Author Topic: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia  (Read 33361 times)

Offline shangrila

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Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« on: November 04, 2006, 03:09:53 pm »
Since hip dysplasia (HD) is so prevelant in Big Dogs, I wanted to make a thread gathering info about prevention, treatment, and personal experiences to share with people new to HD.

I am going to be copying some old posts here that are relevant to HD, and please feel free to add anything from your experience with HD.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2006, 03:38:01 pm by shangrila »
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Offline shangrila

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Re: Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2006, 03:15:51 pm »
posted by paharts
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i think you need another opinion, preferably from a specialist that has LOTS of experience with giant breeds.  here's my story:

many years ago, my mother and many other mastiff breeders [mainly in CA] voluntarily took their very young dogs to UC Davis to participate in a study on HD. after x-raying 1 of our 8 month old males, they said he had such SEVERE hd that he should be euthanized right away or, at the very least, absolutely never bred and they didn't think he'd continue walking for very long. luckily, mom listened to her gut and continued to show him while watching him closely for any problems. he won a LOT and finished to CH quickly. when this dog was older, they took him back to Davis for a follow-up and they determined that he had 'very good' hips. he went on to take many BOBs and sired many beautiful babies, and i don't think any were diagnosed with hd.

during this study, they determined that the manner in which giant dogs breeds grow can cause hd false positives.

I found some sites at mastiff.org that you might be interested in checking out.
Diagnosis
The Importance of Good Positioning on Canine Hip X-Rays
Treatment and Care
Hip Dysplasia Treatment Options
Glucosamine and Chondroitin
Dr. Henry De Boer Jr. on Canine Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia & Spondylosis - Alternative Treatments
Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine
The Senior Dogs Project
Adequan Canine for Degenerative Joint Disease
Ester-C: Miracle Cure for Hip Dysplasia???

i hope this information helps you in this very difficult situation.
best wishes, katy
RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2006, 03:17:49 pm »
posted by newflvr
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I had a Landseer who went through the total hip replacement at a year.  Where are you located?  Is an orthopedist going to do the surgery?  I think it is absolutely essential that you have it done at either a major surgery center with an orthopedist who has done LOTS of these surgeries or at a VET training university...a gain by someone who has done many many of these procedures.

Otis had no hip socket on one side and very little on the other side.  We did the worst one first and he spent the night in the hospital and I brought him home the next day.  The recovery is really tough!  He had a morphine patch for the first week which made him quite agitated.  I slept next to him for three weeks so I could give him ice chips and take him out to go to the bathroom.  At three weeks, he was fairly good and could walk on his own.  By six weeks he was excellent and at 3 months he was running and playing and back to normal.  We never did his second hip because he was functioning normally. 

In conversation with the various vet techs who took care of him and in the follow-up visits, the consensus was that he was really lucky that it went so smoothly and that he had SUCH a good result.  Otis was an exceptionally big newf (tall....about 35 inches at the shoulder) and there was some thought that could have been the reason for his bad hips.  He also had a very bad spine...and that's a whole other story.

I'm happy to share the names of the Doctors who worked on him so maybe you could check with them for referals if you'd like...


RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2006, 03:19:31 pm »
posted by Nicole
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My SIL had her Yellow Lab's hips done at Purdue University. One of the best in the country. Here is a THR Fact sheet from their website. They do MANY MANY THR Surgeries. They are wonderful. My SIL and Vinny, her Yellow Lab, had a very good experience, and I'm sure that Purdue's Vets would be more than willing to answer questions for you.

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/hospital/faq_hip_replacement.pdf

Here is the evaluation form, so you can see what kinds of things they look at:

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/hospital/hip_owner_eval.pdf

And finally, the link to their homepage:

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/hospital/

Good luck! There are tons of knowledgeable people her at Big Paws Only and you should be able to find a wealth of information and support!

RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2006, 03:24:12 pm »
posted by MaggieB
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I have been thru this and my dog Cooper had triple pelvic osteotomy on both hips last summer.  He was about 8 months old.  My husband and I really struggled with the decision and heard the stories about dogs who "grew out of it" but the doctor didn't think he had a good chance b/c arthritis had already started in one hip. His surgery totaled about $6000 for both hips.

