6yr old doodle just diagnosed with hip dysplasia yesterday...would like to hear from others

[Leah Olson & Kona]

Our Kona was dx with right hip dysplasia yesterday.

A few months ago, he showed signs of leg lameness after having been playing hard outside all day. We feared an ACL tear but investigations showed it wasn't. Vet did laser therapy on his low back and we've been taking him to swim therapy on a weekly basis and he improved back to 100%.

Then this past weekend, he had been playing again for the day and that night, he couldn't get up off the floor. We brought him to the vet and they did xrays yesterday which is when we got the diagnosis. His right femur is only 10% inside the hip joint and she said it was considered "poor".

He is a large doodle and is about 10lbs overweight which we are working on. She did not suggest anything about surgery but wants us to continue swim therapy and adding glucosamine, etc.

I'm just wondering what others have done when they're older doodles (i.e. not puppies) have been diagnosed with this?

Any help is appreciated. We are devastated :-(

[Penny, Comiskey & Beemer]

Can't offer anything, my Beemer was a pup when we had to have both hips done....but I do offer my prayers and support....

[Erin & Maizey]

Maizey was diagnosed as a puppy and we've been doing glucosamine daily and adequan shots every 2-3 weeks since she was a puppy and she hasn't progressed or needed surgery (yet).  Maybe ask your vet about the adequan?  She's a super energetic happy dog and runs and plays like nothing is wrong.  I was also devastated initially but so far things have been okay.  

[Susie Wire]

Hi,

I wanted to see how your Kona was doing? My 6 year old doodle was diagnosed with hip dysplasia over the weekend. Where does your guy do swim therapy?

Thanks

Susie- My Baxter ;-)

[Leah Olson & Kona]

 Hi Susie,

Sadly our Kona has been fighting lymphoma for the last 9 weeks but is responding well to chemo so far, so much so that 3 weeks ago he was playing outside with our neighbours dog and he tore his ACL :-(. Due to his chemo treatment, he cannot due surgery to repair it right now so we have ordered him a stifle device from orthopets which will allow him to weight bear and walk normally again. Of course due to his hip dysplasia, his other back leg is taking a beating while he tries to move around on 3 legs these past three weeks.

So unfortuneately his hip dysplasia is the least of our worries at the moment.

Swimming was so good for him and we continued to take him until he was diagnosed with lymphoma. We have a local place called K9H2O that does swim therapy for dogs. We live in BC, Canada. Where are you located?

Leah

[Susie Wire]

I am soooo sorry to hear that about your Kona!  Praying for your Kona and only wish him the best!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Leah, I'm so sad to hear this. I can sympathize --it breaks your heart when you see them struggle to get up.  Finn showed same symptoms and was diagnosed at less than 2 years old with mild dysplasia.  First, I would find a good orthopedic vet for Kona and discuss treatment options.  Finn's hip joints are too shallow for the femurs to fit correctly but surgery was not an option -- for Kona it may be different.  Second, with HD, it's really important that the dog stay at a good lean weight.  Extra weight puts extra stress on hips.  Third, Glucosamine Chondroitin helped Finn but not all supplements are the same. We use Dasaquin Soft Chews with ASU. My vet recommended Dasaquin over others -- you can order from Chewy.com.  Finally, exercise is important and I'd follow your vet's advice on this.  Swimming is excellent.  You're lucky to have access to swim therapy.  I shortened Finn's play dates, we take more breaks during his walks, we don't do long walks on paved paths or concrete.  I keep Rimadyl on hand for special days (like if we go to the beach)  and he gets 1/2 tablet beforehand and 1/2 in the evening.  Luckily we have only had to use it infrequently because RImadyl can have some nasty side effects when used regularly for too long.   Our vet also recommended Science Diet for Joint Mobility but we chose not to use that because of what we learned in the food group here -- but we use Acana because it has a good ratio of Omegas and it also has glucosamine/chondroitin.  Finn is now 6 and I'm thankful that he has been able to live a healthy active life, relatively pain-free, so far.  Keeping Kona in our thoughts. Let us know how it goes.