I have a Cane Corso who is suffering from Hip Dysplasia leading to him have restricted exercise , he is on pain meds

Does anyone have any tips on dealing with a high drive dog who can't exercise much but needs mental stimulation

Any advice in general as to how to improve his life would be great

Video of the poor sod http://www.vimeo.com/7643935

Poor boy, dont know if it will help with HD but have been told that joint aid is excellent for arthritic conditions it is a granule that you add to his food

what about swimming? would he be able to do that with it being non weight bearing exercise? its also good exercise if he can do it and will build other muscles up, so to compensate. if this no help, sorry. is he motivated by food? there are little games on Pet Planet that you hide little treats in. takes dog ages to get them out http://www.petplanet.co.uk/category.asp?dept_id=724. failing that, i really cant think of anything. sorry, hope this helps a bit :-S

Have surgical routes been explored.

:( Poor lad that is awful.

Have you got him insured?  Because if so, I think I would go down the referral to a Specialist and surgery route. 

Omega 3 fish oils might help too.

my boxer has the same thing and i find daily cod liver oil capsules do help.
we do a lot of lead walking to keep him moving and find that he can run as long as it's straight, if he tries to turn quickly or chase things then thats what really affects him.
i do a lot of training type games to tire him out rather than him running about. the sad thing is he wants to run around and it's not till he has a sleep then tries to get back up that he realises it wasn't a good idea and cries with the pain until he moves around a bit and loosens back up.
my dogs getting on now and has been through a few ops for other things so i'm not going down that route but then he's a happy dog as long as i control the exercise.
it maybe worth you discussing with the vet the options and what quality of life your dog has to whether it's worth a possible operation.  

I think swimming would be good for him, we used a dog pool for our dog for a while and met some people who had amazing results with their dogs that had hip problems.
It is important to keep his muscle tone as good as possible and often advice I have heard people get is to keep up the exercise as this will help in supporting the dogs bad hip. Obviously if he is in pain you can not do this and will need to look in other treatments, operation etc...
Over the years I have known few dogs that have had very bad hips, some have managed very well as long as they have been kept fit...
I think specialist will definately need to be seen as general vets will not necessarily know the best treatments available and how to best help your boy.

Hi Nerohip,

Firstly, just taken a look at the vid of your boy,poor poor lad. How old is he as he only looks quite young?

I agree wholeheartedly with Furriefriends recommendation of supplementing him, and the Hydrotherapy recommendation.
I have a large breed gundog diagnosed at almost five months when he went lame. He is supplemented with Glucosamine/Chrondroitin, and pain meds (currently Rymadyl, had a bad reaction to Metacam) and fed on a partial barf diet, which I believe also helps him cope; you probably already know the importance of weight management.

My young man is a very full on guy always on the go and is very difficult to restrain from doing things he really shouldn't, for example thinking he can fly around the house and bouncing off the walls when he is feeling particularly energetic :).

I do still walk him, although keep him on lead as he literally never knows when to stop and would run himself into the ground if left to his own devices, so minimize it to several short walks amounting to approx and hour a day, just to read the news and to leave his mark as it were and saying hello to whoever we meet.

I am lucky in one respect that I am not working at the moment so have the time to spend with him, we play hide and seek with his toys.
Training always a good one, but my boy is so bright he always tries to second guess what I am going to ask him to do, he picks things up in the blink of an eye which is not always  helpfull,  but gives him some stimulation. I try not to enforce the sit with him unless I have to as it can be very painful for him
I  still do a restricted amount of retrieving in the garden with him just to keep him up to speed, and other times he just likes to potter around hunting the birds and pointing them for me.

You could try the dog puzzles http://www.netpetshop.co.uk/c-526-nina-ottosson-dog-toys.aspx or frozen stuffed Kong's to make them last that bit longer

My boy is very people orientated so loves his grooming sessions, and generally just lolling around on my knee having cuddles, sucking my thumb which is actually half my hand :) and having massages, if he is not too sore.

His dysplasia is very severe, none of the vets he has seen believed it at first as he moves so well, it is only when they have taken films that both his own vet and the Ortho specialist who is doing the op have both told us it is the worst they have ever seen in over 20 years in practise. On the last set of films he already had the beginnings of Arthritis, and recently there has been some deterioration in his pain control with some loss of function in the back legs when he over does things, which is often, so for him we have decided as he is still very young to go ahead and  have the full hip replacements in both hips.

He is booked in to have first op on Thursday and of course he will be castrated at the same time, the other will be done when the boys go back to school after the Christmas break, so we can limit his excitement of them being around when he is first out of hospital.