It is now about 9 months later and he is doing wonderfully. We just had some x-rays last week b/c his hips were making a clicking noise, but they looked great! No arthritis showing and full joint coverage.  We don't regret it for a minute and feel fortunate that we had the resources to do it.  It was a very hard recovery, though.

let me know if you want anymore info..
Good luck!
RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2006, 03:30:50 pm »
posted by The Brindle Pack
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I'm not sure where you are but the first thing I would do is get at least 1 or 2 second opinions from orthopedic surgeons.  If you are in southern California I can give you a few names.  I would NOT allow a regular vet perform this or any other hip surgery.

Our Tucker (dane/lab mix) was dx. with HD when he was about 7 months old and due to the advanced arthritic changes was not a candidate for the TPO.  Other surgical options were either an FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy) or THR (Total Hip Replacement).  After a great deal of research and three consultations we were prepared to go with the THR.  Unfortunately due to Tucker being a genetic mess (Epilepsy, HD, Allergies) surgery did not seem the best course of action for him.  Currently we are treating with diet, limited exercise and Metacam.

There is a great deal of information regarding HD on the internet, even a Yahoo board with many people who have gone through this.  Here is the link to those boards:    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CanineHD/

Good luck and if there is anything I can do please feel free to drop me a note.

Cindy

RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2006, 03:33:04 pm »
posted by shangrila (me)
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When Zoey was 5 months old she was bunny hopping and we took her to a surgeon to have Xrayed. The Xrays came back saying hip dysplasia, and TPO was one of the options presented to us. However, the vet said that she was probably bunny hopping because she was growing through a growth spurt and having growing pains, and that she would be suprised to see a saint (or a newf) with perfectly normal hips. We chose not to do the surgery for three reasons: 1. The surgery is very intense and recovery is difficult. Most surgeons reccomend to do hips seperately and there is a long recovery. We didn't want to put zoey through 2 painful surgeries with 3 month recoveries from each. 2. The surgery is prohibitively expensive. If I had the money I wouldn't think for a second about whether or not I would spend it on zoey, but most of us just don't have a few grand to spend no matter how much we would want to. 3. The tpo has to be done at such a yound age that you don't really know if it is neccessary - some dogs have bad xrays but show no pain, while others have decent xrays and exhibit a ton of pain. You don't really know how severe it is until they are older which is one of the reasons many people dont xray until 2 years old. So the tpo may really help your dog, but your dog might have been fine without it.

We chose preventative maintenance as our treatment method. From day one we have monitored her food intake to make sure she is not overweight - the less weight that a dog has on their hips, the better. Also, the slower that an HD dog grows the better their ability to grow into their hips and the better their chances at a pain free life - for this reason, zoey has always been on adult food (puppy food encourages fast growth). You also need to make sure not to let your dog jump, so we use a ramp for the truck and keep her off the bed. Excersize is important to build up the muscles in the hips and legs, but you want to make it low-impact excersize; walking or swimming are best. Finally, jiont medication is really helpful for dogs with hip pain. We used to feed a liquid glucosamine/msm/chondroitin supplement, and have recently switched to cosequin because it is supposed to be the best. Zoey is 15 months now and even though she has a bad week here and there that terrifies me, she is in the most part a happy dog who show little or no pain most of the time.

RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2006, 03:41:54 pm »
posted by lins saving grace
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The breeder who I got my Rott from gave me this bit of advise.  Feeding your dog 1000mg of Vitamin C after the age of 6 months and 500mg (or a half a pill) of Vitamin C with meals helps in preventing Hip Dysplasia.  I also mix their food with yogert (1 tablespoon under 6 months and 2 tablespoons over 6 months) which aids in digestion. Makes them have to out more often...but keeps them healthy!  And that is the important part.


posted by doghealer

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I give Nigel Ester-C every day. It is different from plain Vitamin C... somehow it is absorbed better. I found this article...
http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0039.htm
I'm not sure if this is what you read, but I followed the advice given. I also give him glucosamine. He hasn't shown any signs of hip pain but he has HD in his family so I do what I can to prevent problems.

The thing about C vitamins is that if the body doesn't use them, they are eliminated. A lot of holistic and natural health promoters recommend Ester-C daily to enhance immunity, for people and dogs. It has other benefits besides just for joints.

