# 1 Year old with Hip Dysplasia..wanting to avoid surgery



## Jmcgreggor

My 1 year old German Shepherd, Belgium Malinois mix? (he was rescued so not 100% sure) was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia when he was 6 months old.Penn Hip test put him in the 10th percentile. We started a glucosamine and chondroitin regimen using cosequin. I was wondering if anyone else had any suggestions? He is getting stiff in the hips after playing . We are trying to avoid surgery as much as we can. 

I have heard about fish oil, ester C, massage therapy, etc. How do you guys feel about those? 

I would LOVE any suggestions or products that you may use. My vet isn't big on natural remedies.

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## NancyJ

Definite on the fish oil but if he was diagnosed as severe at 6 months old AND has symptoms.....wouldnt he be a good candiate for FHO given his size (relatively light and lean)


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## Jmcgreggor

*Hip Dysplasia- hoping someone with senior dogs can give suggestions on natural help*

I know this may be the wrong room for this but I figured that a lot of you with senior dogs are dealing with the same struggle as I am, but my pup is only a year old. He was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 6 months old. Penn Hip test put him in the 10th percentile. We are doing everything we can to keep him away from surgery. We have him on Cosequin right now but we gotta make some changes. He is getting stiff after long bouts. 

anyone have any experience with fish oil...vitamin c?

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## NancyJ

You don't need to duplicate post Most will read the post you already entered and respond there. Plus what you may do for a senior dog may be drastically different than a young dog. 

At 9-10 years old, I may be concerned about comfort for a year or two and give drugs that could cause long term liver and kidney damange; something I would not consider for a younger dog.


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## GsdLoverr729

Fish oil is a definite. My mother's lab mix has hd and it helps when someone massages his hindlegs and rump.


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> Definite on the fish oil but if he was diagnosed as severe at 6 months old AND has symptoms.....wouldnt he be a good candiate for FHO given his size (relatively light and lean)



Our orthopedic specialist is having us wait. He is showing symptoms but doesnt appear to be in pain. Just stiff when walking which clears up in a few hours. I had asked her about the remedies and she said it would be a good diea but she didn't really have much info about them.


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## GsdLoverr729

Like I said on your other post, massaging his hindlegs and rump area may help a little bit.


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> You don't need to duplicate post Most will read the post you already entered and respond there. Plus what you may do for a senior dog may be drastically different than a young dog.
> 
> At 9-10 years old, I may be concerned about comfort for a year or two and give drugs that could cause long term liver and kidney damange; something I would not consider for a younger dog.



I'm sorry. I'm still new and was just trying to find out as much info as I could.


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## Jmcgreggor

GsdLoverr729 said:


> Fish oil is a definite. My mother's lab mix has hd and it helps when someone massages his hindlegs and rump.



do you know what type of oil? reg or salmon?


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## GsdLoverr729

I am not sure. I'm sure that one of the other members would be able to help more.


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## NancyJ

Ok some helpful things:

Keep the mucles in the back strong. Walking him uphills and in chest high water is best.

Range of motion excercises are good to keep that joint moving as well as possible. If there is a doggie physical therapist within a decent drive it would be worth an appointment for them to show you what all to do based on his condition.

I also give turmeric 1000mg a day to my senior dog and 500mg to the older puppy ..... the old guy has some back arthritis but I am unaware if the young one has any ortho issues yet. Need to get him x-rayed for prelims at some point.

Vitamin C, Ester C - I am no expert on this one, maybe someone else can chime in with a good dose. I would start at 500mg a day...but with a young dog I am a bit hesitant with vitamin C and concerns about bone remodeling. Ask the vet about that one.

I give Grizzly Salmon Oil and Vitamin E (D form, not DL) 400mg daily. For the Salmon Oil the bottle has the number of pumps to give.

For the glucosamine, I like glucosamine + MSM. I give actiflex 4000, and calculated the level based on the glycoflex iii dosage. But cosequin is definitely good stuff but high dollar. I have heard dogs really do wonders with injections 

Keep him lean and muscled. No jumping and avoid sharp turns on runs. They told me not to run my dysplastic female but I think it helped her because they were graded severe and never gave her any trouble till the day she died.

