HI
I have been to the vet this evening with our golden,she has been limping on her back leg for a couple of weeks after exercise,after a long moorland walk at the weekend she has been not putting any weight on that rear leg and i think she has been in pain.
Well on seeing our vet and her being examined tonight she wants to xray her this thursday,she is quite sure it is HD,the vet has given her pain killers for now...so we will have to wait and see the outcome. molly is only 2yrs old so this has come as a shock to all my family,we are very worried about her. My vetsaid molly will be really quite resticted through her life for running free..which is very sad i feel.
ANY ADVICE WELCOME THANKS.

Hi
I have a Golden with severe HD -his hip score is 96! so couldn't be much worse. At one point about 6 years ago he could hardly get up at all after laying down. I then started giving him Glucosamine with Chondroitin (cheap capsules from health food places, NOT the extremely expensive vet ones which is the same thing anyway) and since then he has had a normal life. He is now 12 years and 7 months old and all he can't do is jump into the car or stay outside if it is really wet (that makes his joints hurt). He can still go for decent length walks and he has a perfectly normal life -especially considering his age. :)

keep them excerise bye swimming and walking,some free running to build up the muscle around the hips jionts.
i had two dogs with high hip score because of carefull excerise they were ok.

goldie,

Have you thought about having Mollys' hips scored as you are having them x-rayed anyway?

Have you thought about hydrotherapy this is very good for dogs.

> Have you thought about hydrotherapy this is very good for dogs

Couldn't agree more :-)

Hydrotherapy transformed Oscar when he was diagnosed with HD. It really helped to build his muscle enough to support the joint. He loved it too! And my insurance company covered the costs. I wouldn't hesitate to go back if his hips become troublesome again.

Goldie, the best thing you can do to help your girl is hydrotherapy, it is excellent for building up the muscles to support the hip joints.  In addition to this, lead walks only, and restrict the free running for now.  Also a good idea not to let her run up and down the stairs or too much jumping up and down on and off the furniture.   Add some glucosimine chondritin (sp) and omega 3 oils to her diet, which will also help her.

She is very young and if this has come on suddenly could it be an injury?

I would also recommend that she rests for a while and only lead walks for the time being. 

I would also get her hipscored by the BVA, it's only another £30 so worth it in many ways and that way you will know the true extent of the HD.

I would like to thank you all for your advice...my vet has reccommended Hydrotherapy and will put me in touch with that person once we know the full outcome tomorrow.molly is much better today after the pain medication.
I dont think it is an injury that im aware of.....but my other GR does move and run alot faster then molly and molly tries hard to keep up..so maybe she could have done something unknown to us..she is a large heavy retriever and the vet said we will have to watch her diet through lack of run free exercise.
She was spayed last year and put a bit of weight on then.
Many thanks.

HI
Just to update you on Molly.
Mollys had her xray today and not to good the outcome as we predicted.....the joint has worn uneven causing the pain.
It is quite pointed in shape instead of being rounded. Our vet has said she needs Hydrotherapy ASAP,and pain med for awhile.
She also gave me Glucosamine and chondroitin tabs as some of you told me here to get. Vet said she would only reccommend new joint if really really nessasarry.
molly will need 30minute walk on the lead every day untill im told different. She also got to lose 3kg and thats difficult without excercise.
Vet weighed her and she is 40kg....but she said its not fat as she is a big boned bitch..but if she loses weight she will feel and move better.
Thanks for listening love Molly x

I would want the Vet to take proper x-rays so the hips can be actually scored as well as for diagnostic purposes (I would want an expert opinion too), the charge made by the BVA is only around £30, the main cost of scoring is the charge by the Vet to x-ray and anaesthetise the dog.

Hi Brainless
I dDont understand the reason why i need to do this if she is not being bred from,could you explain what it means please as it seems pointless to me from my point of view....what would i gain from knowing.
Thanks.

Think it is possible that Brainless was posting at the same time as you did and was unaware that you had already had the x-ray done.

It would have been better to have had the hips scored whilst you were paying for the x-rays anyway, for another £30 you could have had an expert opinion.

Why, well reading an x-ray plate is a specialist job, our everyday vet is notoriously bad at it, only giving a correct diagnosis if the hip joint is totally missing or out of socket, they can see the damage caused by calcium growth but not why that growth is there or what it is that is causing the damage, important if further damage is to be avoided.

If you had had the bitch scored it would have been helpful for the breeder and the stud owner as if she is the first to be so effected they can make sure they look at the breeding line to try to isolate where this may have come from although it can be complicated to assess the way the condition has happened, it is said that the dog will have been born with the propensity to have bad hips and if some other cause is added to this them the dog may get HD. Food, exercise and medical history can be the trigger that will turn anything but a good hip joint into a damaged one. I would be interested for my own reasons to know what age she was when spayed and how many seasons she had had if you would not mind saying.