« Last Edit: November 04, 2006, 05:27:51 pm by shangrila »
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Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2006, 03:45:55 pm »
posted by sc.trojans
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good thing to have them on is Glucosamine - already mentioned by one poster (Cosequin).  Every big dog can use the assistance of all natural glucosamine since they typically lack sufficient amounts of it already in their joints.  As they age, it will only decline (just like us).  The orthopedic surgeons I know argue that every big dog should be on glucosamine starting at 4-5 months and remain on it for life.  My Berner has been on it and she is a year old now - she is the most athletic Berner I have ever seen and I hope it keeps her in top shape.  My Golden, who is dysplastic in both elbows AND has two luxating patellas, has been on it since she was 9 months old.  I know of her joint problems because I had her certified by the OFA at two years of age - this is my only indicator however as she has never limped a day in her life.  Now the OFA can be wrong, and only time will tell - but with both elbows and knees certified as less than stellar, it is unlikely.  In time, she will surely be arthritic but so far, at age 4, she is a highly active jumper and shows no signs.

So the other point here is that a dog can be dysplastic but also be asymptomatic, as in my Golden's case.  If a dog is actually limping, it is a sign that it is severe - or else severe pano (growing pains) and pretty far along.

I would never give my dog Rimadyl...not for anything until they are on their death bed - that is a nasty drug and I have seen too many dogs die from it - be sure to always research the drugs you're given before giving them - as vets today do not provide you with side effects and cautionary sheets like we receive from pharmacists.

If anyone has a dog that is dysplastic or arthritic, I also highly recommend hyaluronic acid - I use Synthovial 7 since it is in liquid form and more readily assimilated - but it has worked wonders on my own stiff knees and I believe my Golden's mobility.  It is naturally occuring in our bodies as well and diminishes as we age - it is attributed to arthritis setting in (as well as wrinkles and loss of vision).  There are natural pain killers out there far safer, and more effective than an ugly drug like Rimadyl - always try them first before resorting to something like that.
RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2006, 03:53:14 pm »
posted by shangrila (me)
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I would suggest you not get xrays right now unless you are considering a TPO surgery. Saints are not full grown until they are 2 years old, and xrays taken now would be preliminary and are not neccessarily an accurate reflection of her full grow hips. But, if you are considering a TPO (should she turn out to be dysplastic), it is important you get the xrays NOW.

Let me step back for a second here: there are two options for treatment of HD: surgery, or prevention/maintenance. If you choose surgery, there are three surgeries: a TPO, which must be done during the main growth stages (under 10 months), a total hip replacement, and an FHO. The TPO can be extremely effective, so if you see yourself considering surgery (if she has dysplacia), then you need to get xrays immediately because a TPO is only a viable option for another month or so.

If you do not see yourself doing surgery, I would not get xrays now. I would deffinately start with a pevention/maintenance routine though regardless of what you choose. A few of the things that you can do to help:

  • maintain a light weight through controlled portions of high quality food coupled with low-impact excersize.
  • Prevent jumping
  • provide comfortable cushioned bedding
  • supplement with a glucosamine/chondrointin/msm supplement

My Saint has HD. She started displaying symptoms very early (4-5 months), and we chose to do xrays. However, we chose not to do  surgery because we did not want to put hr through the pain and it was also prohibitively expensive. Because we did not do surgery and were already implementing prevention/maintenance techniques, our xrays turned out useless because we can't even use them to compare to later xrays once she finishes growing.

RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2006, 03:55:14 pm »
posted by shangrila (me)
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I have not gone through TPO recovery, but to my understanding you will have to crate him to restrict his movement, so you will want comfy bedding and chew toys and treats to keep him happy and comfortable in his crate. Your vet should also be able to give you specific directions for his recovery.

Here is a link to a journal about one dog's TPO recovery: http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Ginohn/cetera/TPO.html
RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2006, 04:02:40 pm »
posted by saint and mal mom
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We had to put my dog Ben down partly because he was in such pain from his hip dysplasia. We gave him glucosamine tablets and aspirin to help with the pain every day. Problem with the aspirin was that after too much use, it can cause the stomach to bleed or other bowel problems. So we quit using it, then the pain came back. Ultimately, nothing helped him because I think the hip dysplasia was so far advanced when we tried to treat it. That's why I started both my dogs now on Glucosamine pills every night since they've been about 7 months old. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If his hd isn't too far advanced, I'd definitely start him on Glucosamine tablets. Ask your vet about the right dosage for him.

RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #12 on: November 04, 2006, 04:05:02 pm »
posted by good hope
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What were the two surgeries that you and the vet discussed?  Was one the triple pelvic osteotomy?  That is the only surgery that I know of that cannot wait past 12 months; others you could do later.  On the other hand, this surgery isn't something you would want to do unless there is moderate to severe hip dysplasia.  If it is just mild, you cannot be 100% certain that the dog isn't in an awkward stage of growth.  I would definitely get a second opinion.

Also, there are at least three different surgeries that can be done for hip dysplasia: the triple pelvic osteotomy, total replacement of the joint (don't know the technical term), and femoral head excision arthroplasty.  There may be others that I don't know about.  Maybe your vet didn't mention one of them because your dog, for whatever reason, is not a good candidate, but it still might be good for you to learn about the different surgeries.  We have a four-year-old American Eskimo rescue with moderate to severe hip dysplasia.  Since she doesn't have any problems other than occasional soreness from cold weather or rough play with the big paws, we aren't doing anything special for her.  We did decide to do the femoral head excision arthroplasty if she ever gets to the point that symptoms indicate that surgery is needed.

There is a wonderful Yahoo group called Orthodogs that deals with all kinds of orthopedic problems, including hip dysplasia.  Many people are on the board to help and have come up with some really creative solutions in regard to different conservative management techniques and physical therapy.  They may also be able to recommend a veterinarian in your area who specializes in orthopedics, if you are interested.  The people in that group can definitely steer you in the right direction in regards to anti-inflammatories, supplements, and nutrition.

Have you considered feeding raw?  There are several members of this board that feed raw (besides ourselves), and some on Orthodogs do too.  I know that there have been threads here about it.

RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #13 on: November 04, 2006, 04:09:16 pm »
posted by krismark
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My dog has HD, and when we got him at about a year old he couldn't walk up the two stairs in my house without assistance. He was in a lot of pain. My vet told me about the surgical options, as well as chiropractic adjustments and accupunture.

I chose the chiro and accupuncture. He had sessions in close proximity at first, then they spread apart. Maybe about ten sessions in all over a period of 6 months. It probably cost me about $500 total.

That was 6 years ago. He is still benefiting from those treatments today. He walks normally and can run and go up stairs without signs of pain. I fully expect him to live a normal life, relatively pain free. Maybe when he is older he will have som problems, but he is already over 6 years old and doing well.

If your dog evver starts showing discomfort in the hips, I would suggest looking fo a holistic vet that does accupuncture and adjustments. Supposedly it has greater benefit and longer lasting results if done early on.
RIP former BPO

Offline shangrila

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Re: Everything you ever wanted to know about Hip Dysplasia
« Reply #14 on: November 04, 2006, 04:12:49 pm »
posted by melissakins

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Something I'd also do is LIGHT exercise, preferably on grass or dirt or sand, not on pavement. Let him swim if he'll swim and let him swim a LOT - the swimming will help him develop muscles in an environment that is not stressful to his developing joints. I'd keep him on a LOW protein diet, give him a nice soft bed to sleep on and take it easy on the playing. Newfs don't finish growing til they're two and have very delicate joints/bones while they're growing. Glucosamine supplements can't hurt either. Human grade is what most of us use who have large breed dogs. Also I'd make sure the vet who sees him knows large breed dogs and can assess joints/hips. His hips will be loose til he's older.

Hip dyplasia is not the end of the world for your pup, fortunately . It can be taken care of with diet/exercise via swimming and supplements and if it's extreme, can be taken care of with surgery. I'd wait til I had a second opinion before I'd do a surgery and see if rest helped. Your vet might also recommend rimadyl for a short period of time to manage pain. Don't use it over long periods of time as it can be damaging though.

Take heart, we've all known someone or are going thru joint issues ourselves with our pups and you'll find a LOT of good advice and find out what's worked for us.
RIP former BPO