The other thing I would do is see if there is a holistic vet near you. My old guy is having some spinal issues and they are doing acupuncture and cold laser therapy and it really seems to help him.


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## Jax08

How about laser therapy? You are in CA so instead of running or high impact, how about swimming?


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> Ok some helpful things:
> 
> Keep the mucles in the back strong. Walking him uphills and in chest high water is best.
> 
> Range of motion excercises are good to keep that joint moving as well as possible. If there is a doggie physical therapist within a decent drive it would be worth an appointment for them to show you what all to do based on his condition.
> 
> I also give turmeric 1000mg a day to my senior dog and 500mg to the older puppy ..... the old guy has some back arthritis but I am unaware if the young one has any ortho issues yet. Need to get him x-rayed for prelims at some point.
> 
> Vitamin C, Ester C - I am no expert on this one, maybe someone else can chime in with a good dose. I would start at 500mg a day...but with a young dog I am a bit hesitant with vitamin C and concerns about bone remodeling. Ask the vet about that one.
> 
> I give Grizzly Salmon Oil and Vitamin E (D form, not DL) 400mg daily. For the Salmon Oil the bottle has the number of pumps to give.
> 
> For the glucosamine, I like glucosamine + MSM. I give actiflex 4000, and calculated the level based on the glycoflex iii dosage. But cosequin is definitely good stuff but high dollar. I have heard dogs really do wonders with injections
> 
> Keep him lean and muscled. No jumping and avoid sharp turns on runs. They told me not to run my dysplastic female but I think it helped her because they were graded severe and never gave her any trouble till the day she died.
> 
> The other thing I would do is see if there is a holistic vet near you. My old guy is having some spinal issues and they are doing acupuncture and cold laser therapy and it really seems to help him.




This was super helpful! You basically have your dogs on the things I was looking into. Reading something on Google and actually hearing someone use them and have good results are two completely different things. Hearing your girl do so well for so many years gives me hope. I never thought about the ester c and growth. That's def a good topic. I have heard about studie with ester c on pups to stop hip dysplasia in its tracks. I'm really liking the fish oil idea but worried about the vitamin e. Hopefully my vet would know a dose because wouldn't it be similar to giving fish oil for his skin/coat? Or are you giving a higher dose? 

How do you feel about orthopedic beds? Our boy does sit on the couch with us but I think that's done. I'm worried even about that one foot hop up there. 

Thank you so so so much for taking the time to write me back. I love this dog with all my being and I know I have a very tough road ahead of me but he is worth the tears.


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## Jmcgreggor

Jax08 said:


> How about laser therapy? You are in CA so instead of running or high impact, how about swimming?


Laser therapy?


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## NancyJ

It is like a diode laser they hold and it penetrates deep. I can tell a difference after the laser and acupuncture treatments for my old guy. His hips have no trouble, just the spine and some neurological issues though.

The vitamin E is necessary if you give fish oil as metabolizing the fish oil depletes the body's stores of Vitamin E. You don't want to go wild and crazy with this stuff - because fish oil can also impain blood clotting so the recommendations on the bottle are what I use. the 400mg I have done for years on the Vit E as, I am sure, many have.

Swimming is good but the rehab PT lady told me it can cause too much hyperextension and not really work the leg muscles as well as walking in chest deep water. I am certain you have them in California! They also have water treadmills that are wonderful but that can add up both in time and money. The water takes some of the load off of the joints........

I can't stress how much my trip helped me come up with a program for my dog. She passed away a few months ago at 9 from an unrelated cancer but she was still chasing balls the day before she died.


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## Jax08

diode - that's what my chiropractor called it today.  I'm using it for my herniated disk in my neck. They seem happy with the progress in just a couple of weeks. 

So walking in the water is better? I'll remember that. Thanks Nancy!


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

OUCH! Acti-Flex K9 website hurts my eyes - do you use the dog version Nancy? 

How long does it last for two dogs? 

Sorry, OP! I am curious about that, too!

