brutus has hip dysplasia
Submitted by wozrob11 on January 25, 2011 - 8:29pmwell the x rays say he has it both rear legs so i got him on nutri-vet hip and joint which has 1000 mg a day and 200 mg vitamin c im also giving him a tablespoon of plain fat free yogurt for vitamin d he is only 10 months old so i want to try the basic stuff first and see if it help with his limping its only been 3 days on the sups how long does it take to kick in the bottle says 4-6 weeks is that for all size dogs? also im from ct and like every other day there is a snow storm so walks have been tough but i read a bunch on strengthing his legs with a couple of short walks a day . should i wait untill the sups start to kick in or start now . and if anyone has any info or trade secrets on hip dysplasia it will be well appreciated thank s everyone for all the help this is the best forum on the web!!!!! by far
What prompted your vet to take x-rays of his hips
was he limping? If so, did it start suddenly, does he favor only one of his legs?
Lynn King CPDT-KA
Yes, what prompted hip x-rays for a limp....
And did it just start or has he limped since he was a younger puppy? Sophie was diagnosed as surgical Hip Dysplasia as a very young puppy, but after 5 years of Glucosamine daily and a tablespoon of fat free yogurt per meal, her hips and joints are fine.
It can take several weeks to really see much. I give wal-mart purchased Glucosamine capsules...one daily in a meal. Way cheaper than buying vet supplied Glucosamine!
Amy and Sophia
Had a bulldog with Hip Dysplacia
Our second bulldog was diagnosed with a full-blown case of hip dysplacia at eighteen months. We all know "the bow" a bully does when he wants to play? Mikey was perfectly healthy until one day he went into the bow and seemed to be stuck there. Getting out of it seemed to be painful. After he continued to experience difficulty with the bow that evening, I had him at the vet (an excellent bulldog vet; he's listed on this website) the next day. He took x-rays and was as shocked as I was to see the degree of the problem. The end of the leg bone was grinding flush to the hip socket. Mikey displayed no other symptoms - no difficulty walking or sitting - nothing! He had the FHO (? - can't remember the order those letters go in after all this time) after I got another consult to be sure. The surgeon was absolutely masterful (the first couple of months after the surgery were just miserable), and assured us that Mikey would be 100% at the four-month mark. He sure was! A small half-moon scar was the only "evidence" that he had had the surgery. He was able to do the amazing bulldog "leaps and bounds" like he always had, and certainly, bowing was no longer a problem. I kept him on glucosamine for the rest of his life. The one thing I would strongly suggest is to get a second opinion and have any surgery that needs to be done performed by the very best orthopoedic (sic?) surgeon you can find/afford. Good luck with your baby.
Morgan has HD
Morgan is 6 and was diagnosed with HD at age 2. It was very apparent she had a problem. She started out being slow to get up after naps and then stiff when she got up on her feet. That progressed to limping all the time.
I took her in for xrays and of course it was HD. I immediately started her on Adequan. Morgan stopped limping completely within a few weeks and has not limped since. She still gets one shot a month of the Adequan which is about $30. I don't give her any pain meds but I would like to give her glucosomine/chondrointin if I could get it down her.
My Vet suggest a glucosomine/ chondroitin supplement that contains at least 500 mg of chondroitin.
Also, surgery is NOT recommended for bulldogs with HD. The surgery is VERY hard for the dogs and they often end up still limping and sometimes with nerve damage. So, if your Vet starts talking surgery, find another Vet.
powdered glucosamine
you said you'd like to give Morgan glucosamine/chondroitin if you could get it down her....I had a dog that would NOT take a pill, so I found a powdered form for her. She was a very picky eater, and she actually still ate her food with this stuff sprinkled on it!
It is very expensive but it the only thing I could find that she would willingly take.
http://k9power.com/wholistic-run-free-4oz.html
Cathy and Audrey
I hadn't thought of that
Good idea Cathy!
Jacinda
Have you tried giving her Glycoflex III Soft Chews? Maybe she would eat them. Mine gobble them down like treats.
She won't eat them
She is very suspicious of all treats. She inspects them all to make sure no pills are inside. She won't eat any flavored tabs that I have tried like Rimadyl, pet tabs or interceptor. And, if I stick it down her throat, she will gag herself and spit them up. She's rotten, lol!
that is exactly how my old gal was
she would even refuse the whole bowl of food if there was a crushed pill in it. Crushing is a major PITA anyways so I just spent the $$ and got her the powdered. She actually still ate her food with that stuff on it!
Cathy and Audrey
all of a sudden
all of a sudden he started a small limp in one leg . we played a little rough that day so i thought nothing of it .it kinda came and went but then it kinda went to both legs , but still it would come and go and i just made a vet app. and they said that is what he had its only been a couple of days on the supps so i will wait and see . does anyone think salmon oil pills would help him out? i feed him TOTW pacific stream so i dont want to give him salmon overload. lol
The reason I asked
Vets often diagnose HD and in fact the dog may have some degree of it but it may not be the cause of sudden limping/discomfort. Years ago, we had a dog that was diagnosed with HD and the vet recommended pain management, not surgery, because the dog was 8 years old. I insisted that, although the dog might have HD, it was not the cause of the limping because it had started suddenly. I got a 2nd opinion, my dog had injured his knee, tore the ACL. We had surgery done to repair it, the dog lived limp free until his death at 13 years old.
Since that time, I have heard many similar stories. I am not saying that your vet is incorrect but just be aware that it may be an injury.
Good luck
Lynn King CPDT-KA
He's also at the right age for growing pains
Is the Vet positive the limp is caused by hip dysplasia and not a soft tissue injury or growing pains?