Hello everyone,
I'm new so please be gentle! I'm in need of some good advice here and would love to hear from anyone who can help.

Back in November we bought home our lab puppy, Shelby.
She is KC reg and we were given details of her bloodline, shown hip scores etc. All are good.

We have just been told by the Fitzpatrick referrals centre that she has hip dysplasia and will need a replacement of both hips. We are devastated to say the least.

I have emailed the breeder 2 weeks ago to tell them this but have heard nothing back. I have just looked online and they are selling the other puppy form the same litter that they wanted to keep.

Unfortunately my insurance will not cover the whole cost of the operation and although we have been offered the option to make payments we still cannot afford the £300 a month they are asking for this.

I just don't know what to do?
The breeder won't get back to me. What I want to know is- although I have looked up all of the other dogs on Shelbys pedigree chart- how can I actually make sure that these are the dogs that have actually been used?

I know that dysplasia can unfortunately come from lines where all dogs have good scores but this is rare surely?

She is a small lab and we absolutely cannot afford the cos of a hip replacement- we saved and saved making sure we got a dog from parents with good scores as we wanted to avoid things like this happening. I have been told there is something called a femoral head and neck excision that can be done but the vet is worried that it will fail and we will be in a worse position than before.

I guess I just want to know if there is any way of actually checking up properly about the dogs on the pedigree list and if there's anything I can do regarding the breeder?

Also, does anyone have any experience with this sort of situation? I feel like I'm in a nightmare at the moment and not sure where to turn?

I don't fully understand my options here- if I don't do the hip replacement what would happen? She's only 7 months old, in a lot of pain- so much so that the vet wants to operate in the next few weeks....
My insurance company will only cover her for 1 year, after that, we're on our own.
I never imagined this would happen or I would have taken out lifetime insurance, at the time of buying insurance I didn't consider this as we were assured she had such good breeding and her hips would of course be fine.

Thank you for reading my ramblings on! I guess I'm just out to get any information I can.

My first question would be how much exercise she has had? Puppies need very limited amounts of exercise or you could unfortunately cause HD; the bones are still soft when growing and can therefore get damaged.

You can order a certified pedigree from the KC which you will be guaranteed is correct, all you need is your dog's registered name and number -presumably you had her transferred into your name? (Only the registered owner can order a pedigree.) You can order  a pedigree online here:
http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/asp/PEDI/

You can then go through the names on the KC's website and verify the hip scores:
http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/health/search/Default.aspx

I have no idea about the surgery I'm afraid but I think you've got the best possible vets. My only experience of HD is in a dog that had no problems until aged 6, he had very severe HD (score of 96) yet had no symptoms until then.

Unfortunatly you seem to be standing alone on this. If she came from parents who's scores were good (Not sure of Lab mean score...13 by memory) The the breeders did what they could to prevent it. Sometimes it is not enough. Not getting at you but possibly you have given her a little too much free running and jumping ? Environmental influences play a big part in HD.
The breeder should get back to you. It is unfair of them not to but in theory they have done nothing wrong. Not unless the parents scores were high, can you remember ?
I had a GSD who came from excellent very low scoring parents. I openly admit now that we gave him too much excersise and by 9 months the vets suggested we PTS as he was so bad. We took the other option and competly rested him for 6 months. No walks, trips to the garden on lead for toileting, no play with the older dogs. It was very very hard on him and ruined his temperament and socialisation. But he lived to a ripe old age and never had much problem. He bunny hopped all his life and apart from some pain relief as he got older he lived a good (I somewhat sheltered ) life. Sheltered as he was not good with other people or dogs...but was well trained so had a fair amount of freedom as he would return to me at the drop of a hat and never went looking for trouble.
I hope you can get something sorted. Try ringing the breeder if you have a number, not everyone checks e-mail regularly.
Aileen

Thanks for replying guys :)

I think the scores were 4.5 and 5.5?

I did wonder about the exercise, I think maybe she has had too much time playing in the woods.

On her x-rays, the vet showed us, both her sockets are very shallow, her muscle tone is good- would this indicate too much exercise?

I had a feeling there wouldn't be much the breeder could do- everyone's been on at me to get in touch but if the parents scores are low then they've done all they can.

We've been given exercises to do with her and been told to do controlled swimming with her and then we're back in a months time to re-evaluate the situation.

I'm hoping there's something I can do as I want her to have a pain free, happy life, even if it means very controlled exercise and rest. She is truly a wonderful dog and I want to do the best I can for her.