I have 4 dogs with HD, 3 mild and one who was severe enough for the FHO (she is 47#, mix) and that worked well for her. Keeping those hind legs muscled really does help. I am lucky in that 2 of my 3 mild are BC mixes and have very muscular hind legs! My GSD...she likes to lounge. :wub: 

I use a lot of the same things. I do Springtime Joint, and am going to start rotating joint supplements because I swear I saw something that supports that idea. I use fish oils, and am rotating those too. Have used the Springtime 3-6-9 and also have used their Fresh Factors. 

When my GSD had an incident with her back she went to PT and did underwater treadmill, the deep ultrasound thing (I was totally jealous because I had done that when I hurt my knee and it is awesome) and laser. I did see an improvement, but the place is over an hour away and she hates to ride, so it's more like 2 days for us, according to the theory of relativity. 

A local vet is starting acupuncture and I am wondering about that, but for her, I think just getting her to move more would help - and it's not a pain thing, she's always been mellow. 

One thing I am always curious about and would love to try is the stem cell therapy. But afraid to do it because if it didn't work, ouch $.


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## NancyJ

I use the horse version. It is the same stuff. The dog stuff is just diluted horse stuff. Oh gosh it lasts a long time. figure 7ml is about 1/4 ounce.....and 7ml is one dog per day at 1500mg I think....

I ACTUALLY I use an old Grizzly Salmon Oil pump! I measured several doses into a scale and it was just a bit less so one squirt twice a day.

I did just today add GLA in the form of Evening Primrose Oil to my supplements to get that Omega 9 in there. Not much.


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> It is like a diode laser they hold and it penetrates deep. I can tell a difference after the laser and acupuncture treatments for my old guy. His hips have no trouble, just the spine and some neurological issues though.
> 
> The vitamin E is necessary if you give fish oil as metabolizing the fish oil depletes the body's stores of Vitamin E. You don't want to go wild and crazy with this stuff - because fish oil can also impain blood clotting so the recommendations on the bottle are what I use. the 400mg I have done for years on the Vit E as, I am sure, many have.
> 
> Swimming is good but the rehab PT lady told me it can cause too much hyperextension and not really work the leg muscles as well as walking in chest deep water. I am certain you have them in California! They also have water treadmills that are wonderful but that can add up both in time and money. The water takes some of the load off of the joints........
> 
> I can't stress how much my trip helped me come up with a program for my dog. She passed away a few months ago at 9 from an unrelated cancer but she was still chasing balls the day before she died.


I am so so sorry for your loss. you sound like you were an amazing parent to her. I lost my last dog to cancer also. That was tough. Told myself I'd never get another dog.. two years later....8 week old puppy stealing underwear running through the house. 

I'm going to look into the fish oil the more I think about it. I think our specialty center out here offers the water therapy too. I need to find out what type and how much. I take him on 30 minute walks cause I don't wanna push him. A nice portion of the walk is through grass around a park. Should I make the walk longer? Just so afraid to make him sore. 


Speaking of pups, I've gotta share a puppy picture to brighten the mood

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## NancyJ

Aww what a cute picture. I saw the other pix; handsome boy. Someone who sees him could comment more on the walks. UPHILL that is good - 30 minutes never seemed to bother my gal, Cyra, but all dogs are different. Let him tell you. The only time she ever got stiff was when the weather was cold and wet and I did give her metacam some towards the end.


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> Aww what a cute picture. I saw the other pix; handsome boy. Someone who sees him could comment more on the walks. UPHILL that is good - 30 minutes never seemed to bother my gal, Cyra, but all dogs are different. Let him tell you. The only time she ever got stiff was when the weather was cold and wet and I did give her metacam some towards the end.



He still gets the puppy crazy where he races around the back yard like a crazed maniac. I stop him as fast as I can but that's when he gets stiff and with the cold. He never seems bothered by it. Plays with our other dog, sleeps and eats normally, never licks his hips or pays mind attention to them. Just walks like an old man from time to time. My hopes are that he isn't in.pain because it doesn't seem that way. The vet gave us Tramadol to help on the super stiff says. she didn't want to start on any anti inflammories which I guess is a good sign. My plan and fight is to get him.out of that stiff stage and stop any progression as much as possible.


