# Need recomendation for bed for 3year female with signs of early hip dysplasia...



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

I'm new to this community...I was looking for help for Zellie's hip pain and came across this forum. Hopefully you can help me out! Right now, our vet said b/c she's a bit over weight it's hard to tell if it's all attributed to the weight or early hip dysplasia....either way I want to get her a new bed that will at least help alleviate some of the pain when she rests...also any "cures" or other preventive ideas would be appreciated...not opposed to alternative med....we looked at many different options for my 4year old male, Major, when he had "uncurable" allergies as a pup to keep from giving up on him and finally found something that worked! He's now a happy, healthy, loving, 120 pound baby! Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks! 

(Zellie is overweight b/c my bf's in the army training and my current roommates are uncomfortable with GSDs...so Zellie is having to stay at bf's parents'...they love to feed her to show love...I'll be in a new living situation in a couple of months and can take Zellie back, so I'll get her diet in check then!) :hug:


----------



## RogueRed26 (Jul 15, 2010)

I have heard of ortho pedic beds that have foam and springs to give comfort. I would look into purchasing one. You can even possibly check one out at petsmart and see if she likes it.


----------



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

ChiroBed

This is the bed we are getting for our girl (should be delivered in a week!) with severe HD. You can also ask your vet if she should be on supplements. We use Glycoflex 3 for Rosa.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

My gal has severe HD and has a cheap wally world bed - does fine

But weight weight weight it HAS to come off and keeping those rear leg muscles strong are both paramount.

She was 3 at diagnosis and is 8 now with no problems. no surgery. no drugs.


----------



## Metalsmith (Mar 25, 2009)

Does your girl like to swim? Do you have a decent sized body of water somewhere close to you? Swimming is a fantastic low impact excercise for strengthening rear leg muscles.


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Thank you all for your help!!! 

Sarah, yes, there is a pond across the road from bf's parents'...however Zellie just likes to wade in and jump out  She does love the pool though...now that's it's getting warmer I'll try to get her in the pool more for a bit of fun exercise!

Nancy, Thanks for the encouragement! I'm hoping as soon as she starts losing weight we'll be able to see an improvment! She's such a happy little goofball!

Leah, THANKS so much for the link! I'll ask her vet about the bed and the supplements...my brother works at her vet's office...I'll get him to ask her vet today or tomorrow. I'll let you know what he recommends for her then! 

Texas Lone Star Ranger, Thanks for the recommendation! Zellie is slightly spoiled  and might like her new bed better if she got to help pick it out! I'll take her to look around before we make a final decision!


----------



## kiya (May 3, 2010)

That Chirobed is nice but its expensive. I get foam pads for a double bed and fold it in half, wrap a blanket around it then put a sheet on top for easy cleaning. Great bed about $20.


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

what do you mean by early signs. Are you talking about a low grade , borderline , grade one. Those should not handicap a dog. Get the dog up and moving, even if you have to put her on a treadmill and have her walk a slow pace. 120 pounds for GSD is not a good weight, pardon me for saying so.

Get her off feeds with grains which are higher in pro inflammatory omega 6 , Supplement with fish oil - DHA / EPA , omega 3 high .

Put her on supplement that has high value ORAC , anti oxidant , anti inflammatory.

Walking gets endorphins flowing and that is a pain reliever.

Do an x ray to see what the problem is , how much remodeling or arthritis you have.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

We spent the money to go to an orthopedic vet and a canine physcial therapist to help me set up a routine.

Walking uphill or wading in chest high water are both better than swimming per the rehab person. We have serious remodeling (sockets flanged, femoral heads look like mushrooms). We were discouraged from serious jumping and immediately retired her from SAR. They would rather me NOT throw balls with her and I do throw them more in a way she has to hunt for them than just chase them pell mell and I don't want her making sharp turns, but I would rather let her play hard and wear out quicker and maybe put her to sleep earlier than make her a miserable couch potato dog when she is not that kind of dog. It must be working - like I said the little stinker is 8 and other than looking like a pogo stick when she runs seems just fine.

I think different dogs are different. The vets take was he sees many more dogs suffering and PTS with DM and spondylosis than bad hips.

We do feed grain free food. Do give omega 3s (good grade of fish oil). We really did not see any difference with glucosamine supplements so quit.

NOTE: Strong rear leg muscles help keep the femoral head seated in the socket. The more it bangs around the greater the remodeling and damange - it is absolutely important to keep the rear drive STRONG and will help later as most really old dogs I have seen eventually start to loose muscle mass on the back leg and compensate eith the front ones.


----------



## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Not really an answer to your question, but have you at least x-rayed her hips to see if that's even her problem? The cost of a good ortho bed probably costs as much as finding out if her hips are even the problem.