Thanks again.

Worried to hear the breeders are now selling the dog they had intended to keep having heard there HD in the litter! Have you been in touch with the stud dogs owner too? Can the vet not give an opinion on whether the xrays indicate too much exercise? Had you said the pup had been bounding around on car parks or playgrounds I would be more concerned but woodland is generally soft and bouncy underfoot and not such a worry depending on what time length you mean. How much is too much that you think you may have been doing? I am sorry you have this worry and your pup is in pain, you must be heartbroken.

> I don't fully understand my options here- if I don't do the hip replacement what would happen? She's only 7 months old, in a lot of pain- so much so that the vet wants to operate in the next few weeks....

Have you been told that hip-replacement is the ONLY way to deal with her hips?

My dog developed eldbow displasia, the short story is, even though elbow replacement would result in 'new' elbows, it would not guarantee his gait would be any better (he may still have a limp), but obviously, if sucsessfull would remove any assocaited pain from his problems. However, I was also given the option to manage my pups problem without surgery. He was VERY bad when he was first diagnosed at 5 & half months, he could barely walk 4 yards without the need to stop & lay down. :(
I went along the route of pain management (metacam), weight control (keeping him as lean as possible) and gardualy increasing controlled excersie, along with a change of diet from puppy to adult food.

We also put him on glucosamine HCL supplimets.

Aftre about 2 months, we tried him without the metacam and amazingly he has only needed it 2 or 3 times since for a few days at a time, if he has stumbled and jarred an elbow.

He will be 4 years old this summer, his elbows have seized up (one only bends about 1%, the other about 5%) but he is pain free and can even run (though not in a very delicate fashion!). He has a daily walk of 30-35 mins and can jump around like a loony playing with his favorite doggy friend (a rottie) when they meet. Buster is happy himself & the vet is very happy with him.

You really need to discuss with the specialist what all the options are, there MAY be alternative things you can do other than the opperation, but only the specialst will be able to tell you this. Pain management for these sort of problems can be metacam (or other NSAI) but there are stronger pain-killers that can be given by injection (can't remeber the name, but the vet discussed this as an alternative to an elbow replacement should Buster start suffering with pain).

> We've been given exercises to do with her and been told to do controlled swimming with her and then we're back in a months time to re-evaluate the situation.

It's amazing the difference controlled excersie can make.

Fingers crossed that this gets your pup going in the right direction and you can avoid the opperation :)

The parents scores are pretty good. 

It would be interesting to see what the pattern of scores is behind the parents as being a multifactorial problem with about 30% heritability the more generations and other family members with good hips the less chance of poor scores, but sadly there is never a guarantee.

How long per day was she exercised for - out on a walk in the woods or elsewhere?

> Worried to hear the breeders are now selling the dog they had intended to keep having heard there HD in the litter!

Surely that would be the responsible thing not to breed from the litter-mate of a badly affected one???

Of course I assume that it would be with endorsements to not be bred from and with full disclosure, perhaps having him/her x-rayed or planning to do so at 12 months for a proper score.

Of course they may simply have found that the pup did not reach the potential they had hoped for, it is called 'running a puppy on', quite common practise, especially in the past as of course at 8 weeks your only making educated guesses about a pups quality.

Personally I have never managed to be detached enough to re-home one that didn't make the grade, just hoped to breed better next time..

I would explain to the vet that you would like to explore all other options before having such a large op. If he is saying both hips need doing it is going to be massive surgery for a youngster. Maybe physio, hydrotherapy, gentle excersise and pain relief can get you through untill pup is older. I would have thought like humans that the longer you can put it off the longer the new hips will last.
Start today with Very short controled lead walks (10 mins x 2 times a day) Absolutly no stairs, or jumping, Lift in and out the car. Walk only on soft grassy areas, reduce weight if needed, she needs to run on the lean side of normal. If she gets no excersise her muscles will suffer and she needs to have support for those hips.
Make an appointment to have a long chat with your vet to explore all the options open to you. Then make a better educated plan of action.
So sorry this has happened but I know here at Champdogs we sound like a stuck record when it comes to puppy excersise, it is REALLy important they do not get too much, hence the 1 min per week of life rule, 8 weeks old 8 mins of excersise, 12 weeks twelve mins.  And jumping is not allowed, no stairs no jumping in and out of cars.
Excersise takes all forms from mad racing around to gentle plodding. My big girlies do not race around now, so pup just trundles along with them, at 9 months she is getting 30/35 mins plodding twice a day, if it were racing she would be having half that.
Hope you get some response from your breeder, they should really be supporting you even if they have bred from great stock. A friendly voice on the phone is very helpfull even if they cannot help financially. (and really have no need to do so)
Best of luck in whatever you choose to do.
Aileen

The most important thing is is she in pain?

