Re: Hip Dysplasia Oh dear, so sorry to hear this. So hard on so many fronts. Hopefully she will only need one op, both for her and your wallet's sake!! Please keep us posted when you can to let us know how it went.
Re: Hip Dysplasia Oh so sorry to hear your news. Wishing you both all the very best for Wednesday! *hugs*
Re: Hip Dysplasia Really sorry Shell,and such a shame she's got to go through an op.she will be so much better when you have got through the recovery period,take it a step at a time and I'll be thinking about you on Wednesday x
Re: Hip Dysplasia She'll be in great hands and I'm sure that it will go well. No doubt the recovery period will be a demanding time....unload here any time you need to! Will be thinking of you both on Wednesday.
Re: Hip Dysplasia We have a 12-18 month rescue Lab with no history at all , I am curious as to how to best find out his hip score with out the risk of affecting his Insurance we are still within the first 14 days , Also i do not want to worry my wife as we had our last dog put to sleep on 3rd November 2013 because of her back end going . My one concern with Jakes hips and elbows is that he cannot support his own weight when sitting on the vinyl flooring in our kitchen and bathroom so their fore just lays down , Am i worrying about nothing when he is out exercising i have not noticed any thing wrong with his range of movement , walking and running . Regards Mike
Re: Hip Dysplasia Is the floor just really slippery for him? How does he go on a carpet or rug? Do you have insurance already? If not, you'd need to take it out before seeing a vet. Some might have waiting periods for certain conditions too.
Re: Hip Dysplasia Try not to worry Mike, I think as Rachael says he is probably just slipping on the floor. It's not normal in the UK to test hips and elbows unless you are going to breed from a dog, or if there is the suspicion of a problem, since it takes a general anesthetic to do the x-rays. Just keep a good eye on him (as you are obviously doing), and don't let him do too much jumping as he is still young.
Re: Hip Dysplasia He is absolutely fine on carpets and rugs it may just be the vinyl flooring is just to slippery . Already have insurance for which their is an exclusion period of 14 days which has just lapsed , We are going to Dog Parliament on Saturday a local meeting for all dogs and owners i think i will ask one of the organisers just to watch him while running around etc . Just to see if he can see any visible signs in his movements he has had Labs for a lot of years so another pair of eyes may well be the best start to seeing if their is any need for concern . Mike
Re: Hip Dysplasia I had a rescue dog and he had no muscle in his hindquarters due to lack of exercise in the kennels. You may find your rescue Lab is a bit weak (not a lot!) due to that and finds it difficult to get his balance on slippery floors and indeed not used to slippery floors and the strength to get up yet. If your Lab is fine elsewhere then I wouldn't worry. Sensible advice from Oberon re insurance, the first 14 days of an insurance policy usually will not pay for anything happening in that period. Wait until that time is up, otherwise if there is a problem it will then become a pre existing condition and you will not be able to claim on it. Just wrote the above and then discovered you were writing at the same time. Might help though
Re: Hip Dysplasia Thanks for that Karen , He does not jump to much just over the odd ditch he is well exercised at the moment doing about 3 miles on a lead Mon- Friday typically . Then on a weekend he now has a good run around for over 2hrs at Dog Parliament , Then on a Sunday we cover about 3-4 miles off the lead across fields while he works the hedge rows . Mike
Re: Hip Dysplasia Mike I think he's just slipping too...my dog does the same ,we have tiled floors and it was a concern of mine when he was younger when he had a bit of a hoolie round the house...his back end would swing right out and he was quite good a scooby do skids too ;D We haven't got children but my niece and nephew ( 3 and 5 ) are in our house a lot,they adhere to the no running inside rule ( it's dangerous for them if they slip,nevermind Dexter) when he was a puppy they used to forget so we just kept on top of that and whilst he's got his own space with his crate in the utility room....he has got a bean bag in the kitchen and 3 cotton ikea blankets in different parts of the house,if I want him to sit or lie down anywhere I get him to do it on those..... Mum brought me 4 tins of the paw wax from the pet shop,that is supposed to create a non slip pad on their paws...save your money,it doesn't work! Sorry about your recent loss,it's lovely to hear that you rescued Jake....whatever his life was before,his is on the up now with you x
Re: Hip Dysplasia If he is fine on carpets and rugs and he happily walks and runs about then I wouldn't worry too much Some Labs have a bit of a funny gait that doesn't actually mean anything. They can sometimes walk by moving the two legs on each side at exactly the same time, which is called pacing. It can make it look like they over-use their lower back and their tummies bob from side to side a bit. If you notice that or someone points it out, don't worry, as it is not necessarily a sign of a problem. My dog Obi walks like that and he has had hip x-rays (because he had a suspicious limp) and his hips are great. Just want to head off another possible worry for you there!
