Hip dysplasia in labs need advice from the experienced

[rmasonschneider]

Our 10year old lab is having a real hard time with his hip to a point where a short sprint at the dog run will keep him from walking one of the legs for the rest of the day. I've read through some of the surgical options out there but am very skeptical of the effectiveness or the percentage of the recovery rate. Has anyone out there had the procedure done on their dogs and if so, what were the results?

He's an 80lbs pure chocolate lab and we've took him in at age 4 from owners who have abandoned him because of a bad ear infection.

Thanks in advance.

[dturm]

All were large breed (couple German Shep, Dalmatian, Lab) all were less than 8 and all had good outcomes.

[rmasonschneider]

dturm wrote:
I've only had a hand full of patients that have gone the total hip route. Each was a young dog that was too old for the TPO and had a life time of disability ahead. In the hands of a qualified surgeon (probably specialty hospital or university) the success rate is very good and results are too.

Doug, DVM

Of the hand full, were any of them med-large breed and 8+ years old? If would like to know what the results were like. I ask because I don't know what you consider young or old.

Thanks for your input.

[dturm]

I've only had a hand full of patients that have gone the total hip route. Each was a young dog that was too old for the TPO and had a life time of disability ahead. In the hands of a qualified surgeon (probably specialty hospital or university) the success rate is very good and results are too.

That being said, most of my clients/patients have opted for medical management with a FHO as a last resort/salvage procedure. Most have been satisfied with that approach. While FHO surgery is indicated for dogs <50#, I've done it successfully on dogs much bigger when that was the only recourse due to money issues.

Doug, DVM

[mabynack]

One of our dogs was crippled up with arthritis and we started giving him Gabapentin. It made a world of difference. You can get it from your vet.

[rmasonschneider]

dturm wrote:
What surgery?

Femoral head ostectomy (FHO usually done in dogs <50#), total hip replacement (THR), triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO usually done in young dogs) or pectineus myotomy (not commonly done any more)?

THR. I'm aware of the costs and aware of the statistics of recovery rate. But stats are stats, wanted to hear from any real life experiences from dog owners who have had them done.

Thanks again

[dturm]

What surgery?

Femoral head ostectomy (FHO usually done in dogs <50#), total hip replacement (THR), triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO usually done in young dogs) or pectineus myotomy (not commonly done any more)?

[rmasonschneider]

Apologies for getting some of you aroused.
Yes, I have a vet.
Yes, He's been diagnosed with hip dysplasia.
Yes, we've been told to restrict movement and been told to try supplements.
Yes, we've tried/or on synflex, glucosamine and gelatin supplements with his meals.

I'm looking for advice from owner's of medium to large breed dogs who have had surgical intervention performed on their dogs and their recovery.

Thanks a bunch.

[winnietrey]

Just wanted to express a vote of confidence, in the advice of Dr. Doug.
If it is an acl, You have basically two options, surgery or meds and rehab.

Surgery is not without it's own set of problems, including, crating the dog, it is not always successful, and the cost, about 3K here.

The other issue being if he blows one acl, he has a 50% chance of blowing the other one in a year.

My 10 year old Lab blew his right acl in September of 13. We rehabbed him to being back to a 3 mile dog. ( from a 10 mile dog) This last Sept he blew the left one. So we are starting over.

At this date he is doing well, back to a 1 mile dog, and pretty well pain free with a good quality of life.

I could not have hoped for a better outcome, even with surgery.

I found Dr. Doug's advice in our case to be excellent and I thank him for it.

One thing to keep in mind, very often the primary care vet is going to refer you to an orthopedist. And the Ortho is going to want to do surgery.

Just saying there are other options, and in my opinion surgery, on an older dog, may not be the best idea.

Good luck, hopefully it is nothing more than a sprain

[dturm]

I've found that medical options are most effective for osteoarthritis. What surgical options are you talking about? There are many procedure and they have different indications and results.

I'd get a diagnosis first, X-Rays are probably indicated then discuss this with your vet.

As many have said, glucosamine/chondroitin supplements (there are many that are effective) and nSAIDS are the place to start and in a huge majority of cases will keep a dog relatively pain free for years.

Life style changes can be helpful (like doxiemom11 recommended), maintaining muscle tone and optimum weight.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

Doug, DVM

[Pawz4me]

Before I considered surgical options that I had only researched online I'd have a discussion with my vet (maybe you've already done this?), and probably try less invasive measures first. Things that can be tried include:

An oral joint supplement (glucosamine/chondroitin)

Fish oil (given in high enough doses it acts as an anti-inflammatory)

NSAIDs (Rimadyl, etc.)

Adequan (an injectible form of glucosamine; I've seen it work wonders on dogs with hip dysplasia)

Good luck!

[Nutinelse2do]

Could be hip dysplasia, torn or damaged ACL, or neurological damage. Minimize movement and running until you take him to your vet and have it diagnosed.

Until you know what is wrong, how can it be treated properly?

[DownTheAvenue]

rmasonschneider wrote:
Our 10year old lab is having a real hard time with his hip to a point where a short sprint at the dog run will keep him from walking one of the legs for the rest of the day.

I suspect that if you were having a real hard time with your hip to a point where a short sprint will keep you from walking on one your legs for the rest of the day, you would be at your doctor's office seeking medical advice, medicine to relieve the pain, and would do whatever to keep the pain away.

Why in the world would you not do the same thing for your dog? He cannot speak for himself, and is totally dependent on you to give him relief.

Take him to a vet and do whatever needs to be done. You owe that to your dog!

Seeking advice from an Internet forum does not count as seeking medical treatment.

I am sorry but I get so mad when people do not care for their animals appropriately.

[rskrbina]

Our vet prescribed Vetprofen and Glucosamine/Chondroitin from Walmart for our 9 year old lab. He does much better.

[kmbernstein]

You really should take your baby to the vet. It could be a number of things. Once you have an answer to what is going on, you will know your options, and there are a lot of people both here and elsewhere who can give you LOTS of advice.