Canine Hip Dysplasia

I would consider an FHO like Christina N. mentioned (not TPO) if hip replacement is not an option. It stands for femoral head ostectomy and basically the head of the femur (the "ball" in the ball-and-socket hip joint) is removed, so there is no longer the pain of the bone rubbing on each other, and no more cartilage wear and tear from the abnormal hip joint formation. The muscles and scar tissue surround the hip socket and essentially create a "false joint" and the dogs have an almost normal level of function. It's a better surgery for small to medium sized dogs, but I've know a number of large breed dogs that have had it done and have done fairly well with it. A total hip replacement would be ideal, but expensive. You can try to find out if there is a veterinary school near you (i.e. Texas A & M, LSU) that might be less costly. However, I would also look at it from the standpoint that if your dog lives to be 13 or 14 years old, spending $6000 to $8000 now would probably end up costing less in the long run than medications and supplements every day for the rest of her life - and her quality of life may not even be as good.

Personally, I would make the appointment with the surgical specialist and see what they have to say. I refer folks to specialists all the time, and even if they are not sure how aggressive they want to go, there's nothing that says that just because you are having the consult, you are committed to a plan. If anything, they can tell you what your options are, and what you should expect depending on which way you decide to go. Good luck to you!

Sorry:( My in-laws had the same diagnosis for their Rottweiler puppy in 2001. They did the surgery. I think it was in the neighborhood of $6,000 (but, that was 12 years ago). The dog lived a very long, healthy life and passed last summer. It's such a tough decision.

What kind of surgery are you looking at? Hip replacement?

I used to work for a vet who specialized in orthopedics. One of the ways he treated hip dysplasia was to surgically remove the head of the femur. The healing process would cause a false joint to form. The recovery takes a while and there is a rest/physical therapy routine that needs to be followed, but he had a lot of success with it.

10 years ago, my lab (then 4 years old) was diagnosed with moderate to severe hip dysplasia in both hips. Surgery was not recommended because he has previously had shoulder surgery for OCD and already had signs of arthritis in both hips and that one shoulder. Over the years he was on pain/anti-inflammatory meds (Deramaxx, Rimadyl, then most recently Carprofen) and Glucosamine supplements. We also used a narcotic from the vet (Tramadol) on days that were especially cold or damp or when we had house guests and he was more active. We routinely monitored his kidney and liver with blood tests and never had any issues. He lived the next 9 years relatively comfortably, although he certainly got less active over the years…and we eventually had to help him up and down the one step that leads out to our backyard. In recent years he could only walk a 5-10 feet at a time before he’d need to lie down and rest for a few minutes, but never seemed to be in pain…and lead a very happy (and spoiled) life.
10 days ago we made the extremely difficult decision to put him down at the age of 14, as he no longer seemed to be as happy and had gotten to the point where his back legs were giving out on him and he’d often fall if we weren’t supporting much of his weight whenever he walked. Over the years he had compensated and used his front legs to bear more of his weight, which caused some shoulder and foot problems. In the end, all of his joints were just worn out and the arthritis was too much.

If you’d asked me when he was 6 or 7 years old, I’d have said that he probably wouldn’t make it to 8 or 9 because he’d started to slow down and I was worried about the meds taking their toll on his organ health…but he defied the odds and had a wonderful 14 years. I was so lucky to have him and wouldn’t have done it any differently if I had it to do all over again. I miss him every single day!

Best of luck to you and your pup. Find a vet you trust and do what you feel is right for you and your family.

I am in the exact same position you are. Our pup is 1/2 GSD & 1/2 Bouvier. 10 days ago, he was diagnosed with total dysplasia, with <10% contained in the joints. He was 7 months old when he was diagnosed. Broke our hearts. Our vet described it as the worst case he's ever seen in a pup so young. He has predicted that our pup will be unable to walk within the year. :( & yes, we've had a 2nd opinion.

We are meeting with our vet next Fri to determine a daily regimen & the pup's been put on Deramaxx for pain. We are also scheduled with the Vet College at our state university....in hopes that they have more solutions viable for our pup. Unfortunately, they are not cheaper than anyone else.... & $$$ is an issue with our decisions. This appt is not until the end of March, which puts the pup at 9 months. Cutting it close agewise for effective treatment.

Our cost predictions are: $1500 min. for reconstruction & $4-5000 for replacement. The reconstruction is not as viable a solution based on the amount of arthritis already present + the extent of dysplasia. & as you've said, the meds will cause damage. According to our vet, because of our pup's current physical presentation, none of the options will offer painless longevity & that's seriously a concern for us.

