We've just had our follow up appointment with the orthopaedic vet following Penny's hip X-rays two weeks ago. We are still awaiting the official measurements from the US - she had PennHip laxity X-rays done which need to be sent to America for official measurements and scoring - but that's irrelevant to me really as I was just waiting for the diagnosis. The official diagnosis is loose hips - no one has mentioned hip dysplasia which is making me wonder if loose and dysplastic hips are two seperate conditions? Further research needed I think, unless anyone here can shed any light on this? So even without the measurements from the states we can see that her hips are pretty loose on the X-rays; they take films of the hips in the joint and then pulled out of the joint and the space in between the hip socket and the ball of the femur is measured and this gives the official 'score'. It's a much more accurate way of hip scoring because it can be done at any age whereas the more traditional methods can only be done once the dog has fully matured. Anyway we can see on the X-rays that Penny's hips only sit about 40-50% in the socket when moving around and this is what causes her bunny hopping and stiffness and all the other symptoms she's been showing. The one good thing is that there is no sign of any arthritis yet. Treatment plan is exercise management, weight management, pain meds as needed and we have a referral for physiotherapy. After I got home I explained all this to my partner. We decided that we can look at it two ways - first is that we can let this rule our lives and it becomes about what we can't do, what we shouldn't let Penny do etc etc, and the second is we just keep in it the backs of our minds that she has this and we do have to be careful but we just let her be a dog and manage things as they happen - we like the second approach. So we will still take her hiking on the weekends and if she's a bit sore after we will give her some pain relief, I will take her to agility classes while she is still able because she will love it. We won't stop walking her over the fields and we won't let this affect her quality of life. If and when she develops the arthritis or the condition worsens we will deal with it then. But not before. Not at the expense of treating a 1 year old pup like she's a 12 year old senior.
Re: Loose hips I think the second approach us a good one too Do you ever go to Snuff Mills? It is a fab place for dogs, good paths, good wood area and the river Frome they can swim in. I go there most weekends in the afternoons. Harley loves it, really dog friendly and has refreshment stands along the walk
Re: Loose hips No we very rarely stray that side of Bristol... Looks like we may be paying a visit there as soon as the weather agrees We went to Blaise Castle once and that was where Penny first learned to swim! Anywhere in Snuff Mills in particular?
Re: Loose hips Much sympathy and hugs to you - I know how much you have worried about your lovely girl. I think loose hips and hip dysplasia are the same. You seem determined to manage it, that's the spirit. I hope you find a good way forward and I'm sure you'll find a way to have your girl live a happy and active life. Best of luck with it all.
Re: Loose hips [quote author=JulieT link=topic=4571.msg55816#msg55816 date=1392933170] I think loose hips and hip dysplasia are the same. [/quote] Well that's what I thought too but the vet hasn't even hinted at saying those words! I meant to ask him about it but totally forgot.
Re: Loose hips I always forget to ask the vet things too - go in with a list these days! : I'm glad you have a physio appt. Honestly, physio and hydro have been amazing for us (I know a different problem) - Charlie can do so much more now than he could before by following a carefully worked out programme.
Re: Loose hips Yeah I must remember to write some stuff down next time we go! I asked about hydro and he said that if we can get an improvement with just physio for now then we should do that but swimming certainly wouldn't hurt, so I might look into just getting her some fun swims at our local hydro centre in the meantime.
Re: Loose hips Well at least you know what you are dealing with, pretty much what you expected. I agree, take it slowly and carefully but allow her some life, too, and deal with symptoms as they arise.
Re: Loose hips Alright so now I'm even more confused. I've just read a few articles about hip dysplasia and they do mention it in the same context as loose hips, however the majority of these articles are saying it's from malformation of the hip socket and there are pictures of X-rays where you can clearly see the socket isn't formed properly. Penny's X-rays looked totally normal, apart from the fact that the ball of her femur comes halfway out - there is no malformation to the socket.