Re: Hip Dysplasia Hi Stacia his muscles are now well built up he was 22kg when we got him we could count every rib and it took about 5 weeks to get him up to his current healthy weight of 28kg . Along with a gradually building up his exercise to its current level slowly in order to ensure not to overstress his joints with been unsure of his age but with chatting to other owners we now consider him to be closer to 18 months . As dog owners for over 13 years we always like to safe rather than sorry and always like get things checked out to be certain but like most concerned dog owners do worry at times sometimes for the worst or better , As we lost both our last dogs to health issues so just wanting to be cautious . Thanks to you all Mike
Re: Hip Dysplasia I hope there turns out to be nothing wrong with your dog. My dog has good hips (they have been x-rayed) but he still sits funny on slippery floors and prefers to lie down. I know it's not normal to x-ray hips and elbows, but I had my dog done when we were investigating a limp, and I have to say given the risk of anaestetic in a healthy dog is so low, setting aside the cost, I'm very glad I did. It'll stop me wondering about the state of his joints for the next 10 years. One thing I did talk to a vet about recently, which might be useful to mention, is to watch out for increasing exercise on Saturdays and Sundays when the other 5 days are much quieter for them - eg the "weekend cowboy" effect, which puts strain on joints, muscles and ligaments. For all I know, of course, your 3 miles on lead Mon - Fri are huge power walks, and you already have a good balance.
Re: Hip Dysplasia So sorry to hear your news. Good luck for tomorrow, will be thinking of you both. X
Re: Hip Dysplasia Jakes walks through the week are covered fairly quickly he gets 15 mins on a morning then my wife takes him out after work and she can cover about 2.5 miles in an hour . We both walk really fast which is good exercise for him and us and even just on a on the lead walk he is panting after 2.5 miles which for me and my wife we class as short walk , But many thanks for the advice JuileT we will be cautious at times when he has had some quiet days . Mike
Re: Hip Dysplasia I have just taken the bull by the horns and bought a years supply (Amazon £30) of Green Lipped Mussel Shell tablets as a prophylactic measure against dysplasia. Although the evidence is largely anecdotal and Benson is asymptomatic, it gives me peace of mind, there are no known side effects and at £30 which is the price of a meal, it could delay the onset of the disease? Roger
Re: Hip Dysplasia Our vet did agree with us using Glucosamine sulphate with our last dog as their is a great deal of evidence on its benefits , But he did tell us that it can take up to 3 months for it to become effective . And if you miss just one day it can take weeks for it to become effective again , We did look at green lip mussel but have not looked into it to much as yet i am taking it myself at the minute and take 2 capsules a day for over a week and have noticed no difference with my dodgy knee . Mike
Re: Hip Dysplasia Takes 3 months for us too Good evidence base for Glucosamine and Chondroitin (the green lipped mussel) in knees, if not other joints. Our vet didn't feel the chondroitin was of proven benefit but recommended the glucosamine.
Re: Hip Dysplasia As far as I am aware there is no scientific evidence based on controlled trials that substances like glucosamine and green mussel shells has any beneficial effect; in other words the evidence remains anecdotal. It is rather like the myth that taking large quantities of vitamin C prevents the common cold. Since there is no scientific cure for the common cold one might just as well try treatments advocated by fringe medicine. That's where I stand with arthritis, I am not convinced with the hype surrounding substances like Green lipped mussel shell, but I am prepared to give it a go! Roger
