Uh-oh... the bunny hop...?

[Kermit]

  I hate to say but I was just watching Samson out in the yard playing, and after a few minutes he started using his hind legs together... like a bunny... like his hips are hurting...
I am worried. Now that I think about it, when he lays down, he is very careful about the way he places his hind legs. He puts them to the side and eases himself down. Now of course I am going to be watching him very closely looking for more signs.
The problem is... he is my foster dog of course, and I just don't know what the rescue group will have to say if I call them and tell them I am worried about Sammy's hips. He has already been in rescue for 7 months. I don't know if they will be willing to do anything for him... they give me Pedigree to feed him... I am just worried. And just now he got up and walked across the room... limping with his back leg.

Does anyone know much about the bunny-hopping gait? Is this a really bad sign?

[newflvr]

I don't think it's good....have you thought about giving him Cosequin?  Rimadyl? Cetyl M?  Sometimes just giving a rimadyl as needed for pain will really help.  Have his hips been checked at all??

I'm sorry you are going through this...and I'm so sorry for Samson!!!

[Kermit]

I don't think it's good....have you thought about giving him Cosequin?  Rimadyl? Cetyl M?  Sometimes just giving a rimadyl as needed for pain will really help.  Have his hips been checked at all??

I'm sorry you are going through this...and I'm so sorry for Samson!!!

I don't think his hips have been checked at all. When he was first turned over to rescue by his former owners, the main concern was that he had heartworms. So first things first, he went through heartworm treatment. Then when he was well, he got neutered. And that was back in September. I haven't been giving him any supplements. It just now dawned on me that he is having trouble. I wonder if there have been subtle signs all along?

I feel so bad for him! I will email the rescue lady and see what she says. I hope she can give me something for him. I just don't know what this will mean for his chances of being adopted! Oh good god he's crying and whimpering right now just laying there!!!

[Kiahpyr]

I'm so sorry for poor Samson!

[newflvr]

This is NOT good.  Please at least get him Rimadyl...long term it is not the best thing, but it will get him out of pain!  It's not a terribly expensive drug, but it will handle the joint pain until you can figure out what to do.  It's amazing stuff, short term!

[shangrila]

I am sorry to hear about Sampson's hips. The bunny hop is deffinately trouble - it was the first sign of Zoey's hip problems too 

[Kermit]

This is NOT good.  Please at least get him Rimadyl...long term it is not the best thing, but it will get him out of pain!  It's not a terribly expensive drug, but it will handle the joint pain until you can figure out what to do.  It's amazing stuff, short term!

Ok thanks for telling me about this! AAAHHHH poor Sammy!!! Can I give him some aspirin right now for tonight??? I have some childrens aspirin! Will that help???

[newflvr]

You can, but look on the internet or someone here might know the dosage.  Do you have an emergency vet you can call to get it?  Also, check out www.canadaphar macy.com to see what their prices are.  I get Cowboy's epilepsy meds from there and it's about 1/3 of the cost of buy it here.

[newflvr]

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[Kermit]

Ok, just heard back from the rescue. She said she will get me some Dermaxx for Sammy tomorrow, and tonight give him 2 baby aspirin. She said she isn't worried yet... he may have just been playing too much like a fool...?

I guess Dermaxx is another brand of Rimadyl-type stuff. Incidentally, it is manufactured by a company my dad works for, Novartis. Weird!

Deep breaths. As of right now Samson just ate dinner and is playing with my cat so maybe he is feeling a little better for the moment.

[enuffpaws]

Oh Rebecca, I am sorry to hear about Sammy' situation. We are very familar with the bunny hop. Strider was diagnosed at 4 months with panosteoitis, and also mild-moderate hip dysplagia. The vets suggested Cosequin, but even over the internet it is very expensive in the doses they wanted him on. Stella found a substitute at Walgreens Drug stores, it is human grade medicine, and only $19.00 for 90 tablets.
Walgreen's Finest
Glucosemine 500mg
Chondroitin 400mg
MSM 166mg

The MSM is a naturally occuring analgesic that has been used for horses for 20 years in Europe, and is supposed to be fantastic.
Strider takes one twice a day, and we have noticed that he hasn't been hopping near as much, and he has only been on it about a week. It may be a cheaper long term alternative for Sammy.
Good luck.
Dale and Stella
Modified to add: Most importantly, since it is all naturally occuring suppliments, it will not hurt him if his hopping is merely a short term injury and not a true hip problem, and less hard on his system than Rimadyl for long term use.

[roxygirl]

I had a foster dog (Mastiff) that did the bunny hop and he ended up having a torn ACL. He bunny hopped and then started limping. I would give him some time to see if he starts to feel better and then make a decision. Best of luck and please keep us posted.
Kim

[Lyn]

Sorry to hear about Sampson's hips.

I have a question about the 'bunny hop'. I've read lots about HD but they don't really describe it. The reason I ask it that Bubba does use both back legs when he's doing the 'zoomies' and running really fast around the yard. But when he begins to slow down he goes back to using both back legs normally. I'm just confused I guess.. I'm not sure whether Bubba is showing signs of HD or if what he's doing is normal??

[Mom2Sadie]

This is NOT good.  Please at least get him Rimadyl...long term it is not the best thing, but it will get him out of pain!  It's not a terribly expensive drug, but it will handle the joint pain until you can figure out what to do.  It's amazing stuff, short term!

Ok thanks for telling me about this! AAAHHHH poor Sammy!!! Can I give him some aspirin right now for tonight??? I have some childrens aspirin! Will that help???

You've probably already got this figured out, but just in case. My parents GSD has horrific hip dysplasia. When he's really sore they give him Bufferin and it works wonders. They just give him one pill I think and he's 150 pounds so he's probably a similar weight to your guy. Poor Samson! Hope he's feeling better today.