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## NancyJ

The turmeric is a natural anti-ifnlamatorry. Actually it is full of natural cox-2 inhibitors like metacam. but does not appear to cause the liver damage

Of course with any medicine, holistic or not. I would consult with a vet.

WHFoods: Turmeric

Good for your vet not wanting to start anti-inflammatories yet. If you use them regularly you need semi-annual blood tests.


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## NancyJ

Oh, while we are on the topic.

My other older dog, Grim*, lost a lot of rear muslce mass due to a lot of forced crate rest with a back issue as well as a series of other events such as a broken toe, being neutered due to enlarged prostate, then a skin infection due to another injury. With the vets blessing we are doing the following *every OTHER day (think weight training).* I can tell a visible difference in the muscles over his hips.


Walk in hilly area - right now just 1 mile but slowly adding distance
Sit to Stand I do sit back up a step, then come then sit repeat 10-15 times
I also put treats on my deck rail and have him counter-surf to get them.
*Grim's nickname is kamikaze dog, BTW.


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## JakodaCD OA

I would also seek out a Canine Therapist, laser, water therapy may help him, you want to build up good muscle tone..


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## NancyJ

100% in agreement the therapist is a vet and knows how to read the x-rays, look at the dog, and tailor a program for THAT dog. It is worth a few trips...then you can take over.


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## GSDBESTK9

How bad are his hips?? If they are really bad, I strongly suggest doing an FHO now while he is young and strong. If the hips are really bad, he is only going to get worse and worse with age when it comes to pain and arthritis. I had a rescue GSD who was diagnosed with severe HD at 10 months, I opted for the FHO surgery and I could not have been happier with my decision. She is now 10.5 and still going strong and no pain!


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## Jmcgreggor

GSDBESTK9 said:


> How bad are his hips?? If they are really bad, I strongly suggest doing an FHO now while he is young and strong. If the hips are really bad, he is only going to get worse and worse with age when it comes to pain and arthritis. I had a rescue GSD who was diagnosed with severe HD at 10 months, I opted for the FHO surgery and I could not have been happier with my decision. She is now 10.5 and still going strong and no pain!


A lot has to do with the cost also. When we did the.Penn hip test about 6 ninjas ago they put him in the 10th.percentile. so I'm not sure for severity. The vet say it.looked bad but he could.live a normal life with no surgery just management.


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> Ok some helpful things:
> 
> Keep the mucles in the back strong. Walking him uphills and in chest high water is best.
> 
> Range of motion excercises are good to keep that joint moving as well as possible. If there is a doggie physical therapist within a decent drive it would be worth an appointment for them to show you what all to do based on his condition.
> 
> I also give turmeric 1000mg a day to my senior dog and 500mg to the older puppy ..... the old guy has some back arthritis but I am unaware if the young one has any ortho issues yet. Need to get him x-rayed for prelims at some point.
> 
> Vitamin C, Ester C - I am no expert on this one, maybe someone else can chime in with a good dose. I would start at 500mg a day...but with a young dog I am a bit hesitant with vitamin C and concerns about bone remodeling. Ask the vet about that one.
> 
> I give Grizzly Salmon Oil and Vitamin E (D form, not DL) 400mg daily. For the Salmon Oil the bottle has the number of pumps to give.
> 
> For the glucosamine, I like glucosamine + MSM. I give actiflex 4000, and calculated the level based on the glycoflex iii dosage. But cosequin is definitely good stuff but high dollar. I have heard dogs really do wonders with injections
> 
> Keep him lean and muscled. No jumping and avoid sharp turns on runs. They told me not to run my dysplastic female but I think it helped her because they were graded severe and never gave her any trouble till the day she died.
> 
> The other thing I would do is see if there is a holistic vet near you. My old guy is having some spinal issues and they are doing acupuncture and cold laser therapy and it really seems to help him.



How much does your dog weigh and how many pumps of the grizzly are you giving?


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## BowWowMeow

I would definitely look into an FHO. Lots of people on this board have gotten that surgery for their dogs and it has made a huge difference. It is not nearly as expensive as a THR. 

