with a good bed her problems seemed to get better. Now she is 10 and is doing good. Not in pain. A great dog.

Answer 4

1. Lose and watch the weight (which u already did for ur dog, the ideal weight is where you can feel the ribs with a thin layer of fat, if you can't feel the bones, your dog is fat.)

2. massage
3. put heat pads on the hips

4. swim (swimming is the best excerise because water supports the hips, do it in controlled environment, there are heated swimming pools for dogs)

5. give hip and joint supplements (increase dosage of glucosamine, msm and chondroitin sulfate)
6. no jumping

I don't understand why the vet said it would waste the pup's years. Your dog is still very young, it has 10 years more to go.

Answer 5

Why would he tell you its wastes they puppy years? Thats ridiculous. Your dog is full grown now, and surgery is honestly the best option. I have worked with a board certified vet surgeon and I have seen such huge changes in the quality of life after dogs have had these surgeries. Isnt being in pain and not using one of his legs wasting his life as well? THR surgery would be the best in this situation (FHO is usually better for smaller breeds)

I personally have 3 mastiffs, one of which is in his 3rd month of recovery from surgery, and I couldnt be happier with the results. Already hes behaving like a pup again, instead of the painful, slow moving dog he was before (he's 4).

Answer 6

ok this is my answer, shepherds are very well known to have hip dysphlasia, well really any big boned dogs are known for having it, but i had a shepherd that had it, and it was the exact same way yours is, we were giving her meds, i was giving her therapy at home, nothing worked, the doc told us about the surgery but told us that it COULD leave her paralized, so we said NO. it had also gotten to the point to where she could get up, sit etc. we had to pick her up to take her out to the bathroom. it was SO heart breaking. i know she was in pain, but i was gonna try everything possible to help her. she ended up gettin a cyst on one of her hips, i rushed her to the vet, and he told me that it was cancer, we then got more meds, and tried removing her cyst. her dysphlasia had gotten so bad, that she didnt make it out of surgery. I lost my dog and my best friend, i know how u feel, but u have to do whats best for the dog, even though u wanna keep her going, sometimes thats not always best..if u have any questions, please let me know, good luck honey!

Answer 7

Surgery is the best option. Quality of life and how happy a dog is really affects long term life. An unhappy dog in pain will have a shorter life span than a happy, healthy dog not in pain.

Answer 8

Unless you are willing to do surgery, there really isn't much you can do for the dog. I am not sure I understand the comment about the puppy years, but I would reconsider the surgery. Do you have pet health insurance?

If you don't reconsider surgery, given the degree of pain he is in, I imagine it would be difficult to continue to see him be that way. The best thing would probably be to put him to sleep; I hope you don't have to do it.

Answer 9

Unfortunately there is nothing that can reverse or cure hip displaysia. He will eventually, if not already develop arthritis and be totally immobile. Just keep him warm and dry at all times, something padded to lay on. Exercise as much as he will tolerate so he doesn't get too stiff. I doubt any meds are gonna help much except for pain

Answer 10

I don't think there's anything you can do. Maybe you could get them amputated and get him a wheel chair, so it's not as painful. I feel bad for you. Make sure the next time you get a dog you get the papers that the mother and father have been tested for hip displasia.