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Hi everyone. I couldn't find my original thread, so I figured I'd start a new one. In case you don't remember me, My baby Finn (9 month old mutt)was showing signs of problems with his back legs. I posted a week or so ago that it had gotten better. Well, I spoke to soon. He is worse now. Can barely walk. He has his rear end hunched right up now when he walks. I have done ALOT of reading on Hip Dysplasia, and I am pretty sure that this is what he has. I am so upset right now. I know that we cannot afford surgery (they don't even do hip surgeries in my province) so I am clinging to the fact that meds can work, especially in younger dogs. He is scheduled for his hip x-ray on Tuesday (Jan 30). Will know for sure after that. I CANNOT imagine having to put him down or anything. I start to cry just at the thought of it. It souldn't be that severe, right???

Anyway, I'll let you all know how he does. Sorry I sound so blue...but until I know that he's going to be ok, I'm not going to be able to rest.

Nikki

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I am so sorry... fingers crossed, maybe it's not as bad as you think. Keep up hope until the xray, and we'll be sending good thoughts your way .

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Oh no, that is too bad. I was just thinking about you the other day, wondering how your puppy was doing.

I don't know very much about hip dysplasia, and what the treament options are, but I am sure someone here will answer your questions.

I am so sorry that his problems are back. that it isn't too bad

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I don't remember your previous post so forgive me if I am repeating something that you have already been asked and answered.
Could it be Panosteitis? This commonly afflicts young dogs and is quite painful. Your vet will probably have to do an x-ray to diagnosis it but it will eventually go away completely.
If it is hip dysplasia there are many treatments that do not involve surgery. Could your pup have hurt himself playing? He could have hurt himself a few weeks ago and it went away only to re-injure it again.

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Hi Copperbelle.

I just looked up Panosteitis, and this could be Finn, except that he does not appear to be in much pain. We have felt all around his hips and rear end, and he doesn't usually cry in pain or anything. When I first brought him to the vet 2 weks ago, she couldn't do a proper exam on him (he pretty figity), so she wanted me to keep him inactive for a couple of weeks to see if it was an injury that would get better. It did get a lot better, until this past weekend. Then, my step daughters took him for a little walk 2 days ago, and he's been limping ever since. The biggest sign that's it's hip dysplasia is the bunny hop that he does. When he is walking, he will take a few normal steps, then he will hop with his back legs. Classic HD, isn't it? Would an injury do this? The last time it seemed that his left leg was worse, now it seems to be is right leg that's bad. I guess I have to wait for the x-ray. I am very worried about him. He is having a difficult time walking right now. Trying to keep him still, but that's near impossible!! I'm trying really hard to stay positive. It's good to hear that there are good treatments out there.

thanks for your posts guys. I'll keep you updated.

Nikki

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I never thought about pano before. Hunter had it for a long time when he was growing up, but it only affected his front legs.

The fact that it seemed to switch legs, may be a sign of pano

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So sorry to hear your pup is in pain. My 9 month old Bullmastiff has been limping (mostly on) and off for a couple months on his front leg. I, like you, scoured every bit of info on the causes, and was convinced it was OCD in his shoulder. Having pretty much made my conclusive diagnosis, took my guy in for Xrays, so convinced that I was just about ready to fork over the cash for the surgery. Xrays came back... no sign of OCD, everything looks good, elbows and shoulders clear. (you guys are so lucky I am not a vet!) Anyways, two vets looked at the films, saw nothing wrong, but she is still sending them to an orthopeodic vet for a 2nd opinion. She thinks its Pano (whew) but I still want to wait till the 2nd opinion.
I just wanted to let you know my experience, because if you are like me, you tend to think it could be the worst. Your pup could be limping for a number of reasons, and Pano does come and go and change legs, so it could be that too. Your pup is around the age that Pano appears as well. Is your mixed breed large? Don't worry too much, get those Xrays done so you can sleep at night, and please let us all know how it goes. Good luck!