My first dog, Massie, was diagnosed with severe bilateral HD at just under a year old. That was many years ago and I was young and poor and the vet recommended a surgery that is inexpensive and is no longer done (a pectineal myotomy) so I went with that. I managed her HD after that with lots of long walks and hikes, swimming and homeopathic and herbal anti-inflammatories (because that's what I knew about at the time). When she was 5 I saved up enough money to do a total hip replacement on one hip. She lived to be almost 12 and died of hemangiosarcoma. 

Rafi also has HD and some other joint problems. I have not had him x-rayed but he was in bad shape when I adopted him. You would never know anything was wrong by looking at him. Here's his protocol:

Raw diet
2200 mg Ester C/day
Springtime Inc. Hip & Joint Health + Longevity (he gets about a triple dose)
Springtime Inc. Omega 3-6-9 (the fish oil CAPSULES are more effective than the pump b/c the fish oil becomes rancid quickly when exposed to air)
Only Natural Pet Get Up and Go (I give this at night, before bed--it is an herbal anti-inflammatory and I just added it about 6 months ago b/c he wasn't moving as well)
He also does A LOT of walking (4-6 miles/day) and although he does run and jump and spend a lot of time off leash, I do limit the high impact exercise. I never allow him to run or jump on pavement. 
In the summer he also swims. 

I am about to start acupuncture and laser therapy with him. 

I like to mix up the joint supplements and will probably take out one of the Springtime products and add in something else as soon as i finish the batch I have.


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## Jmcgreggor

BowWowMeow said:


> I would definitely look into an FHO. Lots of people on this board have gotten that surgery for their dogs and it has made a huge difference. It is not nearly as expensive as a THR.
> 
> My first dog, Massie, was diagnosed with severe bilateral HD at just under a year old. That was many years ago and I was young and poor and the vet recommended a surgery that is inexpensive and is no longer done (a pectineal myotomy) so I went with that. I managed her HD after that with lots of long walks and hikes, swimming and homeopathic and herbal anti-inflammatories (because that's what I knew about at the time). When she was 5 I saved up enough money to do a total hip replacement on one hip. She lived to be almost 12 and died of hemangiosarcoma.
> 
> Rafi also has HD and some other joint problems. I have not had him x-rayed but he was in bad shape when I adopted him. You would never know anything was wrong by looking at him. Here's his protocol:
> 
> Raw diet
> 2200 mg Ester C/day
> Springtime Inc. Hip & Joint Health + Longevity (he gets about a triple dose)
> Springtime Inc. Omega 3-6-9 (the fish oil CAPSULES are more effective than the pump b/c the fish oil becomes rancid quickly when exposed to air)
> Only Natural Pet Get Up and Go (I give this at night, before bed--it is an herbal anti-inflammatory and I just added it about 6 months ago b/c he wasn't moving as well)
> He also does A LOT of walking (4-6 miles/day) and although he does run and jump and spend a lot of time off leash, I do limit the high impact exercise. I never allow him to run or jump on pavement.
> In the summer he also swims.
> 
> I am about to start acupuncture and laser therapy with him.
> 
> I like to mix up the joint supplements and will probably take out one of the Springtime products and add in something else as soon as i finish the batch I have.



After another member suggested the FHO i looked into it more and called my vet about it also. He wouldn't be a candidate. Basically we stand at total hip replacement or supplement. She doesn't think he will need any surgeries for a few years and adding supplements will extend that. she was also saying that he isnt completely done growing and sometimes when they are done growing and have good muscle mass, the stiffness may subside a bit.


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## NancyJ

You know I honestly don't think I have seen any rancidity issues with the Grizzly in the pump. It primes very quickly and I discard the first fraction. Keep it in the fridge and the odor is extremely faint throughout.

It comes sealed before that first use.


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## Jmcgreggor

jocoyn said:


> You know I honestly don't think I have seen any rancidity issues with the Grizzly in the pump. It primes very quickly and I discard the first fraction. Keep it in the fridge and the odor is extremely faint throughout.
> 
> It comes sealed before that first use.


Thats good to know because I was debating liquid or pills. I want a high EPA without giving a crazy amount of oil. Some oils out there are very hard to find the mg.


