CarolAnn Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Hi Everyone, I'm new here, and my name is CarolAnn. My husband and I rescued Carson about 1 1/2yrs ago. He's been great. He has been running on 3 legs every once in a while. Doesn't appear to be in any pain, however our vet sedated him so he could do an xr and has severe hip dys in the rear right leg. We're so sad. He's only about 3. The left side isn't great, but nothing like this. Who knows about FHO (Femoral Hip Osectomy)? OUr vet says he would cut the top of the femur slightly and take out the damaged area (it's bone on bone) and then do another procedure too to help too, called soft tissue interpositioning. I was shocked and saddened. He said 3-6 mos recovery time. He said that Mich State University is the place if we wanted a THR (Total Hip replacement)- that is if we had about 6 grand. As far as injections for pain, he said basically to save our money for either of the surgeries, that they won't do much for him now. Any thoughts? Thanks- CarolAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 If the left side is not so great I would want to repair the right so that it is as functional as possible. Favoring the right side will eventually cause arthritis in the left. If I was in your position I would start doing some research. The firs thing I would do is take my dog to a board certified orthopedic vet. They would have a better idea of what your options are. If that vet says that total hip replacement is the way to go you can make some phone calls and try to find someone who doesn't charge $6000, which does sound quite high for that type of surgery. I would also start on some supplements (Cosequin and fish body oil) right away to protect the remaining joints and reduce inflammation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolAnn Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 If the left side is not so great I would want to repair the right so that it is as functional as possible. Favoring the right side will eventually cause arthritis in the left. If I was in your position I would start doing some research. The firs thing I would do is take my dog to a board certified orthopedic vet. They would have a better idea of what your options are. If that vet says that total hip replacement is the way to go you can make some phone calls and try to find someone who doesn't charge $6000, which does sound quite high for that type of surgery. I would also start on some supplements (Cosequin and fish body oil) right away to protect the remaining joints and reduce inflammation. The supplements from a dog catalog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/products/anima...Health.asp#null To save money a lot of people use the horse powder instead because it is a lot less expensive (per dose) than the dog capsules. It really is important to use a high quality supplement because many of the ones you buy in drug stores pass through the dog without being absorbed or don't even contain any of the active ingredient, which means they are a total waste of money. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm Scroll down and read the section on arthritis. A joint study between vets and human doctors that has yet to be published has shown that the omega 3 FAs must be from FISH to have any effect. When you buy fish oil make sure it is body oil, not liver oil. Also make sure there is vit E added to the oil to prevent oxidative damage to the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Cricket my now 4 year old BC had an FHO done when she was 6 months old. Both her hips were bad but one was worse than the other - the ball was entirely out of the socket. She recovered beautifully but there is a lot of rehab work that you need to do. If you have access to a pool or lake then swimming is ideal for recovery. Cricket runs like the wind now. I discourage jumping (although she manages the couch just fine!) and she has tried her 'paws' at herding You will need to keep Carson on the slim side because excess weight makes the joints work harder. Do a search for hip dysplasia on this forum. It has been discussed a number of times. Do not despair - IT IS NOT a death sentence - and can be managed very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo Peep Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 What a shame people don't test. I'm sure you can do some rescue and get some help on that. I even had my spayed/neutered dogs tested. Got one excellent. And the others goods. P.S. Usher has been given the OK to jump today by the vet - Yippeee...... he has been wanting to...... also the .....snip snip....I don't think he has been been looking forward to that- LOL- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 What a shame people don't test. I'm sure you can do some rescue and get some help on that. I even had my spayed/neutered dogs tested. Got one excellent. And the others goods. P.S. Usher has been given the OK to jump today by the vet - Yippeee...... he has been wanting to...... also the .....snip snip....I don't think he has been been looking forward to that- LOL- Huh? Who should have tested in this case? The rescue? And I'm sure you're aware that you can get a pup with bad hips even if both parents have great hips. I see nothing wrong with checking your dogs if you choose to do so, but I personally don't think it should be a requirement to have one's dogs checked, especially if they are nonbreeders. Carol Ann, Get a second opinion. Not because I think the first vet isn't right, but because a second opinion is always a good idea. If your pup is a pet who doesn't do sports or work, an FHO is a perfectly acceptable procedure (and maybe even if he does work or do sports). Ask the vet about what happens after the surgery--that is, what about the other hip? I know of dogs who had FHOs that get around just fine (one does goose control work, so is quite active). Anyway, I agree with Liz that you need to do some research, arm yourself with questions, and then go back to the vet (or to the vet you get the second opinion from) and discuss all your options for treating the problem. Be up front with what you want your dog to be able to do after surgery and what you can/are willing to afford. Get as much information as possible and then move forward from there. The problem is fixable, but should be fixed sooner rather than later to ensure that the "good" hip doesn't take too much strain as he favors the bad hip. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Just to give you another opinion... You said your dog was not in pain. I would not seriously consider any surgery until it became necessary. Try treating with supplements & re-evaluate the surgery when it appears that it is necessary. There are many supplements and treatments and variations on them. All won't work for everyone, but you may be able to find the combination that helps your dog. I have an 11 year old working dog who would occasionally limp starting around 3 years old. She also had a distinctive click that you could hear when moving her joints. Upon palpitation, you could clearly feel that both hips were bad - one worse than the other. I started her on Vit C, Glucosamine & MSM then. No more limp, no more click. Several years later, I stopped giving her the supplements & within a few months, the limp was back (much worse) and the clicking sound returned. Within a couple weeks of starting the supplements again, any obvious pain or limp went away. Still, upon palpitation, you can pop her one hip out of joint very easily. My vet cannot believe that this dog still works and shows no signs of pain or discomfort. I have never had her x-rayed. I know her hips are bad - why do I need to see how bad??? Her activity, her attitude and any signs of discomfort that she shows will guage what I do and when. I believe surgery should be chosen based on the dog's activity and behavior and not based on what I see on an x-ray. She has always had "something" about her gait that you know is not completely right, but it hasn't slowed her down one bit. I know that supplements don't work for everyone or every dog, but I am very glad that they have helped my dog. For now, she is happy & I still have 6K in my wallet............... gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Clicking is usually ligaments, not bones. It may indicate a laxity in the joint, but that doesn't automatically mean HD. And an 11 year old dog is likely to have arthritis period - not necessarily genetic HD. The only way to be sure of hip dysplasia is xrays. If it were my dog and not a potential breeding dog, I wouldn't even bother with that if good fitness and nutrition had them moving and acting normally. 6K? Don't know what you used for estimate, but it's far cheaper with even specialists vets in this region. Not cheap...but not 6K!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdarling Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I had a female that has severe hip dysplasia. She's my ex-husband's dog. When he left in December, he took her with him. About a month later, she severely dislocated her hip and he ended up having the FHO done on that hip. I saw her about two months after the surgery, and she was doing great. She was bearing weight on that leg (although not her full weight yet...) and I knew it wouldn't be long before she would be ready to have the other one done. The surgery was very inexpensive in comparison to a total hip replacement. Maybe $500-$600 per hip. Jodi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 You said your dog was not in pain. I would not seriously consider any surgery until it became necessary. Try treating with supplements & re-evaluate the surgery when it appears that it is necessary. There are many supplements and treatments and variations on them. All won't work for everyone, but you may be able to find the combination that helps your dog. But if the dog is up on three legs, doesn't that imply pain and doesn't that run a risk of putting too much strain on the other hip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Hi Everyone,I'm new here, and my name is CarolAnn. My husband and I rescued Carson about 1 1/2yrs ago. He's been great. He has been running on 3 legs every once in a while. Doesn't appear to be in any pain, however our vet sedated him so he could do an xr and has severe hip dys in the rear right leg. We're so sad. He's only about 3. The left side isn't great, but nothing like this. Who knows about FHO (Femoral Hip Osectomy)? OUr vet says he would cut the top of the femur slightly and take out the damaged area (it's bone on bone) and then do another procedure too to help too, called soft tissue interpositioning. I was shocked and saddened. He said 3-6 mos recovery time. He said that Mich State University is the place if we wanted a THR (Total Hip replacement)- that is if we had about 6 grand. As far as injections for pain, he said basically to save our money for either of the surgeries, that they won't do much for him now. Any thoughts? For a 2nd opinion, you might try Michigan Veterinary Specialists (Southfield and Auburn Hills); they've done surgeries on many performance dogs (including ours) in Michigan and surrounding states and have an excellent reputation. I think you usually have to have a referral from your regular vet. Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolAnn Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 But if the dog is up on three legs, doesn't that imply pain and doesn't that run a risk of putting too much strain on the other hip? The vet said most definitly he is in pain, that's why he's on 3 legs and after confirming the xrays done under sedation, yes. CarolAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 The vet said most definitly he is in pain, that's why he's on 3 legs and after confirming the xrays done under sedation, yes. Sounds like it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. I second the second opinion, especially about options that don't cost $6,000 but can give the dog a good quality of life. As an aside, I was at MSU a few months ago in the internal medicine department. They were wonderful and I'm sure they can give a range of procedures to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 I was just giving my opinion that surgeries need to be dictated by the dog's behavior and not by an xray. This is based on experience with my dog who has shown signs of dysplasia since she was 3 and has been examined physically by a number of vets including an orthopedist as well as the observance of several other dogs, some of who have had surgery and some of who have not. CarolAnn initially said that the dog was on 3 legs once in a while and didn't appear to be in pain. This does not sound severe to me no matter what an xray says. Each dog is an individual - pain tolerance, activity level, weight, diet... all play more of a role in whether surgery is the best choice as opposed to what an xray reads. I guess I don't understand why you would be quick to jump to surgery on a young dog without trying other options first. gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Another thought would be to check out some of the groups/lists that specifically deal with ortho problems... that could be of some help. YahooGroups has a couple.... 