I think the femoral head op you are talking about is where they remove the femoral head and only muscle keeps the hips in place.

Amazingly dogs that are lean, not over angulated (average dog shape) and well muscled can be sound without the ball of the hip in a socket.

What causes pain is the arthritis from ill fitting joints where bone growth occurs to compensate and the uneven surfaces rubbing cause pain.

A dog in the USA fo my breed jumped off an unfinished balcony and dislocated his hip.  After several attempts at putting it back in place that failed, the head of the femur was removed and the dog was able to after recovery run around and live life as before.

Of course your dog is still a puppy and still growing.

Many vets prefer to wait until growth has finished without doing anything drastic as long as the pup can be kept pain free.

I would certainly look at giving joint supplements like Glucosmaine and Chondritin and Vitamin C.

Here are some Googl;e links: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Treatment+options+for+dysplastic+puppy&meta=&rlz=

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I'm hoping things will improve. It has made me feel a lot better to know that I can help things with exercise.
Our walks were usually 30mins but sometimes up to an hour but with breaks (about 5-10 mins) where we would all sit- Shebly included.

We were giving her rimadyl that was given to us by our vet. The vet at the Fitzpatrick centre has given us a large bottle of Metacam to give once daily. She said this was the cheaper option as she didn't want to eat away too much at our insurance fund.

It's hard to tell how much pain Shebly is in- I have only heard her yelp twice- once was after she had been swimming- the day before we took her to the vets and found out there was a problem, the other was a week into her rimadyl- I think she was getting up from her bed.
I know that dogs can suffer in silence so I'm quite worried about that, the vet said her muscle tone and weight are good so I'm hoping that the exercises we have been given will help.

The vet said she wants ideally to see us in 4 weeks and do one hip replacement- she said one may be enough and that the replacement would be her first choice. The worry if we go for the excision is that it will fail and we will be in a position where we will need a replacement so I'm hoping that we can help her with pain relief and exercise.

I think I will ask about supplements- anything I can do to help her really!

Thanks again everyone :)

The first on that list seems to give a good overview: http://www.siriusdog.com/options-treatment-dysplastic-dog.htm

> Amazingly dogs that are lean, not over angulated (average dog shape) and well muscled can be sound without the ball of the hip in a socket.
>

My last dog was a rescue we got him at 4yrs old (lab cross he was approx 35kg), it was obvious his back end was not quite right as one leg looked out of shape and was able to move in rather unusual ways, but it never troubled him. He got hit by a car - the xrays from this revealed his femoral head had been removed at some point before we had him at that leg was 1.5inch shorter than the other.

Sadly we had to say good bye to him at 14 & half years old, but the only problem he ever had with that leg was as he got old, his muscles weren't as strong so he couldn't manage much excersie other than playng in the garden. He always ran rather stragely, the back leg would almost rotate at the side of him like a propellor, but it never hurt him :)

Thank you! It's hard to find good articles online that are relevant.

Thank you, it's giving me some hope to hear of stories like yours.

The vet at F.R can only offer so much advice until we see her again in 4 weeks so all of the information I have been given on here has been so so helpful and given me a light at the end of the tunnel :)

I know how devastating it is when you hear that you lovely puppy has displasia, your whole world turns upside down :(

It's great that you are feeling a little more hopefull now doodlepants :)

My Golden with bad HD was on Glucosamine with Chondroitin and it really worked for him. He lived until 13 and had a pretty good life -was able to go for walks but not jump into the car in later years. He couldn't walk at all before we started the G&C so it made a big difference. Beware it takes a few weeks to have an effect.

Thanks everyone!

Is there a better brand of glucosamine? I have just had a quick look and the first one I found was this:
http://www.vetvits.co.uk/dog-supplements/flexi-joints-for-dogs/productdetail-p15875-c1786997.aspx?referrer=GOOGLEPPC&gclid=CIOK8cfwqKgCFUEa4Qod9BZOHA

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I have 2 dogs with HD,one severe (score in the 60's) and one moderate ( score mid 40's) I looked into all the available treatments including total hip replacement. After long talks with my vet (he's a very patient man lol) I decided to go for drug therapy instead and two months ago I started them both on a series of cartrophen injections which is one injection a week for 4 weeks (a loading dose)then one injection at regular intervals. Cartrophen is a  arthritis disease modifying drug that has produced some excellent results.and has very good pain relief properties. I also give glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. THR does undoubtably give some dogs a good quality of life but it can also be a nightmare as well and I was not happy to go down that route. My two have so far responded really well to the treatment and have one injection a month just to keep them "topped up".