Now the worry starts and I have to keep rationalising that this is the best thing for him although it certainly does not make it any easier, I know I will be in bits for the five day hospital stay until I have him safely back home,.
He is an extremely special boy anyway (once in a lifetime dog) and this just makes him even more so, I am hoping it goes well then maybe  in the future and with good management that he will be able to work in some capacity. And when I return to the UK will look into getting him assessed for Pets for Therapy, as he loves the attention, and seems to know to be extra gentle with old people and children and looks quite funny trying to make himself small for children.

Looks like I have gone on far too long sorry to hijack.
However feel free to PM me if you would like further support, always happy to help :)

Dxxx

Another vote here for hydrotherapy. My 10 year old Golden Retriever with severe hip dysplasia to his left hip and general arthritis to most joints, was on pain killers and limping/having difficulty getting up from rest. After a couple of months of fairly intensive hydrotherapy he is now free from the limping/stiffness and no longer needs the painkillers. He now goes to hydrotherapy twice a month and his muscle tone has improved a lot.

Poor boy get him on Chrontium and glucosimine asap thats what we use for Jakes OCD you would not know that he has a problem now.

my ddb has HD and is 11 months old , recently diagnosed.

we took her to a specialist who recommmend hydrotherapy to strengthen the muscles in her bag end , its a good way of non strenous exercise for them.

have u been to the vets with him?
we were prescriped Metacam suspension , whcih is also used in arthritic dogs but can help with the pain , i think its an anti inflammartory.

i also give her lots of supplements , green lipped muscle is excellent , we saw an improvement give her that , also glucosamine chorontine is also another good one

u can use human supplement which are just as good and alot cheaper too

We own a Cane Corso as well, unfortunately like many mastiff breeds they are renound for this type of problem as well as frequent fits, if he is quite young this may develop later on in life.

Like others have said swimming should help as well as some oils etc...Our bitch hasn't developed HD in her hips or elbows yet she is nearly 5 years old but we supplement with oily fish to help every week.

I have read this thread with interest as I am looking for supplements for my 5 yr old Wolfhoud. He is healthy at the moment but we have noticed that sometimes in the morning he is a little stiff when getting up. I spoke to my vet about this and he suggested supplements of Glucososamine and Chondroitin (although I read with interest about the joint aid too..),

Can I ask where you buy your supplements from? Is there a recommended daily dose? My boy is fed a good quality dry food but he is also fed raw too.

Thanks for any advice.

I saw the video of Nero, I adore Corsos, very sad to see as he looks very young still :((  & I hope he is doing ok.

We use the mixture you suggested fot Jake's OCD in his shoulder called Cosequine DS, Its a bit dear but Jake does not limp at all on it.

I've found Yummega youmove good in helping the joints.

i use a small amount of walking.  Didn't know if to try this daily in case it upset her legs and am looking for hydrotherapy to help.

hope all works out.

bomazeal senior tablets available via the internet i have used them with great results , the contain natural ingredients green lipped mussel extract, deer velvet , shark cartilidge and pine nut oil

Syn-flex - have used for a couple of years.

Thanks Newfienook, i will look  into the Bomazeal supplement.

I am guessing you have newfies ;)

Yes  for my sins i do the name sort of gives it away doesnt it  LOL !

Hi,

I was reading your threat and thought of magetic therapy. Have a look here:

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Magnetic_Dog_Bed

it is suitable for dogs with hd, arthritis and other sorts of injuries or inflamations. They do dog beds with magnets in which shall deal as pain relief and should make dogs a bit more comfortable. - This is a US website but I know that there are magnetic dog beds available in the UK as well.

Maybe also have a look at accupuncture...

My Mallie, 2 years old has just been diagnosed with severe HD - hip score 55 - and is now having treadmill hydro twice weekly, metacam now and then and an occasional course of Cartrophen injection, one every week for a month. I also give him one green lipped mussel tab, two Seven Seas chondroitin/glucosamine and a splash of Fish for dogs fish oil in his food daily (have always given SS & fish oil since a pup) and apart from his stilted gait, you wouldn't know he had a problem - he certainly doesn't. The hydro treadmill is working wonders and improving his gait and in a couple of months he will go hydro swimming but wanted his muscles built up first with something less strenuous. He's happy as larry and doesn't know his limitations so is always lead walked, twice daily for 20 - 30 mins. Training, just basic stuff keeps him occupied if I ever think he's bored but on the whole he's quite content with his life. Not all doom and gloom but would def do what I do as it's been so good for him, coupled with the fact that he's always had Seven Seas tabs and Green Lipped mussle tabs - because he is a large breed to help his joints, just in case - i'm sure this could be why he is so agile.

Just to add - BBC1 wednesday 10.45pm - The Bionic Vet, should be interesting for all of us with dogs who have HD.