Hip Dysplasia?

[fowl farm]

I'll start off with a background story, so you know what is happening.

About 4 months ago we got 2 Border Collie/Lab mix puppies. We got them from a lady who would take and re-home puppies for people. The mom was purebred BC, the dad was a BC/Lab mix. I'd kept Hip Dysplasia in mind when looking at some purebred BC pups, but I didn't think about it with mixes.

Kiera is now about 5 and 1/2 months old and has started limping. I first noticed it when she would sometimes limp after getting up from a nap, though I had thought her leg was asleep (

). Then I noticed that her Femur (I think that's the right bone) on the left hind leg was more prominent than her right one and that she walked with the slightest limp. Know she's stiff for the first few steps of getting up ALL the time and has started sitting on her side, bad leg tucked under her body. I can touch and massage her leg no problem, no pain, but she still favors it.

Kiera was the runt of litter and until the last vet appointment, she weighed several pounds more than her sister, who is noticeably bigger than her. (Iona weighed 0.2 lbs more at the last check up) Kiera has the Lab "look". Baggy skin, puppy eyes, stout legs, etc.

We want to treat her at home, and I was hoping for some ideas! And yes, we plan to take her to the vet for confirmation.

I found this article, which seemed like a good idea; http://www.petmd.com/blogs/purelypu...puppy_has_hip_dysplasia_now_what#.UNCOTeQ0WSo


Here's a picture of her sitting. She was howling because she wasn't able to go on a walk, but I didn't want to stress her leg. Notice her sitting on her side? The bad leg is tucked under her.

 

[res]

It sure sounds suspicious of dysplasia. I currently have 2 Border Collies who have had surgery due to hip dysplasia. I KNEW one of them would by dysplastic - it is in his bloodlines. The other one was a complete surprise, because it was not in her genetics.

Both dogs recovered from their surgeries - both had routine FHO's - nothing fancy. There are more specialized options out there, but do shop around. Definitely get the opinion of a specialist if you can afford to, but do ask about FHO surgery if cost is a concern. Also, FHO is a surgery that DOES NOT need to be performed by a specialist, which opens the door to you price-shopping your local vets.

On my older dog, I was to have the L hip FHO'd with a local vet, and the R hip TPO'd with the specialist. But she only got the FHO - long story. On my younger dog, both hips were cleared for FHO with a local vet by the specialist.

Also, around 6 months of age is a common time for pups to begin to show symptoms of FHO.

 

[Linn Bee]

Do look around. My past Vet offered something for my (then) dog when she experienced atrophied muscles in her right front leg. Not diysplasia, of course, but these supplements - he called them digestive enzymes - made a huge and speedy difference.

The Vet had a binder of articles about this supplement and the surprising things it did for older dogs, dogs with hip dysplasia, dogs with continuing problems after accidents, one - a dog who had been paralyzed from the rear hips down, etc.

It's been years and I don't remember the name of the supplement, but I'd certainly look for it if the occasion came up again. These fur balls quickly become family members. It's hard to not want the best for them.

Love, Smart Red

 

[Jubilee1111]

This could be a knee issue, too. Either a Cruciate tear or luxating patella.

 

[fowl farm]

Jubilee, the Luxating Patella x-ray picture on Wiki looks like her leg, but other than a limp there isn't any other signs of pain (yelping, etc.) Could she just used to the pain? I'll try and get a picture of her leg tomorrow.

 

[Wetherwell]

A lot of young dogs have "sloppy sits" and it absolutely means nothing......... just perhaps a more relaxed "sit".

I currently have 2 labradors... both have sloppy sits unless we are doing obedience training .... they both are retired from the show ring now....

Both of them have had their hips and elbows radiographed and sent to the OFA ( orthopedic foundation for animals ) and certified. They came back with a "Good" rating on one of the girls. The other girl came back with an "excellent" rating. They have three board certified orthopedic veterinarians look over the films and the 3 vets give a Fair , Good or Excellent rating based upon the radiographs. The two common are what is given for the certification... I also took all of my dogs to one of the best vets for radiographs for Labs ( she happens to be a lab breeder and judge as well ).

Also a lot of young dogs / puppies get what is called Pano........google it.

It could be a soft tissue injury. It could be a broken toenail ( yes, they do cause crazy things in dogs )........it could be OCD of the hocks.........

It's really hard to tell unless you get radiographs to get to the meat of the matter.

Hope this helps with some food for thought ~

Good luck ~

 

[fowl farm]

Well, we got a X-ray done. She has a shattered kneecap. Soooo, any advice on what to do would be appreciated. We have chews to promote bone health (daily) and some pills to help with pain when she needs it (otherwise she stresses her knee out and then she's really in pain) The vet suggested maybe doing experimental surgery VT. Is this something that will get worse as she grows? Kiera is 6 months old.

 

[Fly 2006]

Aaawww poor little Kiera

I hope someone will come along who has some experience of such a problem, has your vet not given you much info?

 

[fowl farm]

I wasn't there when they picked her up, so I didn't hear what the vet had to say, but my Mom didn't make it sound too promising.