Author Topic: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(  (Read 4095 times)

Anti-ComplainyPants

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Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« on: February 15, 2014, 02:25:26 PM »
Isn't it tough when the pet you love so much may need expensive medical treatment?

I have a 2 year old husky-basenji mix who limps around with some pretty bad hip dysplasia. She never whines and can break out into a full sprint no problem, but she doesn't walk slowly without "bunny hopping" both of her back legs up. Since she still seems to be happy, and we're pretty sure treatment will be expensive, we've been putting it off.

I tried using some glucosamine/chondroitin supplements; they helped a little but not nearly enough. I'm almost certain that I'm unable/unwilling to pay for surgery, and am very nervous of the cost for most veterinary treatments.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, or have any advice to offer for an affordable solution?

reginna

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2014, 03:04:18 PM »
I haven't had that specific situation but perhaps you need more information from the vet. It may not be as bad as not knowing.

Anti-ComplainyPants

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2014, 03:41:47 PM »
The vet wanted to do an X-ray (~$150) to determine whether it was hip dysplasia (probably) or a misaligned spine (possibly). When I asked the course of action for each, he said that he'd treat either with anti-inflammatory painkillers.

...

So I kindly refused to pay ~$150 to determine the definitive reason that would result in the same treatment, and this inspired the supplement treatment referenced in the original post. I *really* don't want to pay for surgery, and won't as long as she can continue to get around just fine. But I've heard others say that a steroid shot has been helpful... Maybe there's a better brand of supplement I could try, or one with more appropriate ingredients?

TheRedHead

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2014, 04:55:28 PM »
Our first Labradoodle had elbow dysplasia. We spent 5k to fix it and I wouldn't change a thing. He's a great dog. He was in pain from a bone chip and limping so something needed to be done. Now he has lumps on his stomach that we have had aspirated (non-cancerous) but they're growing rapidly and will need to be removed. Again, I won't bat an eye at having the surgery. It needs to be done. Of course we can afford it. If we couldn't, it would be a hard choice. Of course if we really couldn't, we probably wouldn't have a dog.

fidgiegirl

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2014, 05:33:53 PM »
The anti-inflammatory drugs are not cheap either.  Our dog has taken Rimadyl (chewables) daily for almost five years for his arthritis pain and they are over $1 a day (no one add that up, please :( ).  There are cheaper/generic versions (the drug name is carprofen) but it would involve pilling him, something he HATES and is super stressful.

At 2 yo, I think you may need to consider the surgery.  It's a long life to live in pain without it . . .

Starting Over

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2014, 06:03:26 PM »
Ask your vet about Adequan. I've got a 3 year old beagle with hip dysphasia. She's been on Adequan for over a year. The difference is amazing. Adequan is administered via injection under the skin.

Initially it is a series of 8 shots given over 4 weeks. Time between follow up shots varies depending on the animal. My vet says most dogs and cats tend to go 6-9 months between shots. My beagle seems to do best with follow up shots on a 4 month schedule. Some vets prefer a monthly schedule.

My vet charges $20 per shot if we are there solely for the injection, $15 if there for other things, and $12.50 if I pick it up to administer at home.

Anti-inflammatories may still be needed for a day or two at time. For us, at this point, that seems to be unnecessary.

My beagle began showing improvement on the 3rd or 4th shot and was playing like a puppy again before the end of the initial series.

Weight is very important for dogs with dysphasia. If your pet is overweight, I'd recommend discussing how to best help your pet lose weight. I use carrot chunks and green beans as treats; both are inexpensive and don't add to the weight issue.

Cuttlefish Clive

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2014, 07:27:30 PM »
Our 1.5 year old dog was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when he was 9months old, and there are other things you can do before you get to surgery.

As a previous poster said, make sure your dog is not overweight, if anything, you want her slightly underweight.

The other main thing I was told & have seen a huge difference with, is exercise. Our dog had started doing the bunny hop, and within a week or 2 of 15-20 minute gentle fetch sessions 1 or 2 times a day, it was gone. The stronger the muscles are, the more they can help keep the bones in the right place. The only caution being since you don't know for sure what it is, you would probably want to check that the exercise wouldn't make the spine issue worse. Walking is also good exercise for hip dysplasia, and if you have access to somewhere she could swim (our part lab won't go near the water with a 10 foot pole, lol), that is great for them.

Even with surgery, there are options. It's been a while so I may not be remembering this exactly right, but I'm pretty sure if you don't want to go for the hip replacement, they can just remove the ball part of the ball-socket joint, and that removes the friction/pain. I think it is not recommended for larger dogs, but my vet said he had a 90 lb dog that had it done on both hips & it did really well afterwards, so I'm sure a lot of that depends on aftercare and how much exercise they get.

Koala0924

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Re: Young dog with hip dysplasia :(
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2014, 01:59:46 PM »
Rimadyl can be expensive for ongoing treatment. For our much loved, very spoiled dog I give her 25mg of children's buffered ibuprofen. It is much cheaper than Rimadyl, I can buy it readily over the counter, and the two drugs are very similar. I only dose for occasional soreness, and would never dose continuously for over 3 weeks due to the potential for stomach issues.

 

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