Author Topic: Just found out about bad hips  (Read 7779 times)

Offline iluvbigdogz

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Just found out about bad hips
« on: November 12, 2005, 08:03:25 pm »
I just took Busa to the vet for a yeast infection in his ear. He will be 2 in December.  I told her I thought he had bad hips because he has always been pretty inactive, he has never jumped up, he won't go upstairs without almost falling etc... she did a test by sitting behind him and kind of supporting him and moved his leg a certain way. He immediatly turned his head very fast towards her. She did both sides and he acted the same way. She said he acts as if his hip area is very sore. She said she can see by the way he stands. His back legs are very straight and his toes are splayed. Anyway, he weighs 131 lbs. She said he needs to lose some weight. She said I would actually like to see him a little too thin. She told me to mix 1 cup of safflower oil and 1/4 cup flaxseed oil and add 5 tsp to his food a day. I was feeding him 4 cups of Nutro weight mgmt. a day. I am now feeding him 3 cups of Nutro weight mgmt a day and the oils. Anybody else heard of this therapy? Any other ideas? Thanks!

henrysmomma

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2005, 08:04:59 pm »
I have never heard of it, but I do hope Busa feels better.


Rose

Offline Jessdryden

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2005, 08:11:59 pm »
Poor Busa!  I hope the new food/diet helps.

Offline newflvr

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2005, 08:22:47 pm »
I haven't heard of it either...but I hope it does the trick!  Maybe he'd like to swim?  It might build muscle and  help him lose weight.  Good luck!

Offline Senghe

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2005, 09:50:03 pm »
Sorry to hear that Busa has bad hips. They must be pretty bad too if it's physically that obvious to look at. I recently rescued a Neo who was 'directing' the traffic in front of my house. He had a back end just like that and I think his knees were bad too by the way they bent forward, poor thing.

I think the oils are for their anti-inflammatory properties and will make him feel less sore after a while. Another good thing to try is glucosamine. Just use the human versions or if you have a local feed store or similar, the horse versions may be cheaper and just as effective. It can help build cartilage and also has an anti-inflammatory effect after a few weeks use. I've used it in the past and had great results on dogs with joint pain. If that doesn't work after a few months, it's worth trying chondritin or MSM as one will work for some people/animals but not others. they can also be used in combination.

Whoever mentioned swimming - that is an excellent idea as it's non weight bearing and should build his muscles up, making it easier for him to get about. I'd reccomend seeking out a specialist canine hydrotherapy pool, though.

Offline hugo~monster

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2005, 10:20:47 pm »
the oils are used to help repair and bebuild the muscle/skeletal system.  you can also use borage and salmon oils.  i took the following from a website about bad hips in dogs. 

"Keep your dog light and lean. Excess weight can put even more strain on the already sore joints. Keep your dog a bit lighter than maybe what you think he/she should weigh.

Ample exercise. Walks and swimming are 2 great exercises for dogs with hip problems. Catching Frisbees and tearing around retrieving are NOT good ideas.

Massages seem to help lots too, as well as improving blood flow to the area and helping sore muscles. Try this essential oil rub with the massage. Try to rub down to the skin, and if the dog licks it off later that is ok too:) Take 2 drops of lavender oil, 3 drops ginger oil, 4 drops rosemary oil and dilute in 30 ml vegetable oil. This rub can be used on any affected joints. Caution - rosemary oil can induce seizures in seizure-prone animals. And you always want to get the highest quality oils - ones without synthetic ingredients. Never use essential oils on cats or around birds.

Supplements. Below are a list of supplements that have either proven to help dysplasia or haven't been proven to help but may (anecdotal) -

Cosequin*

Adequan*

Yucca*

Glycoflex

MSM

S.O.D.

shark cartilage

glucosamine

Chondriotin sulfates

Manganese Ascorbate

Acupuncture/Acupressure

Chiropractic

Gelatin*

Vitamin C*

Flaxseed*

DMSO

gold bead insertion

Bromelaine

Evening Primrose oil

Vitamin E*

Vitamins A and D - such as in cod liver oil*

Hokamix

Cetyl Myristoleate

Golden Treat (brand)

Magnetic therapy

Fish oil (different than cod liver oil)*

The flower essence Ocotillo, available at http://www.medicinegarden.com

Joint Rescue, a supplement from the vitamin shoppe http://www.vitaminshoppe.com

A nice warm and padded area to lie in is important also in pain management.

Some pain relievers, such as aspirin, Rimadyl, etc. have been used in the past for treating pain due to dysplasia. I do not recommend any allopathic pain relievers, because of the negative side effects. There are specific homeopathic pain relievers that your homeopathic veterinarian can recommend, as well as specific Chinese herbs. It really depends on the individual animal.