'orthodogs' is one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Another thought would be to check out some of the groups/lists that specifically deal with orthoproblems... that could be of some help. YahooGroups has a couple.... 'orthodogs' is one... Another is CanineHD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted August 2, 2007 Report Share Posted August 2, 2007 I guess I don't understand why you would be quick to jump to surgery on a young dog without trying other options first. Since we haven't seen the dog or the x-rays or talked to the vet, we can only hazard a guess about the dog's level of pain. Some dogs are very stoic about pain, especially a young, driven BC. What you describe with your dog does not sound like what CarolAnn says about her dog. Where your dog occassionally limped, CarolAnn says her dog is on 3 legs at times which to me says it is too painful for the dog to put any weight on that leg. I'm not saying the dog should have total hip replacement immediately. I am saying that it sounds like something is very wrong, based on the dog's behavior and the x-rays. If this was my dog, I would take him to another vet (ortho if possible) for a second opinion and to go over all the options which may include the supplements you talk about and waiting to see how the dog does. Or I may say I don't want to watch my young dog apparently in so much pain that he won't put any weight on that leg and possibly cause injury to his other hip by all the compensating he may be doing. Therefore, I'm going for some sort of surgical intervention relatively quickly. I'd want to talk to as many people as possible, like CarolAnn is doing by posting this problem. Then I'd sort through what I found on the Internet, talking to people and consulting with professionals about my dog's condition before I decided what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolAnn Posted August 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 Since we haven't seen the dog or the x-rays or talked to the vet, we can only hazard a guess about the dog's level of pain. Some dogs are very stoic about pain, especially a young, driven BC. What you describe with your dog does not sound like what CarolAnn says about her dog. Where your dog occassionally limped, CarolAnn says her dog is on 3 legs at times which to me says it is too painful for the dog to put any weight on that leg. I'm not saying the dog should have total hip replacement immediately. I am saying that it sounds like something is very wrong, based on the dog's behavior and the x-rays. If this was my dog, I would take him to another vet (ortho if possible) for a second opinion and to go over all the options which may include the supplements you talk about and waiting to see how the dog does. Or I may say I don't want to watch my young dog apparently in so much pain that he won't put any weight on that leg and possibly cause injury to his other hip by all the compensating he may be doing. Therefore, I'm going for some sort of surgical intervention relatively quickly. I'd want to talk to as many people as possible, like CarolAnn is doing by posting this problem. Then I'd sort through what I found on the Internet, talking to people and consulting with professionals about my dog's condition before I decided what to do. Hey everyone- thanks for your input. We have an appt soon for a second opinion. In the mean time- we've cut back on the food a bit to slim down our youngster. He hates us for it. Someone said that things like green beans (in moderation) and steamed carrots are good to fill up with his food but won't put the weight on. Any ideas? CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 My dogs love raw baby carrots because they are crunchy and kind of sweet. What kind of food is your dog getting right now? Swimming is great for a dog with HD to slim down and build muscle. If you do go the surgery route it is important that your dog is in shape BEFORE going under the knife for a faster recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyF Posted August 5, 2007 Report Share Posted August 5, 2007 We have a dog who dislocated his hip when he was about 1 1/2 years old, got his foot caught under the tire of the pickup. He first had a toggle pin put in that May. By fall he had broken the toggle pin and went back in November to have the FHO done. He is now going on 5 years old. He is working sheep here on our hobby farm and trialing with my husband. We do have to keep him on the thin side and he does much better if we keep him in good condition and exercise him a lot. He is also on the equine Cosequin powder and fish oil caps. Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolAnn Posted August 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 My dogs love raw baby carrots because they are crunchy and kind of sweet. What kind of food is your dog getting right now? Swimming is great for a dog with HD to slim down and build muscle. If you do go the surgery route it is important that your dog is in shape BEFORE going under the knife for a faster recovery. He's eatting a german dogfood called Solid Gold. He just started on one for overweight or older dogs. We like the company and the fact it doesn't have all kinds of additives etc in it. They are pretty particular what they put in a product. Our dog does like cooked carrots and beans. Even fruit like melon. CarolAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 He's eatting a german dogfood called Solid Gold. He just started on one for overweight or older dogs. We like the company and the fact it doesn't have all kinds of additives etc in it. They are pretty particular what they put in a product.Our dog does like cooked carrots and beans. Even fruit like melon. CarolAnn There is a lot of sugar in melon, I wouldn't feed it to a dog on a diet Does your dog like treat balls? That would make the meal last longer, so perhaps be a little more satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKB Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 I don't have much hip advice, but I hope your dog is well soon. If you try the treat ball idea, I have one for Ingrid called a Buster Cube, she adores it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolAnn Posted August 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 I don't have much hip advice, but I hope your dog is well soon. If you try the treat ball idea, I have one for Ingrid called a Buster Cube, she adores it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.