Think before you set out on taking remedial action it would be as well to ask to see a orthopedic specialist unless your vet happens to be one. Good luck with your bitch, many dogs do manage to live full and pain free lives but it is important to stop the damage as soon as possible and then help her to live with that that is already done.

Such a shame to hear your dog as HD, I cam sympathise with your situation, my molly (a choc lab) also has this condition & ED.  She has operations on her elbows but with hydrotherapy, sensible exercise, keeping the weight off & glucosamine supplements we haven't had to have any treatment on her hips even though there was talk of them being replaced at one point!  I give Molly vetvits supplements, they tend to have offers on bulk buying & they're palatable too so you don't have to disguise them to give them to your dog, my molly thinks they are treats!!  I'm sure if you follow the advise of your vet your dog will lead a normal & healthy life! All the best x

HI NOVA
Thanks for your reply and explaining it to me,ive never had a problem with hips in any of my other dogs and believe me we have had many retrievers over 30 odd yrs,We only have them as pets...so never had much to do with hip scores.
our vet is a very good vet and did help us to understand everything as much as possible.
mollys dads hip score was 3-4,but he died recently...mollys mum 26-26 and was sold on after molly was born..if that helps.
molly had 3 seasons before being spayed at 21months.

Vet weighed her and she is 40kg....but she said its not fat as she is a big boned bitch

That sounds like a lot to me.  Is she more than 22" at the shoulder?

just checked she is 23 westcoast.

Thank you gembo.

I think that it would help her hips if you could get some of that weight off and keep her a bit lean.  I know that labs like their food but maybe reduce the amount of her dinner as she's not burning it off in exercise and replace some of the quantity with some carrots?

mollys mum 26-26

Oh that's terrible. :( Much the same case as with my boy, his mum was 30/30. There's most likely your answer to what has caused it. Goldens should have a total score of 19 or less if bred from. :(

I too think 40 kg seems an incredible amount for a bitch -I've had some oversized Golden dogs in my days and they have been 40, but the bitches tend to be between 25 to 30. My current bitch is 25 kg, the dogs 30 and 37. But of course you get the odd one out in every breed. :)  It's definitely a good idea to keep her as lean as possible as it will help a lot.

>Vet weighed her and she is 40kg....but she said its not fat as she is a big boned bitch

Can you feel her ribs easily when you gently stroke her sides? There should be only a very slight covering of flesh between the ribs and the skin - not so little that there's a 'washboard' effect, but not much more than that.

Vet said she must lose at least 3kg to help her hips...she normaly has AG lamb and rice,im just off to get AG light..emailed Ness at AG to see how much to give her...she always has veg and would like to continue that if poss.
Molly has only gone that size since being spayed,its not lack of exercise as we walk on the moors most days of the week,as we live quite close.

Well im looking at her now and she does not look fat..honest...just well covered...JEANGENIE .
I know what you are saying she needs to lose weight asap...she is a greedy retriever..no tipbits.
vet suggested carrots too.

I think without us seeing the dog in question it is going to be hard to question the weight, I'm sure your vet knows what he is talking about & I have no doubt he will have thoroughly checked her over, follow his advice he is the only one who has seen & examined your dog.  If you do take your dog to hydrotherapy this will also help with the weight loss as it's such intense exercise!

Molly has only gone that size since being spayed

Yep metabolism changed and they need to have their intake reduced by at least a third after spaying. :(  Keeping her lean will definitely help her hips. :)(

And the guide lines on manufacturers bags are usually over estimates too - feed more and you'll buy more food! :)  The best bench mark is to be able to feel your dog's ribs - without prodding too far! :)

Carrots, although all right, are very high in natural sugar, so shouldn't be given in any great quantity. Too many will also darken her coat (at least, they did with my mother's golden who was given more carrots when he put on weight) - if you like the dark golden shade that won't be a problem!

The vets I work for know they have to tread very carefully when suggesting that a pet needs to lose weight for fear of offending the owner - if they suggest an actual figure that needs to be lost that's usually underestimated so that the client isn't too daunted. If I were you I'd consider the 3kg to be a starting point, not a final target that's set in stone.

When she was spayed did the vet not tell you that her maintenance ration would be less than previously (about a quarter to a third less), due to the metabolism changes?

Hi goldie, I'm really sorry the news on Molly was not as good as expected, I would definitely ask for a referral to a consultant so that you can get the full extent of the problem.

