Hip Dysplasia... What Now?

[Danni & Jedi]

Hi DK, 

Found out on Friday, that Jedi, my 11 month GD and the dog of our hearts has severe dysplasia. I have so much disappointment and so many feelings about this! A copy of both his parents' OFA certification papers were in the folder I brought home with his 6 week cuddly self in March. I can't believe it! 

The vet commented that his hips are some the worst he had seen in awhile :( Both the connection and his hip sockets themselves are malformed. The vet sent us home with pain meds and a recommendation for FHO or total hip replacement in both hips soon, our choice. He doesn't seem to be in constant pain, but I plan to start him on glucosamine/chondriotin immediately, and am thinking that we will start with a half dose of pain meds before and after a day of romping at daycare. 

Besides sympathy, I am looking for practical tips/advice on how to approach his breeder about this. I plan to call tomorrow. How do I initiate this conversation constructively and make it productive? What should my expectations be of an excellent breeder? I really trusted these guys, they have decades of experience, a good reputation, I've met other owners who have their dogs, and -- HD notwithstanding -- his temperament, development, intelligence, and health have all lived up to what they promised. Should I expect to get my money back for his purchase (we have silver Petplan, which I think will cover much of the cost, but getting my money back would cover the rest particularly for hip replacement)? 

I am thinking of waiting until June of next year, as we are traveling in Jan and May, and the vet said we should expect at least 4 months of recovery time as he would get first one hip then the other. 

Help, advice, and wise counsel appreciated. (cute pics attached)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm very sorry to hear this. We have a few members whose dogs have had this surgery successfully, hopefully some of them will reach out to share their experiences.

Regarding the breeder, I hope that "his 6 week cuddly self" was a typo, because no reputable breeder would ever send a puppy home at 6 weeks old. It's not even legal in most states. If he was indeed only 6 weeks old, that's a red flag that you are not dealing with an ethical breeder.

If the parents' OFA tests were "prelims", done before the dogs were two years old, they're not very reliable either. But HD can and does happen in a dog whose parents' hips are fine. Not that it matters much at this point, but how old were the parents at the time of testing, and what were the scores? 

If your breeder is indeed "excellent", your purchase agreement should sate that the breeder will reimburse you for any costs associated with the HD up to some percentage of your pup's purchase price; it's usually half, but some truly excellent breeders reimburse up to the full purchase price. A reputable breeder will want to know about any genetic issues in any puppy she has bred. I would approach her in writing, politely and confidently, just stating the facts: Jedi's diagnosis, the vet's recommendations, the expected costs, and then a reference to the purchase agreement. Ask what she needs you to send her and how she would like to proceed. Be confident. Don't act as if you are asking for something, behave as if you of course assume that she will honor her agreement. Then sit back and see what kind of response you get.

Regarding waiting until June, I know that for certain types of hip surgery, there is a small window of opportunity. Certain preferred types of procedures can only be done before a certain age and stage of development. You will want to discuss that with the surgeon before deciding. 

Good luck, I know it seems overwhelming but there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

 

[Danni & Jedi]

Karen, 

You did catch a typo! I didn't take Jedi home at 6 weeks. False alarm there. 

As for the rest of it, The parent's OFA tests weren't prelims, the parents were 2 yrs at time of testing and both scored "Good" for hip conformation with no evidence of HD. They were both well into adulthood at the time of breeding.  

Took at a look at the purchase agreement and it doesn't mention anything about reimbursement, however. It does prohibit breeding and showing Jedi, and requires me to return the dog to them if I cannot keep it. A quick google search showed me that in my state the puppy "lemon laws" are pretty much non-existent and the uniform commercial code which governs the sale of goods (including dogs) applies to every state in the union except Louisiana, where I live and where my breeder is. I couldn't even find proof there is a minimum age for sale of puppies on the books! 

It's an excellent idea to write whether than call, and I plan to do that.... I'll let you know how it goes. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No mention of a health warranty or guarantee on the breeder's website? That's usually where the info is on reimbursement for genetic conditions. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I too am sorry to hear this. I think Karen gave you excellent advice and I hope the breeder is fair. Good luck with Jedi.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

So sorry to hear this.  I completely agree with Karen.  Only a couple things that I would add.  I would not tell the breeder that you have insurance.  The reason that I say that is you don't want to give reason for her to reduce the amount she should reimbuse.  The hip issues should be much better with the surgery, but chances are down the line that you are going to encounter other problems, like arthritis, as a result and that will require meds and additional costs.  Also, if your supplement pills are prescribed by your vet they should be covered by pet plan, just so you know.  Good luck.  Keep us posted.

[Danni & Jedi]

Yes, thanks. You're right about mentioning insurance. Also, great advise on getting the vet to prescribe the supplements so that we can get them covered. I went looking around at Petco yesterday while I was shopping for stocking stuffers for Jedi, and I caught a load of the price they charge for "joint health" supplements. Will probably be a lot cheaper to just go with the kind for humans... more research on that as well needs to be done. Another thing for the checklist. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When it comes to supplements, you are almost always better off going with human supplements rather than those made for pets. Not only are the human ones cheaper, they are better regulated so the quality is usually better, too. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Danni, I'm very sorry to hear this. I completely agree with Karen's advice.  Email the breeder, tell her the diagnosis, and ask what she requires for reimbursement due to a genetic condition.  Finn was diagnosed at about 20 months but his is mild and surgery not indicated, although he was very lame at the time. I submitted the vet's complete write-up, x-rays, and a review of the X-rays by the OFA (which she required).  The OFA review panel concurred with the vet. My breeder immediately refunded the full purchase price and throughout the whole process was more concerned about my pup than her profits which I so appreciated and why I still recommend her highly.  Finn's parents were a very popular breeding pair and to my knowledge no other pup had ever turned up with HD. Both had good hip scores and both are now retired. Finn's sister has the highest score you can get from Penn Hip; the occurrence of HD is so random.  It can skip generations, etc.

We started out with Dasaquin but switched to a human supplement.  We tried Omega supplements but that caused diarrhea so but Karen helped us out with the correct ratios and we switched to Acana -- primarily Pacifica now.  I shortened the length of his play sessions (because he will play til he drops) and I'm careful that we don't do long repetitive walks on hard surfaces like concrete.  I watch his weight and so far so good.  Be careful of the Rimadyl.  I use it occasionally but regular use can cause liver damage.

Good luck!

[Paula]

Can you tell me please how you started noticing hip issues with your dog? Was your GD sitting differently, etc?

[Michele Kiss]

Oh my... I'm so sorry to hear that. I would be absolutely gutted. 

I feel like if they're a reputable breeder this should all be spelled out in the contract :-/  Our contract specifically says we would be refunded the full purchase price, or receive another puppy from the next available litter. 

I know it's been a week since you posted - have you spoken to them? Curious to hear the outcome. 

If you haven't, I agree that the best way would be to approach it as if you assume they will do the right thing here. After all, on top of caring about their pups, this is their livelihood too - I would hope this would be cause for concern and they would want to know and take action to avoid further issues for future litters and keep their customers happy too.