Re: Loose hips Cant add to whats been said already except well done to you for all your forward planning x
Re: Loose hips [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=4571.msg55937#msg55937 date=1392978672] 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. [/quote] Charlie has something completely different wrong with him - but if my experience of physio, hydro and an exercise management plan is at all relevant, then you should be very hopeful. I've experienced a dramatic change between when Charlie first injured himself (physio wasn't even an option at first, because he couldn't take any weight on his leg) and now when he is barely lame (at a walk, you can see it at a trot). Wishing you the best of luck with it.
Re: Loose hips [quote author=ClareJ link=topic=4571.msg56039#msg56039 date=1393000904] 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 [/quote] No Clare you are remembering this correctly. To be honest I hadn't even thought about it... Perhaps it's something I should look in to. Her dogs are working gundogs so I'm sure when she breeds them she would want them to be healthy as a lot of them go to working homes - no use having a dog that can't work because it ends up with hip dysplasia worse than what Penny has! Thank you everyone for your support and shared experiences. The diagnosis wasn't a total surprise - I've worked with hundreds of dogs over the years I've spent in kennels and seen lots with hip dysplasia so I recognised the symptoms straight away. I've only seen a handful of dogs where their hip joints were only 40% in the socket (like Penny's) and to be honest they were euthanised as they were already suffering quite badly or on the grounds that we would be unable to rehome them - totally horrible but it would have been worse for them to spend their whole life in a rescue centre because no one wants to adopt a dog with health issues. I'm hoping the physiotherapy referral comes quickly as I want to get started ASAP.
