5-year old Doodle with Hip Dysplasia - looking for owners who have experienced this

[Lissie]

Hello,

I have a 5-yr old male Goldendoodle - Wookiee - who was diagnosed yesterday with hip dysplasia.
He started to show some signs of lameness on one leg in the last couple of months (leg would tremble after lots of running; he favors this one leg) so we had him examined a few weeks ago. When he did not respond to anti-inflammatory meds, the vet took an x-ray and confirmed the diagnosis.

The vet has recommended that we treat him with FHO surgery (not a THO) - it's very new info and we're unsure about what to do, and how much the procedure can help.

Wookiee is 70 lbs and not considered overweight. He is a healthy, happy boy who is mellow but playful and active when it comes to walking the trails, playing with his poodle girlfriend, or fetching a ball.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has had a doodle diagnosed with hip dysplasia.

• What did you do to treat your dog?
• Did surgery help?
• How do you relieve the pain (our vet says that dogs are somewhat stoic when it comes to pain, so we may not be aware of his discomfort).

Any info you can share would be greatly appreciated.

Incidentally, we are located in the twin cities Mpls/St. Paul. Thank you!

Elisabeth

[Jennifer Moore]

Hi Elisabeth, 

    First let me say how sorry I am that Wookiee has been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia.   I hope my story will help you.  My goldendoodle Dazi was diagnosed with severe Hip Dysplasia at 5 months old. She had it very bad in both hips and could hardly move around.  She was hurting so bad all she wanted to do was just lay around.  At first we thought she was having trouble with her knees, but then the x-rays confirmed the HD.   I was referred to an excellent surgeon who recommended the FHO surgery. He told me that Dazi's cartilage was completely worn off in both her hips so her hip bones were rubbing against her pelvis bone and causing her so much pain.   Dazi had her left hip done on August 7th and her right hip done on September 30th.  It has been a long hard road but she is finally pain free and able to run and be a puppy.  She is making up for lost time.   She had to stay over night after both surgeries and the first night home is very hard because she was in a lot of pain. They send home pain pills and antibiotic's and inflammatory pills to take.  And you have to get them up and moving a little bit too.  She was on restriction for the first two weeks and then we started walking a little bit to start building her muscles up.  Her Dr said that walking slow up hills and doing stairs is the best therapy to build her legs up.  She is doing very good now.    If you have any questions at all i will be glad to talk to you and try to tell you what to expect throughout the surgery and process of getting better.   

[Lissie]

Hi, Jennifer,

Thank you so much for your reply, and for sharing your experience about Dazi's hip dysplasia. It must have been so difficult to learn that she had a severe case, and on both sides! I'm so glad to hear that the FHO surgery worked for Dazi.

I can't imagine not electing to do the surgery, especially since the condition can be painful for Wookiee. I also dread having for him to go through it. I will let you know if I think of any questions. I'll also check out your page to read your updates about Dazi.

Thank you so much!

Elisabeth

[Jennifer Moore]

I dreaded having to put Dazi though it all and twice but after seeing her now, it was all worth it.  She is so much better and pain free.   

Just let me know if you have any questions or you just want to talk to someone who has been through it.  

Jennifer.