You can use human brand Glucosamine and chondroitin which is usually cheaper than the dog one and just as good - can't remember the amounts - I have it written down from the vet at home.

I have had two dogs with HD now, the first one came to us with the problem at 9 months old and he was always restricted in what he could do but died at 4 from an unrelated illness. His parents and littermates had excellent scores.  The other one showed absolutely no signs and we didn't know until we had him scored age 6 because someone wanted to use him at stud. His score was horrendous yet he could regularly climb our 5ft garden wall! He had no problems until he was about 8 or 9 and lived until he was 14.

I would be worried about operating for this on such a young dog as she will have a lot of growing to do. If you can keep her pain free then I would go for restricting her exercise before I would take such drastic action.

I know that my setter always comes back limping (looks like cruciate injury but it isn't according to vet) from one particular walk in the woods where there is a lot of uneven ground that she jumps over, up and down(we now avoid it), yet on a different walk, where the slopes are less challenging she comes back with no limp whatsoever.

That seems like a good one.

Glucosamine HCL is better than GLucosamine sulphate (many are glucosamine sulphate). The product you linked to IS gluc.hcl and has the added bonus of having Chondroitin (not all do) :)

It was my dogs vet that explained the exact reasons, (that I can not remember in full off the top of my head) but basically HCL is more effective ie. you need less of it to prodcue the same effects as a greater amount of glucosamine sulphate, eg 400mg of gluc hcl will work the same as 700mg of gluc sulphate.

Personally, I started Buster off on a liquid glucosamine that could be double-dosed for the first week to give quicker results.

I stayed with the liquid suppliment for a couple of years, but a family member got a bargain price on 2yrs supply of glucosamine tabs & cod-liver oil caps (another good suppliment for joint issues) so I switched over to the tablet.

I will be switching back to the liquid when my stash has run out.

That one looks good, I think we'll give the liquid a go then, it's hard to know what to look for as there are so many!

Thank you all again for taking the time to reply, I feel a lot better equipped to deal with all of this now :)

I used the liquid after many recomendations from other dog owners that have had fantastic results with it.
Best of luck :)

Hi Roscoebabe

I was really interested to hear about Cartrophen since i have a goldie with oestoarthritis who is being treated with NSAIDS.  My vet didnt really offer any other advice or treatment.  I also give her Seraquin.  She is well covered by a lifetime insurance and I am keen to explore all options to maintain her quality of life and keep her comfortable.  The pain meds sort out her pain but do irritate her stomach lining so she is on meds for that too. 

I will ask my vet whether Cartrophen will be of help to her.

Champdogs to the rescue again :-)

Hi Alysce,

So far I am pleased with how my two are responding,it's not an expensive drug and the loading dose is just one injection a week then monthly or quarterly after,it depends on how the dog responds really so you have to observe how they move,act etc. I have my two on monthly injections but I think I can lengthen the time between injections over the next few weeks. Each dog is different but I am pleased with how my two are doing at the moment. Claude still "bunny hops" that will never change but he seems much brighter in himself and does move better now. Enya moves a lot better and being a girl when she pee's stooping is no longer a painful process. I would say try it,it may not work or it may be the best thing you've ever done lol. Until you try you will never know!

Thanks very much Roscoebabe - will look into this straight away.  Definitely worth a try :-)

I had a GSD that had both her hips replaced. One at 5 yrs and the other at 6 yrs. It is, as the referral centre has said often enough to do just one hip.  7months is very young to be looking at doing a hip replacement, as my understanding is that they only have roughly a 7year wear life, which would mean at looking at another op 7 years down the line.  I think if I were you I would opt for pain management and good exercise (swimming if possible), and see how she goes. Having said that I know Fitzgerald referrals have a good track record, and if she is already clinically feeling pain at such a young age it could be bad enough to warrant it. All dogs are very different.

