Hip dysplacia - rehoming?

Question

My 2 year old dog has pronounced hip dysplacia, we have her insured, but what do you think her chances of being rehomed if we have to give her up??

I don't want to give her up, she is a fantastic and loving dog, but i am pregnant and i don't know if i can afford a dog and a baby.

Answer 1

Well if you bring him/her to the shelter they do adopt all kinds of medical need dogs.

Answer 2

I rehomed a 9 year old dog with hip dysplacia last year, and it was the best thing I've ever done. I have been able to insure with Tesco pets, although any work needed connected with the dysplacia is not covered. He came from Battersea, and had been there some time, but I think it is only a matter of time before the right owner comes along. I would recommend putting her into a larger shelter, so she stands more of a chance of rehoming.

Answer 3

Not great. You've had her since she was a puppy and she's not important enough to you that *you'll* keep her -- don't assume some random stranger who doesn't even know her is going to swoop in to save the day.

She could get lucky, but hundreds of thousands of perfectly healthy, family friendly dogs are killed in shelters every year because their families are the first people in history to have babies or move or get divorced or go on vacation when the local kennels are inconsiderate enough to already be booked up.

If you truly need to find her a new home, do the leg work. Post fliers at local veterinary offices. Run ads in the community papers or on Freecycle.com and Craigslist. See if a local rescue will help you list her or will let you attend their adoption days at places like PetSMART. If you love her and you really feel that this decision is the best thing for *her*, put the time in now to find her a good situation.

Sometimes it is truly is appropriate to re-home a dog and that's not the end of the world, but if when people dump their dogs at the mercy of strangers and just hope it'll all work out for the best, they should refrain from ever getting a dog again in the future. Please don't be one of those people.

Answer 4

We have just been considering a bull mastif cross that has hip dysplacia. He has been rehomed twice already and is only just over a year old. The charity animal sanctuary (not dogs home) that have him have said that they will pay for all his vet fees and medication relating to his hip dysplacia for his entire life whoever homes him. To be honest, as horrible as it sounds, if they werent doing this then we wouldnt be able to consider him as we just wouldnt be able to afford it. Check to see if the home you give her to will pay for her fees even after someone takes her on, otherwise unfortunately, she will become at the bottom of the list for people to rehome. People, however much of a dog lover they are, do tend not to take dogs with issues on. Its sad but it is a fact of life. Sorry.

Incidentally, we had a quote from the vet and ONE hip replacement operation for a dog is around £4,000, plus any follow up care and complications and medication.

Answer 5

Oh my goodness. Such a young girl.

What breed? Did you contact the breeder you got her from? Any contract with the breeder? A reputable/responsible breeder would take the dog back themselves.

Rehoming a healthy dog can sometimes be a challenge. A dog diagnosed with health problems is going to need a "Special Needs" home. Someone that has knowledge of this breed and this particular problem, and there just aren't that many that are willing to take on some problems.

You might want to consider breed specific rescue. They might be able to help you find someone that will help your girl.

p.s. A shelter will not adopt her out. If they work with some rescue groups, they may try to place her with one of them or they will put her down.

Answer 6

Well dogs with health problems,do take longer to rehome in some cases.I worked in a rescue center and there was a simlar case there an older dog had a hip dysplaysia and he was in there for about 7months.If you had to rehome her,why put her in a shelter?its a very confusing distressing place for dogs.You could try rehoming her to family or friends,or privatly by advertising in the papers etc.I would keep her if i was you though,it's not her fault that you are pregnent.Good luck with whatever you decide.

Answer 7

Hi

I urge you to investigate Vitamin C. It has worked wonders for my dogs.
How Vitamin C Kept Doggies from Death Row

Canine hip dysplasia occurs when a dog's femur no longer rests in the ball-and-socket joint of the hip. This genetic and degenerative disease common to many breeds of hunting dogs was traditionally treated in one of two ways: expensive hip replacement surgery or pet euthanasia. Since the malady was inherited more often than not, breeding a dog with CHD was out of the question. Until Wendell Bellfield, a veterinarian in San Jose, California, experimented with vitamin C supplementation.

According to Larry Mueller, the Hunting Dogs Editor of Outdoor Life, Bellfield gave bitches who had CHD, had mates with CHD, and who had previously whelped pups with the disease vitamin C throughout pregnancy and lactation. None of the pups in the eight litters developed the disease.

After this experiment, numerous vets and breeders began giving vitamin C to dogs who already had CHD. The success rate - and the ease in which the disease was rendered powerless - astounded them while the precise way in which the vitamin C worked baffled them. Even though the cured dogs ran pain free, X-rays still revealed hip dysplasia and the severe arthritis that it produced. Although the article sugests Ester C. I use regular Vitamin C 1000 mg for my dogs. I give it to them wrapped in cream cheese.

"Despite the evidence, the medical community was not impressed until a double-blind crossover study performed by veterinarian L. Phillips Brown proved what many dog lovers already knew: crush a 1000 mg tablet of vitamin C in with Lucky's lunch and he loses his limp. Brown's research also revealed an additional fact: a specific type of vitamin C, Ester-C, was more effective than traditional ascorbic acid. "

Answer 8

She will probably go to home and sadly stay there, unfortunately these 'Pet Lovers' want an animal that is not going to cost them hundreds of pounds in vets bills and is something that is pretty to look at and be the 'full of life family pet'. I think this is a sad case as all dogs whether disabled or not deserve to have a loving home

Answer 9

Please don't get rid of your dog because it has hip displacia. Shame, you will have more than enough time to spend with the dog and the baby. It is sad when a dog gets something wrong with it people do not want them anymore.
My heart is breaking at this very moment, i took my dog for a walk, a short walk and he is at the stage where he can hardly walk but won't stay at home. I know that the time is near where we will have to have him put to sleep and it is killing me. I spend most of my time thinking about it. Please spend time with your dog, give him all the love he needs because i can assure you it only gets worse and worse and nobody will take on a dog who has problems. Have a heart:))

Answer 10

she will be put down because of the cost and the pain that your dog is going to suffer ,you didn't say what breed but this may sound harsh don't try to re home her if you no longer want to look after your dog it would be much kinder to have her destroyed so she would not become another dog in a kennel unloved and waiting to be destroyed anyway.if i were you i would keep her and love her for as long as i could and when she is in constant pain then release her from suffering,would you get rid of a child if they had bad hips a dog is for life their life.

Answer 11

Not very good. If she has already been diagnosed with HD, no one else would be able to get insurance cover for this condition for her. It depends how bad she is, what breed she is & whether or not she would require surgery. If you bought her direct from a breeder, your first step should be to approach them. If they are reputable they need to know that they have produced a dog with this condition & will take her back anyway.
Why would you have to give her up?