We have a Lab who is nearly 9 months old. He ahs just returned from the Vets where we have been told that he could have all manner of things? 1. Hip dysplasia 2. It may be due to his age and that he is still developing or 3. It could be a crucitae liagament. He is a fit healthy lab and is doted on by everyone. He gets plenty of excercise but not to much we make sure of that. So we are baffled as to how this could happen? Could anyone give us any advice? What does it mean if he has Hip Dysplasia, does it mean he will have to be put down? We are so concerned and dont know why this has happened

Claire, please don't assume the worst - it sounds like the vet might have been almost thinking out loud going through a few options, especially if he said it could be something he will grow out of.  What was the nature of the problem that you took him to the vets with and what advice did the vet give?

About 6 weeks ago he was limping (holding his hind right leg off the floor) and we couldnt figure out why? We took him to the vets and she gave him a pain killer injection and a course of tablets. It soon went away and he was back to his normal self. But about 3 days ago it returned. He was hardly putting any pressure on and walking looked uncomfortbale. We took him to vets tonigh and as soon as she saw him she said he looked very lame! He has to go in for an x-ray on Monday to determine waht is actually wrong, but our main fear is that it is hip dysplasia. I've read alot in the past couple of hours and I know there are procedures that can be performed so that gives us some hope Im just concerned that the vet may turn round and say something that we dont want to hear.

The advice the vet gave was to just rest him until Monday, as little excercise as possible! But its now the waiting thats so frustrating

If he is a very lively lad Claire - and he probably is :) - it could be something simple that just needs a longer period of rest, very difficult I know as I have a 13 month GR and he is rarely still. :D  It's good that you're having the xray on Monday - in the meantime, I wouldn't read up too much in anticipation of what the vet might say.  Plenty of time for further investigation, if necessary, once you know for sure what the problem is.  I understand how you feel - I would be climbing the walls myself.  Will keep my fingers crossed for a good outcome - do let us know how you get on.

Thanks. I will definitely let you know

What hip scores did the parents have? I have a Golden Retriever with severe hip dysplasia (score 96) and he is 10 years old and doing just fine -been on mediaction for 4 years now that's all. :) If your vet isn't sure maybe he can refer you to a bone specialist? Then you'd hopeufully be able to find out exactly what is what.

Thanks for your reply. Ive dug out the cetificate and the only score is on the studs side - 7/7 - but im almost sure i remember seeing something saying that Alfie (our lab) had a score of 4/4? We are taking him back to the vets on Monday and he is going to be x-rayed. Its just the waiting thats tough now!

You can't score until at least 12 months of age so it can't have been his score -but dad's score is good so that immediately  lessens the chances of it being bad HD, even if you don't know mum's score.(Hopefully she wasn't terrible.) There's probably a million things it could be. :) Try not to worry too much. I had a Golden Retriever many years ago who was limping on and off at that kind of  age, my vet too thought HD, when he was scored aged 1 his score was perfect (in Sweden where I lived then they had a different system to what they have now, but his score would equal a total score of LESS than 7 here.) Whatever it was he grew out of it.

How much exercise is "plenty"?   At 7 months old, he should be only on 35 mins per session x 2 (the general rule of thumb is 5 mins exercise x months old) - some people say per day, but generally after 6 months, people say per session, maximum 2.

You can over-exercise a young dog and damage its hips/joints.

Regards

Margot

We excercise him 10-15 mins am, and then 15-20 mins at night. We have been so careful with him and have followed all the advice that people have given us, granted you can be given to much advice and be overwhelmed. But in all honesty we have listened more to the experts e.g. Vets.

Vets are experts in animal illnesses/diseases....not necessarily the best place to get advice on raising dogs .

I will always turn to a vet in the case of a sick animal - but I would far rather get my advice on rearing dogs from the experts who breed and raise them.    After all - talk to any vet - and most will admit that they have rarely experienced a straight-forward whelping - only those with comlications.  

Margot

Hi

Vets are not all experts so please be aware ;)

They are like GP's in some respects and normally specialise in one area and so cannot be experts in all ;)

They excercise sounds about right :) What sort of excercise are you giving him ? I suggest for the moment after a good rest period he just has lead walking for a few weeks.

Can you describe his movement ? Does he sort of bunney hop at all when running ? Does he like to sit down alot ? Does he find getting up sometimes a bit of a struggle ?