But in the meantime hydrotherapy is brilliant exercise for her.  Her weight is also a problem and although not easy to reduce when they are not having much exercise and as most of us who have goldens know they love food.  But if you can reduce her weight it will really help her.

Is she insured for hydrotherapy?  Also if you need to buy the glucosomine you can get them from Holland and Barrett (the ones for humans) as opposed to the synoquin which is really expensive from the vet.

I'd also be very cautious (as your vet is) about any kind of operation.  If she can manage without then that is best in my opinion.

I also see that her Mother's hip scores were quite high, so should not have been bred from.  If this is an accredited breeder then I'd let the kennel club know.

Don't despair, as others have said on here, dogs with HD can have a normal happy life, it is just getting her (and you) into a new routine.

Good luck and please keep us posted with how she gets on.

> Molly has only gone that size since being spayed,its not lack of exercise as we walk on the moors most days of the week,as we live quite close.

In my experience after spaying I have to reduce my girls rations quite considerably, usually about a 1/4 to a third, that extra soon puts the weight on.

I feed AG Lamb to all mine including my 11 year old.  I have found it far better to reduce the amount of the normal rations rather than compensate with  light food which has fillers added, you can add your own bulkers like carrot, squashes, green beans etc.

Thank you for answering my questions.

I would say still ask to see a specialist; you will be referred back to your own vet for treatment. Knowing what the actual site of the problem is may effect the way it is treated, of course, if you vet is a orthopaedic specialist who takes referrals from other vets then you will have no need to go else where.

I would reduce her weight, I have a dog stands 22.5" and weighs 23kg mind you he is a different breed and is shorter in the back than a Goldie but think you should be aiming for as near 33, 34kg as you can manage.

HI Again To All
Thanks to you all for your information and advice..i taken on board all i have been told from you.
In anwser to some questions, yes molly is insured and my vet has been brilliant,she is arranging every thing for molly,hydrotherapy,
vet make of glucosamine chondroitin {synoquin} she also said if she thought molly needed surgury now it would have been arranged.
Mollys been very quiet today and coughing slightly from anasetic,and a bit tired.
THANKS AGAIN.

Hope Molly is back to her normal self soon!

Hi Molly
I have had several HD dogs, and all that has been suggested on here is right. Your biggest friend will be weight loss. Your second biggest friend will be hydro and your third Glucosamine and Chondroitin.

What I do not agree with, and I have said this before is that the hip score if done, has absolutely NO correllation to the clinical signs (evidence of pain/limping/discomfort) that YOUR dog may experience. This is not just my opinion, but the opinion of all vets and notably Gary Clayton-Jones who was (and perhaps is) the chief scrutineer of the BVA hip scoring scheme.

Some dogs who have evident HD at a young age can also improve somewhat. Don't fell that she is never going to exercise or be allowed to have fun - she needs that once you get her on an even keel. My first GSD had both her hips replaced and it was fantastic. Stressful (mostly for us) but she was effectively a new dog! Always keep in the back of your mind that this is an option that is open to you, as are NSAIDs if at some stage she needs them.

Personally I have never allowed their HD to interfere with their love of life, and lack of exercise is a real enemy - you just need to find a nice balance.

Don't be downhearted - look at all the posters who have HD dogs that have led a good and normal active life.

Kat

HI China Blue
Thanks for your post.....We have been on the moors today with molly on her long lead and she has been fine, just half hour walk for now.
My other goldie cant understand why she is not running with her and keeps coming up to her..come on molly lets go.
She down to 1 pain tab now a day as she been ok so far..no limping or feeling down,waiting for appointment for hydrotherapy,soon we hope.
AG emailed and she has to have 280 gms divided into 2meals with meat or 350gms into 2meals with veg only.
We will do what ever it takes to get our molly back to a good future life ahead of her.
Thanks again.

Hi Goldie, sorry I just realised I referred to you as Molly in my post :)

If you choose the AG option with meat, can I suggest that you feed something raw. Raw fed dogs generally seem less prone to being overweight. You could perhaps give her a chicken wing or two? Don't know if it appeals to you, but just a thought. Good luck with it all, I am sure you will both be fine :)

> Have you thought about having Mollys' hips scored

Why bother?  If the x-ray shows HD, then hip scoring will only deplete the bank balance by £33 and give a number to the HD.

> Why bother?  If the x-ray shows HD, then hip scoring will only deplete the bank balance by £33 and give a number to the HD.

It will show the extent of the HD (useful to the dog and owner with management and treatment) and also it will be valuable information for the breed regarding hip status and which bloodlines are producing poorly.