hip dysplasia

[firefighting39]

Hi

I am looking for some help, we have a 6 mo. old BC(oreo) that was having trouble with her back legs so we took her to the vet and we were told that she has hip dysplasia and would need an operation on her left hip.

1. dose the operation work and will oreo be the same playful dog we were hoping to have?

2. should the breeder be responsible for the operation? we did call the breeder and she said that she would take the dog back but that she would have the dog put down. that won't happen.

[KrisK]

I can't answer your second question, maybe someone else will have that answer for you.

 

However, Cricket, my soon to be 3 year old BC, was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia at about 8 months old. The x-rays showed that the ball of her left hip was completely out of the socket.

We were offered either a total hip replacement surgery or a femoral head ostomy.(FHO) For both financial and logistical reasons, we had the FHO procedure. Cricket was a good candidate because of her relatively small size.

There was a substantial rehab time which was time consuming. Cricket throughly enjoys her life! She runs like the wind, does some agility although everything is set low so she doesn't jump too much, plays ball and if I had sheep, I wouldn't hesitate to have her try herding.

This is Cricket....I expect her to have a long, happy life with me. Hip dysplasia is NOT a death sentence by any means!!

 

 

[Rave]

depends on the operation. there's at least two procedures performed on young pups that'll probably give a better outcome.

 

Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis (JPS) - This surgery is performed on puppies about 4-5 months old (not sure of exact age requirements); your pup may be too old already (ask your vet). It shows great promise as a preventive measure by altering the pelvic growth. This surgery has a short recovery period. My vet had this done on her agility pup and I can't even tell the dog had problems at all (the dog is now 2 y.o.).

 

 

Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO) - This surgery involves cutting the bone around the hip socket and repositioning the socket for a better fit with the femoral head. The bones are plated back together so they heal in the correct alignment. This surgery is performed on young dogs before they have finished growing.

 

 

-Laura

[Eileen Stein]

>

 

Unless the breeder advertised a health guarantee that would cover this, or it was included in a contract of sale, or it falls within the coverage of a state puppy lemon law, there is no way to hold the breeder responsible for the operation. Oreo's HD may or may not be her fault -- hip dysplasia is so complicated that even a breeding where both sire and dam have been cleared of hip dysplasia by x-ray can still produce a dysplastic pup, and environment (especially overfeeding) plays a role as well as heredity.

 

I'm very sorry that this has happened to Oreo, but I think the results following surgery are often quite good. Perhaps others will post their experiences.

[Liz P]

Legally the breeder is not responsible for the dog after you have owned it for 2 weeks. Many breeders do give replacement pups or refunds if a dog they sell has HD, but they are not obligated to do that unless there is a contract worked out prior to the sale of the pup.

[Eileen Stein]

Liz, you're right that many breeders (generally the best breeders) will do more than they're legally obligated to do in a situation like this. However, legal rights vary state by state so your first sentence is not correct as a blanket statement.

[Liz P]

I've looked up the laws for a number of states. Some only covered the pup for 24 hrs after the sale against any illness, others only covered puppy diseases like Parvo. Most of the states I looked up covered the pup for 2 weeks and had "puppy lemon laws." But, the puppy lemon law ran out after the owner had the pup for 2 weeks. I've never heard of a state that covers the dog for life without a contract between the breeder and purchaser. The longest coverage I found was 2 weeks. If there is a state with better protection I would love to hear about. I'm moving in a few years and I haven't decided where quite yet.

[Eileen Stein]

One example would be Florida:

 

F.S.A. ? 828.29(5) . . . f, within 1 year following the sale of an animal subject to this section, a licensed veterinarian of the consumer's choosing certifies such animal to be unfit for purchase due to a congenital or hereditary disorder which adversely affects the health of the animal . . . , the pet dealer shall afford the consumer the right to choose one of the following options:

 

(a) The right to return the animal and receive a refund of the purchase price, including the sales tax, and reimbursement for reasonable veterinary costs directly related to the veterinarian's examination and certification that the dog or cat is unfit for purchase pursuant to this section and directly related to necessary emergency services and treatment undertaken to relieve suffering;

 

( The right to return the animal and receive an exchange dog or cat of the consumer's choice of equivalent value, and reimbursement for reasonable veterinary costs directly related to the veterinarian's examination and certification that the dog or cat is unfit for purchase pursuant to this section and directly related to necessary emergency services and treatment undertaken to relieve suffering; or

 

© The right to retain the animal and receive reimbursement for reasonable veterinary costs for necessary services and treatment related to the attempt to cure or curing of the dog or cat.

 

Reimbursement for veterinary costs may not exceed the purchase price of the animal.

 

In New Jersey (which would be my best guess of where the OP is from, though s/he hasn't said), N.J.S. 56:8-93 gives pet buyers 6 months to demonstrate a congenital or hereditary disease (which should just cover the OP). The buyer has the right to either a replacement or a full refund plus, in both cases, full reimbursement of the cost of veterinary fees to certify that the dog was unfit for purchase. If the buyer chooses to keep a dog that was unfit for purchase, he is eligible for reimbursement of veterinary costs up to the price of the dog.

[Meg's mum]

I am so very sorry for your finding. Meg is several weeks younger and now you have me wondering if I should have her xrayed for hip displasia, and eye examed when I take her in to be spayed...just to be sure DESPITE my breeders assurances.

 

I'd no more take her back, put her down, or fail to give her access to any option that could give her a chance to have even an 'average' dogs life.

 

Good luck. Please keep us posted.