If it were me I would try and keep whatever insurance you have in reserve and try and pay for the pain meds/supplements out of your own pocket. Keep the insurance for if you do need to have the op. I would also check your policy to see if you would have to have the surgery within 12 months of clincial signs for you to be able to claim for a hip op. I think on one year policies 12 months after clinical signs they won't pay for anything to do with it.  Then I would review the situation in say 9 months time, and if the vet and you felt it was worth doing, I would use the insurance to get the one hip done within the insurance period. You need to try and use the insurance to your best advantage. Alternatively, claim the pain meds now and save up for a possible hip op in the future (which she may or may not need).  The hip surgery that my girl had was highly successful, and changed her life completely.
Good luck with her. Sad news for you.

'Surely that would be the responsible thing not to breed from the litter-mate of a badly affected one???' Yes it would be 'responsible' and so would full disclosure etc etc but I find it odd that they are not returning this owners worried calls and suddenly running this puppy on all at the same time,..what happened to responsible breeders giving their puppies owners support and advice? It appears to have gone out the window here. We are all giving advice and suggestions, isnt it a shame its not the breeder on the end of the phone doing the same too? I hope its just that they are away on holiday but if the pups been advertised it seems unlikely. If its being sold with endorsements, disclosure etc, the call should still be made in my opinion, I dont understand why someone wouldnt, scores were done, nothing to hide,but support could be given to a worried and good owner.

Quite agree the breeder should be supporting.  I am sure it must come as quite a blow to them too.

Of course as it is only two weeks it may be they are away, or seeking advice before replying.

My own feelings on this is that as pup is only 7/8 months old (?) - surely vet isn't going down surgery route already.  Pup has so much more growing to do.

Perhaps you can discuss with Fitzpatrick other options before such drastic action is taken.  Others have given other options they have taken - Cartophen is used by a friend of mine very successfully.

I hope pup isn't in too much pain and keep us posted.

When we were worried about our last dog bunnyhopping too long, our vet recommended an x-ray straight away as there is a new hip replacement they can do now that must be done before the pup reaches 12 months for the best results. 
Our old boy was diagnosed with HD(many years ago) at 5 months old.  His hips were so bad that he had no hip bone for the socket to fit in so it never caused him much pain at all.  Neiko lived till he was 12 years old and had to be PTS due to complications of dementia.  His hips never caused him any pain at all and he was never on pain killers.  I would definately consider the surgery especially the one to take away the hip altogether and let the muscle support.  Sounds like she has plenty.
Good luck.

Thanks everyone. I'm waiting for a call back just to check that I can start giving glucosamine- they usually take a couple of days to get in touch but maybe I'll hear today and can start on her that right away. My husband spoke to the vet yesterday who won't say too much until we see her again in 4 weeks, she wants to see how Shelby is after her exercises-(4x15 min lead walks a day, 20x reps of sitting and standing twice a day and 10 mins of controlled swimming twice a week), she said she would be reluctant to do the femorral excision in case it fails and we would be left with the option of a replacement only. I'm hoping we can see how she does for a few months with pain relief and controlled exercise but it does worry me that they have deemed it serious enough to offer a replacement so young. I know that the excision is usually done on small breeds but the vet was the one who did mention it in the first place so I'm holding out hope- Shebly is a small lab from a working line so is, what I would call a 'dainty' looking lab rather than a huge bouncing lab (who are just as lovely, my friend has a large lab who is adorable!)

My GSD has HD and because of her age replacing her hips is not an option. However we have put her on tramadol and PLT now? She's like her normal self! On good days we can give her just the tramadol.

So it maybe worth looking into other options?

If you are within reach of Fitzpatrick then I suggest that you think of contacting Ian MacQueen who is a great orthopaedic surgeon in Devizes, Wiltshire. We had estimates for a complete hip replacement on a Rescue Bernese from both of those vets. Ian MacQueen did it for £4000 ( remember a Bernese is a very much larger dog than a Lab. so yours shouldn't be so expensive) and quoted £2000 for the excision if we took that option.  Ian is very genuine and would not do any surgery unless pretty certain of the outcome being beneficial to the dog. His number is 01380 728505. Although you would need a referral, I am pretty sure that he would talk to you about it to help you make up your mind where to go & what to do. Surely worth a phone call.  Good luck. Not an easy choice to make. Meanwhile, controlled swimming should be beneficial and very restricted exercise.

I was surprised at the exercise recommendations from the Vet of 4 x 15 minute on lead sessions, as that is more than we would advise for a puppy of that age normally????

A 7 months old pup would normally be advised to have about 35 minutes total on lead formal walking? 

Is the aim to restrict exercise, or is it to increase the level of exercise to improve muscle.