On a side note. We have a vet appointment tomorrow and hoping she has some suggestions so I can get him going. =)


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## GSDMUM

Jmcgreggor said:


> Our orthopedic specialist is having us wait. He is showing symptoms but doesnt appear to be in pain. Just stiff when walking which clears up in a few hours. I had asked her about the remedies and she said it would be a good diea but she didn't really have much info about them.


My Frisco has this since we got him and though one vet was urging surgery, the highly recomended skilled orthopedic specialist in this area told me that unless the dog is in a lot of pain and miserable, only then get the operation. She said that many dogs get along quite well even with hip dysplasia, normal, eating well, happily playing and enjoying life. As long as he is doing this, don;t think about surgery. "Let the dog let you know when, or if he needs it". OUr dog is now over 11yrs old and has played and is still playing, even with the additional diagnosis of DM. He has been very joyful and active despite it. I also remember her telling me that the a dog really needs to reach adulthood so that any hip replacements will fit into his lifetime. We are confident we made the right decision. He did rupture his ACL a few years back and we had surgery to have that repaired.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

Jmcgreggor said:


> After another member suggested the FHO i looked into it more and called my vet about it also. He wouldn't be a candidate. Basically we stand at total hip replacement or supplement. She doesn't think he will need any surgeries for a few years and adding supplements will extend that. she was also saying that he isnt completely done growing and sometimes when they are done growing and have good muscle mass, the stiffness may subside a bit.


Is she the one who would do the surgery?

Did she explain why he would not be a candidate?


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## Jmcgreggor

GSDMUM said:


> My Frisco has this since we got him and though one vet was urging surgery, the highly recomended skilled orthopedic specialist in this area told me that unless the dog is in a lot of pain and miserable, only then get the operation. She said that many dogs get along quite well even with hip dysplasia, normal, eating well, happily playing and enjoying life. As long as he is doing this, don;t think about surgery. "Let the dog let you know when, or if he needs it". OUr dog is now over 11yrs old and has played and is still playing, even with the additional diagnosis of DM. He has been very joyful and active despite it. I also remember her telling me that the a dog really needs to reach adulthood so that any hip replacements will fit into his lifetime. We are confident we made the right decision. He did rupture his ACL a few years back and we had surgery to have that repaired.


 
Thats what our orthopedic specialist had said. If he isn't showing signs of pain then we should wait. I guess since he has some arthritis (very minor in xrays) he would need the total hip replacement. He is super playful just gets a little stiff if he plays too hard (running, jumping). We just have to limit what he goes. He never seems bothered when his hips get stiff. Still plays, eats, tackles our other dog.


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## Jmcgreggor

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Is she the one who would do the surgery?
> 
> Did she explain why he would not be a candidate?


 
Yeah our orthopedic specialist is the surgeon as well. She is from a speciality hospital so I trust her opinion. He has minor arthritis so he would need total hip replacement. She doesn't think he needs it yet. He isn't in pain. Just gets stiff after playing hard. He will be stiff for the day and wake up like nothing happened. I just gotta remember he is special needs and limit what he can do. (Kinda hard when he's a year old and gets the puppy "crazies"). We also have a normal vet who gave us Tramadol for his tough days. I end up giving him a 1/2 of one just to make him more comfortable (she explained the stiffness would feel like working out too hard. sore muscles).


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## BowWowMeow

If you want something holistic for the stiffness I would use the homeopathic combo remedy Zeel. It has been proven to work as well for arthritis as NSAIDs and it has no side effects. 

Rafi also gets stiff from a lot of activity and I give him Only Natural Pet Get Up and Go at night. Since starting that he's been doing great!


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## GSDMUM

Jmcgreggor said:


> Thats what our orthopedic specialist had said. If he isn't showing signs of pain then we should wait. I guess since he has some arthritis (very minor in xrays) he would need the total hip replacement. He is super playful just gets a little stiff if he plays too hard (running, jumping). We just have to limit what he goes. He never seems bothered when his hips get stiff. Still plays, eats, tackles our other dog.


You mean both hips? If so, the orthopedist also told me that although both hips are bad that only the worst one should be done as they can do quite well shifting weight onto the better hip and front legs and most of the weight, I believe 60% is on the front legs so one hip should do it. That, of course is general advice, each dog should be evaluated individually.