My youngest Dudley who is a three year old chocolate Lab has  HD. It is not all doom and gloom if he does have it :) She a score of 86 which is classed as severe. With careful management of weight, supplements and excercise they can often lead very normal lives ;)

Dudley is a fit and active girl who our vet commented on what good muscle tone she has for the severity of the condition

Lucy
xx

Snap!

:D

My Spanish bunny hop especially my girl with the best score of 5/5 so this is not something that will automatically make the diagnosis of HD!  She also lies down with frogs legs at the back which again i was told was evidence of HD.  Her hipscore is below the breed average!

Hi I know that is not a definate sign but it is a common sign ;)

Lucy
xx

That would make most Elkhounds dysplastic as most lie like Frogs.  I have usually been told that it is a sign of good hips.  Personally I think it has nothing to do with good or bad, just how the dogs like to lie.

He does struggle to get up, but this has only been in the past few days since we noticed the limp. He's generally fine. I wouldn't say he sits down a hell of a lot, whenevr some one moves hes up and follows them. But if we are all sat down he will sit down which I would presume is normal. His movement at the moment is basically on 3 legs with his right hind leg being held up as he attempts to move, but again this is on,y in the past few days. He generally sways, by this I mean if you look from behind its like the movement of a lion, nothing abnormal just graceful I would say?

That sound more like an injury rather than HD when you mention he is holding his leg like that but again I could be wrong ;)

What pain killers is he on by the way ?

Lucy
xx

Noracaip 50mg?

Never heard of it Have done a google search and no results

What company makes it ?

Lucy
xx

Norocarp?  NSAID, similar to Rimadyl.

Norocarp is the one, funilly enough vets have just as bad handwriting as doctors, must be in there genes.

I can completely sympathise with you as we are going through a similar thing with our lab Molly but she has elbow dysplasia. It is heart breaking to see them in pain but there is so much they can do for dogs these days (I've heard hydrotheraphy is great for joint problems) which gives hope.   Thankfully your dog is younger than ours which also helps.  Molly has just undergone surgery on one elbow & is recovering really well but unfortuantely she has to have the same op on the other elbow in 8 weeks time but she is seeing a specialist & is getting the best care.  All you can do as suggested is rest her & see what your vet advises but don't panic it could be a number of things, & if you are worried everyone on here will be on hand to offer advice....

Hi
Our late Golden Retriever was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 6 months of age - this has taught me quite a few things but one of the main things I soon realised was, whenever your dog limps, he needs to rest, the only exercise that he will benefit from is swimming, preferably a hydrotherapy pool.  NO it definitly does not mean you have him put down, as long as you do not over exercise him and watch his diet.

Try to prevent him from climbing stairs, (one of the worst things for hips and any other joints) also jumping on furniture.

Your question was that you wonder how this can happen to a dog that is doted on by everyone?  It really doesn't matter how much you love and care for your dog, the most pampered of pooches can succumb to this.

What do you feed him on and have you considered feeding raw (if you don't already).
Did he grow rapidly?
Did he have too much exercise too young?
There are lots of factors that can cause hip dysplasia as with other joint problems.

My advice to you would be hydrotherapy, lead walks, no stairs, and no operations - if you do decide to operate then make sure you have trust in your orthopeadic surgeon, that he tells you all the facts, what to expect after surgery short term (how you care for him) and long term.

You must feel very worried about this but with the right care, all is not lost and there is no reason why he can't have a long and healthy life!
Maria 

I've had two dogs with HD. One of which had both hips replaced and was fine. She was a very severe case. It doesn't actually sound like HD if he's holding his leg off the ground. The symptoms are generally more subtle, but a 'sway' can be an indication of HD. You really need to wait for the x-rays to see what's what. However, please be assured that even in the worst case of HD surgery can be performed which will transform him into a virtually normal dog. Have a look on the thread that I posted (under General I think, called HD and Agility). It's quite an eye opener.

If the x-rays show HD, have the x-rays referred to an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in hips, and take it from there. I do hope he is insured though
Kat

Sorry the thread is under this one - health
Kat

My Golden tore his cruciate at 7 months (knocked over by a ruffian in the park) and he was exhibiting the movement you havd described. Holding his leg up, sitting was difficult, running on 3 legs etc. You'll know more on Monday but try to keep positive thoughts. He may just have an injury that will heal. Don't get too worried about hip dysplasia yet. Good luck on Monday.