hello! I have a six month old chocolate lab. He’s an absolute gem, we have three kids who adore him and he’s such a special boy. when we got him we noticed he was very placid…nearly too placid. Not into jumping on people or running wild. I actually brought him to the vet a few weeks after buying him to say I thought there was something odd with him but they dismissed me. A few weeks ago he began to get stiff, looked like it was a huge effort to pick himself up from lying down or sitting. We had a trainer in who couldn’t believe how “lazy” he was and we thought this was just his nature until the stiffness and eventually lameness started. Stiff back legs and lame front legs. Trainer advised us to get him xrayed. Fast forward a trip to the vet for the third time in fact about all of this and I change vets. New vet does X-rays and says his hips are terrible and possible elbow dysplasia in both elbows. I’m devastated. We never brought him for more than the advised 5min walk per month he was born rule, mostly sniffy walks, never let him jump out of thr car or run on the tiles in the kitchen. I run and I wanted him to eventually run with me (I’m no marathon runner so nothing major) and now this….we bring him to another vet who specialises in surgery soon so I’ll know more then. I have been in touch with the breeder who is equally devastated and disappointed I suppose. They really vetted us beforehand so I know they care. my questions are : 1. How the hell did this happen. He’s a calm dog so he didn’t overexert anything himself. We certainly didn’t either. He was minded like a baby. Is he just unfortunate? 2. What happens if nothing can be done? I’m terrified. thanks so much. I’m sure I’ve missed a million things.
I am so sorry that you are going through this. As to how it happened, there are so many factors, but as a starting point, were his parents hip and elbow scored with low results? Do you know what surface the pups spent their early days/weeks on?
Thanks for the reply. The breeders were very particular, they were on lawn and they also had stones I think. But they were so particular about the pups and what surfaces we had. The X-rays are showing his ball and socket joints, the ball is a bit square and the fit is quite shallow. According to the vet the hips are not a big issue yet, they can be done next year. The elbows are the priority now. The dads hip scores are great, no idea about the mam. No idea about elbows only that the breeders gave me lectures about the distance he could be walked as a pup, jumping in and out of the car and slipping on tiles. So we were extremely careful and mindful. He has never been an active dog (clearly in pain) so he never over-exerted himself. That I know for sure. I just want to know is there any hope for a pup who is so unlucky. As I said before my kids are obsessed, as am I. We feel so lucky to have him and I can’t believe this is happening.
Sorry, I only just saw your reply. If you are wanting answers to how this happened, then I would go back to the breeders and ask about the hip scores of the dam, the elbow scores of both parents and also what surfaces they had in the whelping box. Aside from you wanting to understand why this has happened, any responsible breeder will want to know so they can take this dam and sire out of their breeding programme and also look closely at any relatives before thinking about using them. Do you know the KC names of the dam and sire? if so, you look on the KC website at the hip and elbow sores of any of their relatives which have been tested as well as the EBV of any that haven't. Regarding his future, I don't know, but your vet will able to guide you. I have a neighbour who has a chocolate lab from untested parents with hip and elbow displasia. She's about 10 now and has led a fairly miserable life but is very much loved. A friend bought in a black lab who was diagnosed with elbow displasia at around 9 months and they chose to put her to sleep rather than see her suffer. Many dogs do do well though after surgeries but your vet should be able to guide you.
