I wonder if anyone has any advice they can offer me regarding dogs with hip dysplasia. My 2 year old french bulldog has sadly been diagnosed with the condition. Obviously we want surgery to be a last resort; and the vet has said that he is too small for a hip replacement - although there is another form of surgery available should all else fail. Basically, I wondered if there is anyone who has advice in terms of treatment, holistic remedies etc ( he is currently on Rimadyl ), has anyone tried acupuncture? that kind of thing.  We will do swimming with him and monitor his exercise etc, but I really I just wanted to hear from anyone who has experience with the problem and things they have found help.

Hi Frenchieboy

Sorry to hear about your dog. I have German Shepherds with HD, and really it's a matter of degree as to how they're affected clinically. My nearly 4 year old doesn't really shown any signs, and no lameness or pain (and she does light agility).
My original GSD had both her hips replaced, as she was in real pain, and often would take little pigeon steps with her back legs to avoid moving her hips too much. We did try acupuncture and Mctimoney Chiropractic, both of which helped to some degree, but not enough. She was on Rimadyl for a long time, and then full hip replacements on both hips.
With a small dog they would do an FHO a femoral head osteotomy, where they completely remove the ball on the head of the femur, and the muscle supports the hip. It works very well on small dogs I understand.

If you have him on Rimadyl, I take it he shows signs of pain? Is it both hips or just one? As he is so young, and if he is suffering pain, why don't you get a referral to an orthopaedic specialist and take their advice as to whether to have surgery. It totally removes any pain and they do so well.

If you want to ask any questions do let me know - but if it were me I would go and see a specialist, and think about options from there.

Kat

>With a small dog they would do an FHO a femoral head osteotomy, where they completely remove the ball on the head of the femur, and the muscle supports the hip. It works very well on small dogs I understand.>

I've just taken on a rescue Bearded Collie who has had this done on both hips one at 18 months and one at 5 years, she's 9 now. I also know of another Beardie who had one hip done and does agility.

My Molly weighed about 20.4kgs when I got her in July and now weighs 19.8kg. She manages fine although she does short step at the back but runs with my other 2 Beardies. She's not on pain medication but I do give her Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM as well as Green Lipped Mussel Extract. She does have a little trouble with stairs unless she's got speed up. I know she went to hydrotherapy after the operations were done.

thanks for that, yes, the FHO was the other option we were given. He has only been on the Rimadyl for a short amount of time, and although he definitely seems a bit better he is still sore. The poor chap seems spritely in the mornings, but by the evening ( and despite short steady walks as opposed to long or strenuous exercise ) is carrying his hind leg very awkwardly. The dysplasia is mainly on his left side, and according to the x-ray ( and please excuse my total laymen's terms ) the 'socket' part of the joint is almost entirely flat causing, as you can imagine the  'ball' part of the joint to move considerably. Not only that, but the problem has also caused disc calcification. I feel so bad for him, the breeder had told us his parents hip scores were good, and yet he is suffering like this. It is really encouraging to hear that operations such as the FHO are carried out sucessfully - I would like to give hydrotherapy a go and if acupuncture can help it is surely worth it, lets hope we can sort it out for him :) I do appreciate your advice, and as you say, remaining positive is the best policy.

There are many different approaches to this problem-what works for one one dog may not work for another. I will outline here what has worked for my pup so far.  Diagnosed with HD at 5months following a period of hind leg lameness,I didn't want the surgical route for my bitch if it could possibly be avoided so I did a lot of research on the 'net' and my vet and I worked together with what I came up with.

Adequan injections- course of 8 twice a week for four weeks concurrent with twice weekly hydrotherapy on underwater treadmill. In all we spent approx four months doing the treadmill, gradually reducing the depth of the water and the speed of the treadmill. She also has Vit E, Vit C (ester version- stomach friendly) Omega 3 fish oil capsules, Synoquin Vet Glucosimine and Chrondroitin and sardines in oil twice a week. We also have an Adequan injection alternate months. This was all combined with very careful lead exercise all intended to build up her muscles to compensate for the poor joints. She is now coming up to 18 months old and able to exercise as any normal dog and leads a very full and happy life. I will always need to be mindful of her problem and be aware that trouble could come at any time- but so far so good! My vet is happy to try this approach now with other patients where appropriate.

She will of course never be bred from. I must add that this was a home bred, carefully reared pup from stock with excellent hip scores.
I had an old boy who lived comfortably to nearly 15 with atrocious hips just with careful exercise in the early years and Metacam for the last couple of years of his life. My advice would be to try a conservative approach first and obviously if that fails then look at the surgical options. Don't be too distressed- it can be managed- kind thoughts to you and your dog.

Linda       Edited to say that treadmill speed was INCREASED as water depth was reduced- sorry for error!