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My friend's very large dog has just been tentatively diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease - or it could be Wobblers. Her dog is a senior so at the moment is on steroids and pain killers - just in case perhaps there has been an injury to one disc. An MRI will be needed for a final diagnosis, and even then... - Anyway, just something to consider - not a pleasant thought I know. Her dog is at serious risk for hip dysplasia - but it is not dysplasia - had to see a neuro last week so she is holding her breath. I know way too much about disc disease, but in my case it was with my 10 lb darlings - with paralysis in 15 minutes, so did not have time to consider options. I understand your dog is young - my first guy who suffered from disc disease had his first event at age 1. Hope that it is not dysplasia.

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Well, my vet's office now thinks I'm a basket case. I phoned them today, half in tears, because I was so worried, and got his x-ray changed from Tuesday to Monday. At least I'll know a day earlier. I asked if there was anything I could give him, because he looked like he was in a lot of discomfort. She said that she would rather I didn't, because, if there is inflamation in the joints, she may want to take a sample. If I give him an antiinflamatory, this may fool up the tests. Makes sense, huh? It's weird, all day Finn was moping and limping around, then tonight, he was running and playing like his old self. But he has a major bunny hop going on. I know what has been aggrivating it, though. We have had ALOT of snow here, and he likes to go in a certain spot in the yard to poop. Well, he will not leave that spot, and will try to trudge through the deepest snow to get to the spot. He will hold it until he gets there. This will definatly aggrevate anything that he might have.

Oh, purpledomino, Finn is a husky mix, but he is not really big (about 35 lbs). Maybe Pano??

Well, he's gone on to bed and is waiting me me to come in and go to sleep. I will let you guys know how everything goes! Thanks for your support.

Nikki

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I hope everything isn't as bad as you expect... Good luck!

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Small suggestion to get you through to Monday ~
Don't let him get up on his own, rather use a towel folded up width-wise under his belly near his hips to help him up. And if you can, keep him off those back "pins". Keep us posted

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Nikki..... good luck with the xrays today and try not to worry.

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Well, I was right. Finn's x-ray results showed that he has extreemly bad hips. I asked if it was hip dysplasia, and she said, yes, you would call it that. Either way, it's like his hips don't fit right into the sockets. We discussed surgery, however, like I said, they don't even do it in our province, plus the fact that the fee is anywhere between 3000 to 5000 dollars. There is no way that we can afford this. So, we will try him on glucoamine and an anti-inflammatory meds. He will likely be on this the rest of his life. He will never be a dog who can run alot, or play hard. He probably will have a lifetime of suffering. My husband and I are devestated. We have both agreed that if he does not respongd to the meds well, and if he is still suffering within the next year, we will have him put down. Just the though is absolutly breaking my heart! Tears are rolling down my face as I write this.

ANyone else out there who had a young dog like this and improved with meds? The vet seems to think that he will and wants us to update her in a week or so. Oh, I hope he improves!!! I don't mind paying 40 bucks a month for medication, as long as he will be ok.

What do you think, guys???? WIll he be ok?

Nikki

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Oh gee, I am so so sorry to hear that

I have no advice to offer, but I do hope he improves very well with the meds

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I'm sorry to hear about Finn, Nikki. I know how devastating this can feel.

However, we have had several younger dogs that responded well to the glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. Proper nutrition and proper exercise are critical. Muscle tone will play a big part in keeping Finn's hips in alignment and reducing arthritic changes. Anti-inflammatories can help keep him comfortable when he 'overdoes'.

If you think that surgery might become necessary in the future, start saving now--even $25 a month will go a long way... There used to be a foundation that would help people fund costly veterinary procedures, but I can't find the information I had on it. I believe it was called the Morris Foundation, but I can't remember for sure. At any rate, that may not be the only one out there and if eventually you decide on surgery, you might be able to get some financial help with one of them...