Re: Loose hips I would say that 'loose hips' means 'hip dysplasia'. After all, hip dysplasia is where the ball of the hip joint does not sit in the socket of the hip joint, meaning there is looseness in the operation of the joints. But....it's usually because of a deformed ball or socket, and you say that these seem normally developed in Penny's case. Maybe the vet does not use the term 'hip dysplasia' because some people don't know what it means and it sounds really alarming. 'Loose hips' is an easy to understand, descriptive term that will make more sense to more people. But the best thing would just be to ask the vet - can you give him/her a call?
Re: Loose hips He's going to call me once we get the official analysis back, which should hopefully be in a couple of days so I will ask him them. I'm pretty sure it all means hip dysplasia.
Re: Loose hips We usually start at the Stapleton end as generally there are lots of dogs there and not many families. We did venture up to Oldbury Court on the weekend and it was mayhem! As it was a nice day it was heaving. Harley behaved really well though and was off lead for virtually all of the walk I tend to stay on the paths or in the woods area of the river as Harley likes exploring in wooded areas Let me know if you come over, we could always meet up?
Re: Loose hips I had a working dog (GSP) with hip dysplasia and I let her live a normal life as she lived to hunt. By the time she was ten she did have arthritis, but up to then lived a happy life doing what she was bred for. There is an op where the head of the femur is sawn off (though probably not in a Lab) and the muscle then does the job, so I am wondering if you can strenghten up your dogs muscles by physio and hydrotherapy this will help considerably. NOT advocating the op!!
Re: Loose hips I'm sure you'll manage this Lauren, and Penny will have a happy and fulfilled life with you. I would definitely ask your vet before doing agility, though. That might be a step too far…
Re: Loose hips I believe the hip replacements are the gold standard now, especially for medium/large dogs. But hip dysplasia covers a big spectrum and not all need surgical intervention. My old dog had a dodgy right hip but managed very well on medication (Pentosan) till 14 years of age.
Re: Loose hips There was no mention of surgery thank goodness. I think maybe because her hip joints are not malformed in any way. It makes sense that physio is the first thing to try as if we can tighten up the supporting muscles it will help to hold her hip joints in place a lot better. I will ask about agility, just to be on the safe side, it was one of those questions I forgot to ask when we saw the vet lol
Re: Loose hips Hi Lauren I've just caught up with your news. I'm so sorry penny has loose hips but I think you are doing the right thing letting her get on with being a dog and doing stuff she enjoys. We can wrap them up in cotton wool (well try ) but where's the fun for them in that. Id do the same everything in moderation. Hope all goes well Jen
Re: Loose hips so sorry to hear this lauren. All i can say is that it could have been a worse diagnosis. I like the second option better, that is what we are doing with barley, last year we went to agility lessons as he loved but we stopped in november after he started to show pain afterwards, but we hope to get back into it once he is on appropriate management as he loved it so much, and he got cat food ;D
Re: Loose hips I am glad you are tackling this so positively! I hope you work out the best possible plan for moving forward and that Penny continues to enjoy a range of activities with the careful management of her condition. I know this probably hasn't been top of your list of things to think about right now, but are you going to contact her breeder? I'm wondering because I seem to remember you saying that it was only after collecting Penny that you discovered that she was actually younger than the breeder had claimed... I know that dogs with excellent hip-scores offer no guarantee of perfect hips in their offspring, but a good breeder would want to know of the problem you have encountered, and a breeder who is perhaps - erm, how can I put it? - not quite up there with the good ones should maybe be made aware of the consequences of what might be her less than responsible breeding. Apologies if I am mis-remembering this. Clare
Re: Loose hips Lauren I've read through your thread several times today,nodded sagely,made my mental notes and comments ....and thought I'd replied!im really sorry I've just realised I haven't . I'm sorry that you are facing this diagnosis but I'm glad you are making plans for Penny to continue her life actively and safely with your observation and management x