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## Jmcgreggor

BowWowMeow said:


> If you want something holistic for the stiffness I would use the homeopathic combo remedy Zeel. It has been proven to work as well for arthritis as NSAIDs and it has no side effects.
> 
> Rafi also gets stiff from a lot of activity and I give him Only Natural Pet Get Up and Go at night. Since starting that he's been doing great!


 
I will have to look into that! There are so many products out there for Hips, just gotta find the right combo.


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## Jmcgreggor

GSDMUM said:


> You mean both hips? If so, the orthopedist also told me that although both hips are bad that only the worst one should be done as they can do quite well shifting weight onto the better hip and front legs and most of the weight, I believe 60% is on the front legs so one hip should do it. That, of course is general advice, each dog should be evaluated individually.


 
Yeah both hips. His left is worse and was the one showing very mild arthritis. We did the Penn Hip testing just so we would really know what we were up against. The Penn Hip Evaluator reported mild arthritis but the orhtopedic surgeon and the offices X-ray tech could not see any arthritis. 

She did mention the single hip replacement and that a lot of dogs do very well with just the one hip done. She also mentioned that even with surgery there could still be complications and him not walking properly. Thats why I am trying to do everything in my power to avoid surgery as long as possible. I will not let him be in pain and know surgery would be the only major option to correct that. 

The things we do for our pets. Thats true love right there.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

I think I would be looking for a second opinion. I tend to try to get second opinions on the bigger things if I can. I would be looking at another ortho consult perhaps, or look for a PT type vet. The PT type vets also see who does what surgeries and how they go. 

I see you are in CA, the vet prices there are really high! On IMOM, you could always tell when an estimate for something from CA would come in. It was unreal.


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## Jmcgreggor

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> I think I would be looking for a second opinion. I tend to try to get second opinions on the bigger things if I can. I would be looking at another ortho consult perhaps, or look for a PT type vet. The PT type vets also see who does what surgeries and how they go.
> 
> I see you are in CA, the vet prices there are really high! On IMOM, you could always tell when an estimate for something from CA would come in. It was unreal.



Tell me about it! He had Spinal Meningitis when he was 8 months old. Had to have an MRI and Spinal tap and a week of hospitalization. 10 grand later. Ugh. But he is alive with no perm damage because we caught it in time. The hip surgeries are very expensive also. About 6 grand per hip.


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## GSDMUM

Jmcgreggor said:


> Yeah both hips. His left is worse and was the one showing very mild arthritis. We did the Penn Hip testing just so we would really know what we were up against. The Penn Hip Evaluator reported mild arthritis but the orhtopedic surgeon and the offices X-ray tech could not see any arthritis.
> 
> She did mention the single hip replacement and that a lot of dogs do very well with just the one hip done. She also mentioned that even with surgery there could still be complications and him not walking properly. Thats why I am trying to do everything in my power to avoid surgery as long as possible. I will not let him be in pain and know surgery would be the only major option to correct that.
> 
> The things we do for our pets. Thats true love right there.


Just take it one day at a time. I'm sure you'll make the right decisions.


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## vseagle

I have a 10 1/2 yr old German Shepard with severe arthritis in her hips. I give her Acti-flex 4000, a pet multivitamin, fish oil plus vit E and C. I also give her injections of polysulfate glycosaminoglycan and I now use Ichon which is much cheaper than Adequan and is available without a prescription from Allivet. She was completely down, but my girl has been walking and once again using her pet door for approx. 3 months now.


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## Msmaria

Like others have said, laser therapy helps alot with my 9 month old with HD. We do laser therapy 3 days in a row, if he seems a stiff. It reduces the inflammation and speeds healing.


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## M&J

My dog had a hip replacement on one side when he was 18 m/o with the intention of having an FHO on the other side if he needed it.

I've had great success with Zeel. I also give Sea Pet 200 w/ vitamin E, and glyco flex III.
If he has a day of more exercise than usual, I give him Traumeel. So far, so good. He'll be ten soon.

I've tried a lot of combinations of things, and this seems to work the best for my guy.


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