But meanwhile, focus on toning his muscles, getting him some good food, and keeping him comfortable. It may be a long way down the road before anything as drastic as surgery becomes necessary--and it may never become necessary.

I hope all goes well with you. Finn sounds like a great dog and you sound like great parents.

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Thanks guys. Poor Finn is so groggy from the anesthetic, he went right to bed. My husband worked last night and never went to bed today ( he was pretty anxious all day too), so when we got home, they both went right to bed. Finn put his head on the pillow on my side of the bed and went right to sleep. So cute!

I was wondering, hazelrunpack, what kind of excercise would you reccomend. The vet told me that the big thing is to keep him slim, and have him only on very controlled short leash walks. Sound right? The biggest thing right now is that, I live in Newfoundland, Canada, which equals...lotsa snow! She said that it's best not to walk him in the winter, becasue it's harder on him. But I thought, if I found a nice flat trail, that would be ok. As long as he wasn't slipping too much. See, I took him for a little walk last week, and he sufferd for days. But he had not medication then. So, maybe with the meds he can do a little more, right?

You are right. I have though about the surgery, and the possibility of having it in the future. He so young, we have lots of time to save. I guess we will just have to see how things go.

The other thing is food. I have looked all over this city for Canadie, but can't find it. There is nothing in the city that has anything good in it. Any other suggestions for food brands?

Thanks again for your support guys. You guys are great.

Nikki

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Any mild exercise is great. As long as Finn doesn't slip too much and the path is shoveled, walking him in winter shouldn't be too bad depending on the severity of the problem. Finn will tell you if he's getting too much exercise. Antiinflammatory meds can help make him comfortable, but don't push it too much--they don't cure the underlying problem, they just bring down the inflammation. We were cautioned that it's better to have a few shorter walks than one long one. (Leaping through snow is hard on a dog's joints, though. So is leaping after frisbees or hard chasing.)

Swimming would be great if you can find a facility with a tank or pool for dogs... It's a nice low-impact activity.

Keeping Finn slim will be very beneficial--the less weight he carries, the less stress on his hips--but you have to balance that with his nutritional needs...so keep him fit and trim but not skinny. The vet can give you guidelines there.

Someone else will have to help out with the food. I'm not much of a food guru...we just checked out all the labels and then found one of the better brands that all of ours did well on. It'll depend on what's available in your area and what Finn does well on.

I hope Finn feels better soon, Nikki.

Answer:
Originally Posted by hazelrunpack
Swimming would be great if you can find a facility with a tank or pool for dogs... It's a nice low-impact activity.


Swimming would be great, but here in NL, there are definetly not any places to bring a dog to swim in the winter months.
By the summer, swimming is a good option

Answer:
Originally Posted by Hunter's_owner
Swimming would be great, but here in NL, there are definetly not any places to bring a dog to swim in the winter months.
By the summer, swimming is a good option

Not many indoor facilities here, either--but there are indoor tanks and pools opening up in some of the smaller cities (and, of course, a lot of the larger ones) these days. Also, if there is an equine vet facility nearby, they sometimes have tanks used for hydrotherapy that they will allow dog-owners to use.

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Thanks again for your help and support. Finn still seems a little stiff today, but I guess with all of the movement and manipulation that they did yesterday to get the x-rays, it would leave him a little sore today, right?

When I had Finn near water this past summer, he hated it. I have heard that huskies are not big fans of water, but if it's a good excercise, I would like to get him use to it. He use to hate getting a bath when he was younger, but doesn't mind it so much now. Maybe he won't mind it by this summer.

Yeah, no swimming options here in Newfoundland during the winter. We have next to nothing for humans to avail of, let alone pets. Too bad though.

Again, thanks for the advise and support. You guys are a dream!!! I'll keep you updated.

Nikki

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Nikki,

You may want to try the Canine Hip Dysplasia Yahoo group. There are lots of people on there in the same situation who would have some good tips for you on managing Finn's condition. The address is

groups.yahoo.com/groups/caninehd

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