Hard, hard decisions ahead of us. We'll know more after our meeting on Friday, & I hope he can come up with better solutions. We're hearing the joints pop more & more each day, & seeing an increase in his delay of being able to move....even on the drug. He seems to sleep for about 2 hours after the med, & then kicks in with some puppyhood (which is fun to see) & then he slows down again. This is what we see each day.

Please feel free to contact me. I am so sorry that you are going thru this. I did post a question about our pup last weekend. I received some very good thoughts & ideas. Hope this helps!

Our dog has hereditary hip dysplasia. He was rescued from a puppy mill. We put him on supplements, from the moment we found out. We feed our dog a very high quality food, and make sure he exercises. BUT, we don't ever push him. We just want him to move, too much will obviously be too much. We give him moderate walks on the grass. Pavement is too hard, with no cushion.

We discovered his as a puppy, as well. TPO was also suggested to us, as he was young. Be aware, the surgery doesn't have great results after the dog is older then 1 year. Our estimate was very similar. He is 8 years old now, and doing OK. I can tell he is starting to not be doing so well. We are currently looking into getting him in hydrotherapy. That can be good for their hips, and it's a no impact exercise. It helps with pain. We give a supplement with gluclosomine, chondroitin, MSM. We also give him Omega 3's. On days that he seems to be hurting, we give him dog aspirin. Watch for these signs: yelping, change in energy, change in gait, excessive licking/grooming, or chewing sores, difficulty getting up or laying down, etc. All of those are signs the dog is in pain. Make sure your dog has a plush bed to lay on. That helps. Do you have stairs? If so, try to keep the dog off the stairs. That will make it worse. Good Luck.

Poor Luci - she seems awfully young to have this, however age is no respector of persons (or dogs).

We found a wonderful product at PetsMart called Happy Hips. We do the turkey/veggie formula. They also have a salmon one but we like the turkey best (it doesn't smell). I don't remember who makes it, but it's a wonderful product....within about 3 weeks, our dog (11) was climbing stairs again and acting like a puppy. We give her a couple in the morning and 2 of 3 at night.....as treats. It's about $11/bag, but it is SO worth it and so much cheaper than the alternative.

Blue Buffalo - and others - has a food especially for arthritis. She needs to be on a really good dog food (not Ol Roy or anything like that). I don't know that I would have her on senior .... you can reduce her weight by the amount you feed her. I'm afraid the senior isn't going to have all the vitamins she needs as a 2 YO. We feed Blue Buffalo Adult Healthy Weight.

When we had our Great Dane, our vet had us keep her on Hill's Science Diet Puppy formula [NOT LARGE BREED] for over 2 years so that she would have healthy bones and joints. She did not attain her full height/size, but she still looked like a puppy at 12 1/2 years old when we lost her. It was only the last few months that she was slow to get up in the morning.

You're smart to get a 2nd opinion and to be concerned about the pain meds destroying her kidneys. She's awfully young to do hip replacements. You can give her Ascriptin for the pain or Rx Tramadol (if your vet will give it to you) .... a lot of people are prescribed that as a pain management tool. It has little or no effect on the kidneys.

Also, if you have access to a pool - water therapy is wonderful and easy on the joints. You may be able to find a holistic vet who would do accupuncture or show you the points for accupressure.

And, if you're a believer: go on line and talk to Sonja Fitzpatrick - she's right there in Houston. Some people think she's a wakko, but she's very knowledgeable and I think could really help Luci!

Good luck. Please keep us posted. Love to Luci & U.

Yes, our lab pup had it. He was getting so big so fast and it caused issues. He got multiple rounds of a very expensive shot, as well as other meds, but he did fine and eventually did not need meds of any kind. Dogs usually bulk up when they are neutered/spayed so we didn't have it done. He was a hefty 105-110 lbs and he was not overweight. He was just big. He lived a long happy life once we got past that.
ETA: My cousin's lab had the surgery. He lived to be 13, with the last 6 or 7 years with my family.

Have your vet refer her to Texas A&M. I don't know about the exact cost of the procedure you are referring to, but I was shocked when I took our Beagle there at how low the cost was. And I could not have had a better experience! They were amazing!! $8000-$10000 sounds like high Houston overhead to me.

Does it really cost that much? I'd get a second opinion. Our puppy had hip dysplasia when she was 6 months old. I had to get her the surgery because I couldn't put her down nor could I stand to see her in that much pain. The surgery cost us a pretty penny, it was about $1400.00. Granted she is a much smaller dog and it was only the one side of her hip, it still didn't cost nearly as much as what you are saying.

Over the years she has stopped using her rear right leg, but she doesn't seem to be in any amount of pain. She is 8 1/2 and runs around on her other 3 legs like any other dog. She is very protective of her hip and when i have to have her groomed she is sore for a few days afterward. But overall, the surgery was a success and we are glad we did it.

Best wishes to you and your pup!