Illini

I just took my 9 mo. old chocolate lab to the vet. She seemed like she was having some problems with being all stoved up after I worked her.

Well, the vet informed me that he thinks she has hip displaysia. He won' t know for sure until after I get her x-rayed this week. But he is pretty sure that her hips are bad. He said the options range from medication to a $3,000/hip surgery.[]

Can anyone explain what the heck hip displaysia is and how big of a deal this is. I' ve trained pointers before when I was a kid but never a lab. She is absolutely TERRIFFIC in the water, already doing double blind retrieves. Will I still be able to work her? How about hunt her? Are there any other options?

I know this isn' t good. But I' ve never dealt with anything like this. Thanks.

uplandchessies

Illini,

It is a big deal! However, don' t jump to the HD conclusion to soon. Usually, most dogs with HD don' t show up that early in age, which is why a dog must be twenty-four months old before OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of America) will recognize X-rays for certification. However, my mom had a similar situation as you with her Keshhound, who sure enough showed signs of HD at 9 months. Even her vet thought she was wrong.

Basically, HD is when the ball of the hip-joint isn' t in the hip-socket. It can be ever so minor -- as to a little out of place, or almost totally out of place. Each dog reacts different and a dog with severe HD may show little -- if any, discomfort whatsoever, while a dog with very minor HD might barely be able to walk and cry all the time. When I was inquiring about having my dog OFA certified, a vet told me of a convention he went to where they were shown two X-rays of dogs with HD. One had severe HD, the other very minor. They were then shown two videos of these dogs, with one running around like a chicken without it' s head and the other one yelping and barely able to walk. Long story short, the dog with severe HD was the one running around. Don' t worry until the X-rays are read.

As for hunting and working her -- it depends on her. My moms Keshhound is now 12, and although she does show slight signs of HD -- she has lived a good life. In my opinion, exercise is good, but if she can' t handle the pain your hands are tied. Wait for the results, then play it by ear.

When it comes to hip surgery, I heard it is a crap shoot. Might work -- might not. Medication will ease the pain or there are supplements (Chondroitin and Glucosomine) that might help.

Good luck, my fingers are crossed for the two of you.

seattlesetters

I don' t mean to be a jerk, but if hip dysplasia is confirmed, at the very least you should have her spayed. It is your responsibility to do so. If it gets bad, you should also consider putting the dog down.

Illini

Uplandchessies,

Thanks for the quick response! I feel better after reading your experiences. I suppose that if it is HD as the vet suspects I' m lucky in that my pup show NO signs of pain or discomfort. I have not once heard her whine or wimper when moving around after work outs. As far as the work goes, she loves it. The more water the better for her. Then only reason we cut the workout shorts is because I think we need to, never because she couldn' t continue.

Are the XRays an absolute must at this age? Should I wait or have them done immediately? Is there anything else I should do?

Seattlesetters - I agree with you about having her spayed if diagnosed with HD. However, with regard to " Putting her down" - IF she is diagnosed with HD - Maybe we should wait and see how she gets around, etc. before jumping to any other conclusions.

mez

Yes you should have the x-rays done right away. If the hips are bad, radiographically now you have big problems. They only get worse as the dog ages. If your dog does have dysplasia she should still work for a water dog. Swimming is good exercise and easy on the joints. I wouldn' t reccommend any upland hunting with her. You won' t likely be able to hunt her many days in a row though. It all depends on how bad the radiographs are and how much pain she is in. If they come back positive I would get her on a glucosamine/chondroitan supplement right away. Cosequin is the only one I reccommend, it is expensive but it is also the only one with any scientific research behind it. The surgeries do work fairly well. For $3000 they are talking total hip replacement. At her age a TPO, or triple pelvic osteotomy would likely be a better option. The pelvis is cut in three places and rotated then plated back together so the hip socket fits over the ball better. This usually works very well in young dogs and should be about half the cost of a total hip. Like I said, get the x-rays done now and let us know how they look.

Illini

Mez,

The vet did mention some medication that we could put her on if she had HD. The surgery for $3000 was in fact a total hip replacement surgery. He also described a surgery where they shave the end of the bone off to fit into the socket better. He said she was done as a hunting dog if we opted for this surgery. He didn' t mention the TPO.

I' m going to have the xrays done within the next week to 10 days. I' d like to get them done tomorrow so I would know, but with my job I doubt I' ll be able to schedule it for a week or 10 days.

What exactly does the Cosequin do for the dog? Is it more of a pain reliever? Like I said earlier, she' s never shown any signs of pain or discomfort but if she is diagnosed with HD I' ll get her on it.

Thanks for your input. I had very little understanding of how big of a deal this was.

mez

I' m not familiar with the surgery whrere they shave the bone off so it fits in the socket bettet, I would guess they are talking about a femoral head and neck resection and yes she would be done as a hunter if this was done and also that surgery does not work well on dogs that get over 50 lbs. Essentially they cut off the ball of the ball and socket joint, over several weeks scar tissue fills in where the joint was and the dog has a functional leg, works really well on little dogs and not very well on big dogs. Ask what the surgery was again and let me know.
Cosequin is a combination of glucosamine and Chondroitan sulphate. It is known as a neutracutical, an all natural product. This is also the reason I only use Cosequin, there is no regulation on the manufactue of these products, you could put table salt in jars and sell it as glucosamine and no one would ever check you out. The company that makes Cosequin spends a lot of money on INDEPENDANT studies to show you that the product they are selling is actually what you are getting. They are not required by law to do this and they are the only company that makes these products that spends the extra money.
Back to your original question. Joints are where two bones meet and motion takes place. On the ends of the bones there is articular cartilage, a special kind of cartilage that is very springy and functions as a shock absorber. There is also fluid in the joint that is very thick that serves as a lubricant and also as a nutritional source to the cartilage. Glucosamine and Chondroitan sulphate are both integral parts of both the cartilage in the joints and the synovial fluid in the joints. In a diseased joint outside sources of these molecules have been shown to increase the viscosity of the fluid, decrease inflammation, help return the joint to a more normal state and protect the cartilage. Articular cartilage does not heal nor does it regrow once damaged, this is why we have/get arthritis. These products help to protect the cartilage in a diseased joint. They have been shown to have no beneficial effect in normal joints, only inflammed ones so they don' t work as a preventative. If your dog has dysplasia there is inflammation in the hip joints. Hope that didn' t confuse you, let me know if I did or if you have any more questions.

caveman22

Go on the AKC website. They have dialogue and pictures that will help answer some of your questions.

Dan O.

Even more effective than the glucosamine and chondroitin is those compounds with MSM. It' s done wonders for the arthritis in my knees. A horse doctor I know adds hyaluric acid as a quick fix because the other compounds take weeks to show the full effect.

Dan O.

uplandchessies

MSM is an anti-inflammatory and yes, when used in conjuntion with the aforementioned, it will work wonders.