> I suggest that you think of contacting Ian MacQueen who is a great orthopaedic surgeon in Devizes, Wiltshire

We have had two dogs who have seen Ian MacQueen, one for surgery on a front leg and the other when he was paralysed for some days after an attack. I would recommend him to anyone, he was fantastic with both and as G Rets has said genuine and would not do any surgery unless pretty certain of the outcome being beneficial to your dog. An easy person to talk to, takes his time with you and the dog, is still available for us at the end of the phone should we ever need him and has always said that if and when we are passing by to ring and see if he is around as he would like to see the dogs again.

> I was surprised at the exercise recommendations from the Vet of 4 x 15 minute on lead sessions

I found it suprising too.
When Buster was diagnosed with ED at 5 & half months, his excersie was 1 walk per day. As he could barely walk 4 yards anyway, the walk was a VERY slow walk only to the end of my 12ft front lawn! Gradually as things improved he would go a little further.

At 7 months old he was on 1 x 15 minute walk (very slow, so still not much distance covered).

He could never manage 1 x 15 minute walk in the begining and to even attempt 4 x 15 minute walks for him would have left him crippled in agnony and unable to get up from layiing (even walking his ususal short walk at a quick pace would reult in that) - even whilst taking metacam.

For Buster, his excersie regime was aimed strengthening muscles etc to support the joint, but being carefull not to over-do it which would cause further problems.
I'd have thought the aim would be the same for HD too, with any joint problems slowing the onset/severity of future/exisitng arthritis is important.

If the OPs pup is able to manage 4x15 min lead-walks per day, I can't see how the only option is for her to have hip-replacements, they can't be too bad if she can manage all of that excersie :)

Eek sorry for the late reply!

I thought the exercises seemed a lot too... we did the controlled swimming exactly as instructed and she was limping worse than before the next day :( The vet said to cut the swimming, I think I'll try doing 2 x 15 min walks a day and see how we go and then try the swimming again.
The vet said her muscle tone was good so and hours walking a day does seem a lot.
Thank you for the reference to the other vet, I think I may give him a try. I'm so hoping we can control this without surgery- did anyone who did manage without the surgery have to have their dog on pain relief permanently? I'm hoping we can avoid surgery as she's so young still so I'm hoping it's an option for us although it's so hard to tell if they're in pain- I'm guessing if she's limping then the answer is yes?- She is still on the pain relief the vet gave us.

Thank you all again for your replies- it's really really helpful! :)

I have a GSD now with HD too. (Not from the want of choosing a whole pedigree with good hips, just unfortunate). My girl is eight and a half now and was on Metacam from the age of 5. Until that age it didn't bother her. Following a scare about her kidneys, we changed it to PLT. She does very, very well on 2 tablets per day. She manages normal exercise and runs around with my other GSD, although she can't manage the same distance when they run! She would be able to go up to 4 PLT a day, but I am hoping to keep that in reserve for when she's older and may need more. She swims regularly.

This is the thing though, there are always differing degrees of HD and how it clinically presents. My first GSD that had her hips replaced was really struggling by the time she was 2. She couldn't manage the exercise that my current GSD with HD does easily at 8 - so it all depends on the dog.

I guess a really important question at this point is what symptoms is your dog currently showing?

Well, she is limping- she sometimes lifts her back right leg when walking- it's usually a bit better once she is up and about for a while, and she bunny hops when running. I have only heard her help twice- this was after a swim (I think it's the bounding in and out of the lake that did it)- this was before we knew she had HD.
We don't allow her to use the stairs now although while visiting my parents who don't have stair gates, she avoids the stairs although I did catch her running up the them after me and she didn't look particularly comfortable.
Otherwise, she seems fine- it's been very hard for us to stop her bounding about as she's very playful. She has such a wonderful temprement and is a very well behaved dog, I'd hate to think of her suffering in silence and I'm not sure if she would yelp if she was in pain or whether she would just suffer quietly?
She is on metacam once a day and seems happy enough but is still limping, I rarely see her using her leg normally- she doesn't always lift it but always walks a bit funny.

Sorry it's been long to reply but I've had login problems.  The trouble is all dogs are very different in the way they handle 'disability' and pain.  If she is managing well try the various things others have suggested, Cartrophen injections etc. If a hip replacement is ever needed I would honestly want it done later if it were me. A lot can change with a young dog and it's musculature, and the signs of HD can improve.

You've got lot's of options. Maybe get a second opinion from the specialist another poster mentioned?