I'd start with finding out the route of her issues and go from there. If the x-rays show HD, then you can start with making her life more comfortable through supplements and beds. 

If it's not HD, work on getting that weight off. I think x-rays would be the place to start if you haven't done that already.


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Carmen, Thank you for your advice. I will look into a supplement and we are waiting to do an x-ray until we work off some of this weight...I don't want her diagnosed with something I can fix with weight loss...she is actually pretty active, however bf's parents are older and not as active as a young gsd needs which is why she's moving back with me in May. They do feed her well though and we try to make sure they have the food we prefer to feed her, Science Diet, Healthy Mobility...just they feed her too much..they mean well, but she would do better with me and that's why I'm taking her in May.

Also, Zellie does not weigh 120 lbs. She weighs about 80 lbs...She also was an emergency adoption, and the runt of a litter that all died except for her. (Her mother died when she was 4 weeks due to heat stroke) She has been very well taken care of. It's just now that she has pushed a bit over her weight/fat limit for her body frame.

Major, my 4 year old male does weigh about 120. He IS healthy. He is extremely large (height and length) for a GSD. This is due to his pedigree...His mother was a show dog from Germany and his paternal grandparents are both show dogs from Germany. His father was a show dog turned service dog trainer. He is NOT overweight for his body type; his "excessive" weight is due to the fact that he is basically all muscle...not much anything else. We feed him Science Diet, Sensitive Skin twice a day in small portions and he is free to run and play the rest of the day. He is extremely active and he runs every night with my brother for at least 3 miles. Thank you for your concern, however there is no way I would let Zellie's body frame EVER attempt to support 120 lbs...dogs are just like people...the overall weight does not deem what is healthy. Rather the type of body frame, and muscle/fat ratio is what you should look at to determine a healthy dog. Every dog even within breeds will vary. All are unique.

Zellie has been examined as of last Wednesday, as I said we are unsure if it's all due to the weight that she as recently put on or not...working on the weight before we do anything else....her ideal weight would be around 70 lbs (with most of that being muscle not fat)


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Paul, thank you for your advice as well! We are putting off getting her x-ray until probably July. After I've had a chance to work with her and work off that weight. I know the orthopedic beds can be expensive, however even if she doesn't have hd I'd like for her to be comfortable if she's in pain...thank you for trying to save me the cash! I know I always need that! We are looking at all options before I make a decision though! Thanks!


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Nancy, Thank you for all of your thoughtful advice and sharing so candidly! You sound like you've been there, done that! I'm glad to know that your little girl is doing so well at eight! Zellie, loves to wade in the pond about chest high and chase a tennis ball! She's been so pampered that I'm not sure she actually can jump! Ok, I take that back...she'll jump in my bed, or jump to catch a ball, however when we take her for a ride in the back of the truck...she has NEVER jumped in! Bf spoiled her as pup and young dog with picking her up and putting her wherever she wanted, so now she will just stand and look at us and somebody has to pick her up for the 3 foot jump still! 

She used to be pretty active...last February bf and Zellie hiked the AT together! She was cleared by our vet and put on supplement and a special diet before she went and for during the 4 month trip (pretty fast pace)...she did great and never showed any signs of pain...so you can see why the sudden lack of the exercise she's used to and sudden weight gain and pain have us a little worried....I really appreciate you sharring and I'll start trying out some of what you've recommended for your own dog with Zellie! Thanks!


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Carolyn, If she gets better with the weight loss or her doc says she doesn't need an orthopedic I will definately see if she'll try your idea! Thanks for the $ saver!!!


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

My brother talked to our vet yesterday and ordered some Glyco-Flex I for Zellie and bf called his parents after we talked and just polietly asked if he needed to send more money for her food. His parents said they fine, so he asked what type of food they were buying...his Dad said it was Purina...we like some of the Purina's don't get me wrong, but with Zellie's weight gain and recent pain, we want to make sure she's getting the best for her. So bf asked if he sent more money if they would buy Science Diet, Adult Light and Healthy Mobility, and give her just 2 cans(1 of each) in the morning and (only if she finishes her food from the morning) 2 cans at night. That's equal to about 8 cups a day...We're going to give that to her along with with Glyco-Flex I for about a month along with my brother taking her for a run/walk every other day and see how she does. After her check-up if she's still in pain I'm going to revisit the different beds again (her current bed is an old sofa cushion that she rarely uses...she'd rather sleep in a hole she dug out in the yard! ) Thank you all for your help! Hopefully this will correct any problems and dismiss any need for a hd diagnosis! I'll keep you posted on her progress! Thank you!


----------



## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Just so you know... Science diet is definitely not a quality food. It's actually one of the most overpriced with the worst ingredients foods on the market. It's literally bottom of the barrel type food - very poor quality.