As you may or may not know, I advocate a natural diet for cats and dogs. I believe that this can help with preventing dysplasia as well as keeping the animal healthier so that dysplasia doesn't hinder the dog's movements. The biggest single improvement on Tabasco's hip dysplasia was definitely the switch to a natural way of feeding. If you are interested in learning more about feeding naturally, please let me know and I will send to you my INTRO to BARF (Bones And Raw Food).

Avoiding all members of the nightshade family - potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant - can really help too, as sometimes they aggravate arthritic conditions."


hope he gets along well with this.  he is a beautiful boy!
~SHELLIE & HUGO~

Offline newflvr

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2005, 12:20:05 am »
This is the product that Cowboy's breeder recommends for all her dogs and I used it for Cowboy when we first got him.  He has arthritis in this elbows from the previous owner jumping him at too young an age.  Is it effective?  When we first got him, he was limping and after a couple of months on this product,  he hasn't limped since.  As soon as we finish the present order of Cosequin, I'm going to put both Cowboy and Chester on it to prevent problems down the road.
Cetyl Mâ„¢
(formerly Joint Response)
Advanced Joint Supplement with
Cetyl Myristoleate
for Pets with Joint Problems
You can look up Cetyl Myristoleate on line to get all the info.  It's available from www.katiesbump ers.com

Offline iluvbigdogz

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2005, 02:24:00 pm »
You al have such great advice. Busa hates the water so swimming is probably out. I would like to know more about the raw food thing. I have printed all this info as it seems very helpful. Thanks again.

Offline Carolyn

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2005, 02:26:52 pm »
Sorry to hear Busa has bad hips, I would get xrays done so you know exactly what your dealing with as far as severity. Good luck.
Carolyn
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Offline 2dobies

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2005, 02:33:48 pm »
I've been wondering about Darmok, too.  She doesn't limp or favor either of her hips, but after she's been asleep for a while, when she wakes up, she limps like her left front shoulder is hurting.  Sometimes to the point of lifting up her left foot and not putting weight on it.  But she usually just does that for a minute or two.  After she's moved around a little, she doesn't limp at all.  The last time I had her at the vet (for shot updates) he felt both her shoulders to see if he could feel a difference in the right and left, and sais "she seems ok", but she wasn't limping that day, anyway.  Could be just a muscle thing? Arthritis?  I have no idea, but it is bugging me.  Anyone else seen this shoulder 'limp' with their dog? She is overweight, too, and I need to trim her down some.
Paul
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Kiahpyr

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2005, 03:55:01 pm »
Poor Busa! I hope the oils and the new diet help. I supplement Kiah's food with glucosamine/chondoirtin/msn complex.

Offline GrumpyBunny

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2005, 04:07:55 pm »
I've been wondering about Darmok, too.  She doesn't limp or favor either of her hips, but after she's been asleep for a while, when she wakes up, she limps like her left front shoulder is hurting.  Sometimes to the point of lifting up her left foot and not putting weight on it.  But she usually just does that for a minute or two.  After she's moved around a little, she doesn't limp at all.  The last time I had her at the vet (for shot updates) he felt both her shoulders to see if he could feel a difference in the right and left, and sais "she seems ok", but she wasn't limping that day, anyway.  Could be just a muscle thing? Arthritis?  I have no idea, but it is bugging me.  Anyone else seen this shoulder 'limp' with their dog? She is overweight, too, and I need to trim her down some.
Paul
The only time I have seen Ranger do something like that is right after he wakes up from a nap.  He might hop a step or two with his leg lifted up (never the same leg), and then a step or two later he is fine.  I swear I really think his leg just went to sleep and he has "pins and needles", just like we do.   :)
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Offline Pyr1

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2005, 12:29:09 am »
 :(
Just came back from the Vet who removed teeth and cleaned up the rest(very upset about the removal) and a benign cyst(from the paw).  He says my 8yo is in good shape for his age but the hips are showing some wear. He is recommending one of these three one of the following Aritrimax, Synovi MSM or Synovi G3 claiming that purity is the key. Anyone know of the best  Glucosamine and the place to get it?
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Offline newflvr

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Re: Just found out about bad hips
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2005, 12:37:24 am »
Look at www.katiesbump ers.com and the product:
 Cetyl Mâ„¢
(formerly Joint Response)
Advanced Joint Supplement with
Cetyl Myristoleate

It seems to be a wonderful product for the giant breeds.  I've used it for Cowboy who came to us, at 18 months, limping  and his breeder suggested I use this.  He hasn't limped since.  There's a lot on the internet about this product and it looks like it does just what is supposed to do.  Good luck!