[bobh]

JMO

The breeder most certainly should let you keep the dog and give you your money back. I would call the Breeder and ask for the names of the other pups owners so you can talk to them about your pups health and the potential HD of the reast of the Litter . Is your dog regestered. And can you tell me where you got your dog so we will not get one from this breeder.

bob h

Ps the breeder most likly not legaly obligated . But if the breeder will not give your money back than i think the rest of the world should Know who this Breeder is so we can stay a way from them.

And i am so sorry that you your family and your Pup will have to deal w3ith this health issue . I also know dogs that have lived a full life with HD

[Liz P]

I like those FL laws, but sadly, can't stand the heat so won't be moving there. How do those laws deal with pups purchased out of state?

 

FF39, I would certainly get in contact with the breeder and ask for a refund and vet costs.

 

I have a male BC who will be 8 next month who was diagnosed with HD as a 6 month old. I was warned by the vet when he was 3 months old he might have it but waited until he had grown a bit more before taking radiographs. He still works sheep "part time" but is now retired from all other activities.

[Tsuter]

I can't speak for all areas of florida but the area of Florida I'm in the city of Port St. Lucie in St.Lucie County part of the Treasure Coast, a lot of laws don't seem to matter. This is my opinion after so many stories I've seen on the news and in the paper concerning how some pet stores/breeders continue to sell sick animals and the state ,city or county officials do nothing to shut them down most of the time, it seems to take alot of bad press against officials to get some thing done. But on the other hand I've found that to many people in Florida don't care what the laws on something might be or how they might be hurting someone or animal they only care about the money. Again this is only my opinion and only on the parts of Florida I've lived in for the past 25 years. I do know there are a lot of good people in Florida also. I'm sorry if I have offended any members to this board that is in no way is my intent.

Tom an Pegasus

[juliepoudrier]

Originally posted by Eileen Stein:

hip dysplasia is so complicated that even a breeding where both sire and dam have been cleared of hip dysplasia by x-ray can still produce a dysplastic pup, and environment (especially overfeeding) plays a role as well as heredity.

I think this part of Eileen's post bears repeating, since folks are so quick to bash the breeder for this. If the breeder has offered to take the dog back or replace it, then the breeder has certainly made a reasonable offer, if you take all the emotion out of it. No one can guarantee hips, and it is possible that some fault, even in this case, lies in the raising of the dog and not just the breeding. (I'm not saying the OP has done something wrong here, but likewise, we can't really say the breeder did something wrong either.)

 

J.

[J&D]

Julie,

Could you say more about how the raising of a dog can lead to dysplasia? This seems like information that should be available.

Thanks--

[Pipedream Farm]

Janet,

 

Start with the ABCA Health & Genetics page and the article HIP DYSPLASIA IN THE BORDER COLLIE by Janet E. Larson (1994) found on the USBCC website (the host of this forum).

 

In general, environment does not cause HD but it can influence to what degree this complex genetic disease is manifested in the individual dog that carries these genes.

 

Mark

[J&D]

Thanks, Mark.

[firefighting39]

I want to thank everybody for your help. the vet said that she wants to wait a couple of months to see how oreo grows but i don't know if oreo can wait that long.

i was not bashing the breeder. yes the breeder did said that she would replace the dog but she also said that she would put oreo down.

i think it was cruel for the breeder to say that, any dog lover would never let that happen

[Jodi]

FF39 -

 

I understand what you're saying, however, if you look at it from a breeder's perspective, they cannot breed the dog. And the fact that they would put the dog down ... is far better than taking the dog back and using it in their breeding program. I have a dog with severe HD. I got a full refund, including the cost to fly the dog out here (again, the breeder going over and above, considering we had no contract). However, when I told him that she had HD, and I was considering returning her, he would not promise me that he would not put her down. So we kept her. I couldn't see flying her 3000 miles only to be put down. But if she was to be put down, I felt that it was his responsibility, considering he bred her. 2 1/2 years later, we still have her, but we face putting her down at some point, which is very sad, but it's something we considered when we decided to keep her and not perform surgery on her.

 

Jodi

[Bukka Red]

We had a similar situation with Wren. Both parents were "excellent". When she was bout 6 months old we noticed her getting up a little stiff legged for the first step or two and a fairly loud pop. We took her to an orthopedic specialist. He diagnosed her with the beginnings of HD. That was the bad news. The good news was that it was caught before the developement of bone spurs in the joint (i think they are called osteophytes?).

 

The vet told us that as far her future, she had a 50/50 chance of living with substantial pain later in life. If it does get worse later her only option was total hip replacement. Or she could have a triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO) to save her joints while the are smooth. We opted for the TPO.

 

What was said above about breeders is true. There is a bit of a random element in all of this. Our breeder new we would NEVER return Wren.

 

As for the TPO, she had the first one done the second week of Jan and she will be released in 5 weeks (she gets her 2 month Xray for her second hip on monday). TPO's are a big deal if you decide to do it. Our life has been turned upside down for 4 month and will be for another month. We have three active dogs and we had to create two areas in the house (one for wren, and my wife, and one for me, Bukka,and willow). Wrens activity has been severely limited. My wife and I have not slept in the same bed for 4 months. We put our matress on the floor and she sleeps with wren in our room. Rehab is stressfull. The first week after surgery is the worst. They look so pitiful.

 

Right now, she is doing great. SHe has lost some muscle in her hind end, but she is ready to go. We are taking her on several short walks a day and she cant wait for them!

 

We feel like we made the right decision for us ('us' includes Wren). It's rough, but we felt that it was a best way to go for her. Wren likes to do things FULL THROTTLE and we felt that in the long run that this was the way to go to keep her that way.

 

Brad