hip displasia

[carolyn fornell]

Glory turned 3 in May  he has tentatively been diagnosed with hip displasia (sp). I was shocked! Have any of you had any experience with this in these wonderful puppies? What a terrible thing for this active, wild and wonderful guy. Please respond.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sorry to hear this, Carolyn. We do have a few members whose dogs have had HD. Hip dysplasia is common in Standard Poodles and both Golden & Labrador Retrievers, so it's not unusual in mixes of those breeds, either. Have you contacted your breeder?

[Stella]

I'm not sure where you are based, but you might consider seeing someone qualified in Canine Rehabilitation. They would do a full assessment, explain their findings and come up with a treatment plan that would include home exercises. In Canada you would look for a member of the Animal Rehab Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. In the USA you would look for a graduate of the University of Florida or the University of Tennessee Canine Rehab programme. Hope this helps.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Is it severe or mild? There can be HD that does not affect the dog at all throughout life. One of my LDs has mild Hip Dysplasia with no symptoms whatsoever. We found out when she was one year old and being considered as a breeding dog--they did a Pennhip evaluation and that was the determination (so she was spayed). There were never any symptoms....good luck with your great pooch.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

I have no advise except to keep in contact with others here on DK that have similar experience.. so sorry to hear, stick with it and find out all you can so you make good choices..  good luck 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

You didn't mention his symptoms but HD can vary widely. My dog was diagnosed with mild HD at 2.  He went through a bad period, but with proper management is not symptomatic now and is active and playful.  If you haven't already, you should consult an orthopedic specialist, get x-rays, and then you can decide on treatment.  Weight, regular exercise and good nutrition with an emphasis on preventing further joint damage is important.  I'm sorry to hear this but hopefully Glory's  HD will be mild.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hoping to hear a good report on the severity of Hip Dysplasia your doodle has. Please update us when you can. We also had a dog years ago who was diagnosed with HD but after almost year of discomfort around age 2 lived to be 13 without further symptoms. 

[Erin & Maizey]

So sorry to hear this.  Maizey was recently diagnosed as well (1.5 years).   I was pretty crushed/devastated/sad at first and did all sorts of research and started saving for hip replacement surgery.  Then I calmed down and talked to both my vet and the breeder who said surgery might not ever be needed and it's more of a maintenance thing.  So Maizey gets shots every few weeks of extra joint fluid and takes a glucosamine supplement every day.  So far it's been 3 months and she is doing great and is as active, happy and playful as ever.  She's not supposed to go for a run with me, but she loves to run around the dog park and the yard and the house. I bought her an orthopedic dog bed as a preemptive measure also.  Like everyone else here has said (and my vet and breeder), it might never develop to the point where she requires surgery.  

But I can totally relate to your feelings.  There's a group here for doodles with dysplasia although it's no where near as active as some of the other forums (I like to think that's because the dogs are all doing great. :) )