And you're giving how many cups of food a day? Did I read that correctly... 8 cups of food per day for an overweight dog?! Wayyyyy too much food. Are you only feeding canned stuff? What about dry kibble?


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Hey Paul, I guess the reason we choose Science Diet is b/c my other gsd, Major, has had such an amazing success story with it..his skin was raw, red, and bleeding b/c of allergies and SD is the only brand he can eat now...if we switch him (and trust me we've tried) his skin flares up again..kinda caught there 

What do you recommend for Zellie then? We do feed her dry kibble...I say "cans" b/c that's the type of scoops we use...it rounds out to 6-8 cups a day roughly I suppose...it is a lot less than she's been getting...his parents just fill up a shallow (3 in high, 11inch long, 6inch wide) tub and let her graze through out the day...so it's a lot less than that and at least she's not constantly grazing...last time i was home I went by to play and after we would run and play for a while she would try to go to her food dish...i kept having to redirect her to her water dish...I know thrist and hunger are easly confused :crazy:...I guess I don't know if it would be better to step her down slowly or do a dramatic change all at once...what do you think?


----------



## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

6-8 cups of food is way too much food no matter what the brand is. No wonder she's so overweight eating that much food. You need to seriously cut down her food intake right away.

There are plenty of quality kibbles out there. I guess it just depends on what's available to you. Some brands I'd recommend are orijen, acana, wellness, and blue buffalo to name a few. There are a few other good brands, I just can't think of them off the top of my head.

I feed Lucy orijen and she gets about 3 cups per day to put things in perspective. Three cups per day is plenty.

My general rule is if you can find the food in the supermarket, gas station, or cvs/walgreens type store, it's crap. Science Diet has some pretty piss poor ingredients and would be an absolute last resort brand for me if nothing else worked.


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks! I'm heading out to Petco and we have an all organic/raw shop here town called Wellspring...it's local but they make sure they carry quality...i'll go check out they're selections! Zellie's going to whine about the food decrease, but hopefully she'll adjust soon enough! Thanks for all your help!


----------



## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Disclaimer - I helped to take some pictures for this website and got a "seconds" bed for that - and the owner also gave me another bed when my Ava recently had a liver tumor removal:
Dog Beds - Memory Foam Dog Beds - Moon Dog Mattresses 

They are expensive BUT - amazing comfortable for my dogs and convenient for me with the zip off covers for washing. Organic cotton and wool. 

Right now I have my foster - who has some pretty bad ortho issues - on it and I swear she's got a spring in her step. She also won't move from it. :rofl:


----------



## Zellie&Major (Mar 21, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN, Thank you for the link! They are a bit out my price range, however they look and seem so nice! I think for my wallet's sanity though I'm going to have to wait on that one! If Zellie's condition doesn't improve, I'll revisit this again to see what I can do...if you hear of any sweet deals that I could get I'd love to hear about them! Thanks so much!


----------



## Fluffypants (Aug 31, 2003)

I was actually... just looking at these two beds... they are orthopedic and shipping is free. Dr. Fosters. They also got really good reviews.

One is on clearance $139.00 - not the best colors and the other is $199.00 and nicer colors. I think they are identical beds. I thought $139 was a pretty good price with free shipping for this kind of bed.

$139.00 for the xlarge
Orthopedic Dog Bed | DrsFosterSmith.com


$199.00 for the xlarge

Orthopedic Dog Bed | DrsFosterSmith.com

I may get one!

Tanja


----------



## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

I've got a 4 year old dog with Severe HD in one remaining hips (was Moderate/Severe one each hip, so we replaced the severe one and now the moderate one has become severe). Given the surgery was just over a year ago, we're not ready to do that again (maybe never). So, we are exploring the following with our holistic vet:

EPA fish oil - 1600-2000mg per day
Vitamin C - 750-1000mg per day
Glycoflex III - 2 soft chews daily
Zeel tablets (in liquid form, 3 tabs to 2 oz water, disolved, 1 ml 3x a day...lastsz forever)
DGP (Dog gone pain) - used effectively for about a year after initial diagnosis and recently stopped due to the addition of the fish oil and vit c.

Just started chiropractic a month ago to help align her spine and we're starting already to see improvements (yeah!)

As for the water activities. I always thought the swimming was great for HD too, but just last week, I was informed by our vet that swimming in a body of water is great for them, but it works the front legs much more than the back legs (plus, getting out of the water can stress the hips going from weightless to full weight). She actually recommends we try the water treadmil therapy which teaches the dog to use the hind legs and stretch them as far back as possible (with pain, they tend to restrict movement, etc.)

She is very active and on the days she has more pain, she gets shorter, but more frequent walking (averages 2-2.5 miles twice daily, longer single walks on weekends). She does not have any special bed, just one we got at Costco and doesn't seem to effect her at all.


----------

