Exercise for a 3 yr old GSD with signs of hip displasia

[Ms.Rowan]

I have a 3 year old white GSD, Rowan. I took her to the vet last year when she turned 2 to check her hips since I had thought about breeding her. But the vet said my dog's hips were TERRIBLE. So that was a definite NO to breeding. Now I am content to keep her the way she is, no puppies. Instead I am trying to find things I can do with her that wont hurt her hips. I love to walk, jog, run, ride my bike, swim and hike. Is she able to do these things with me and for how long and how far? She is HIGH energy and loves to do all these with me but I have never taken her on a hard core run, bike ride, swim or hike. If I knew she could, I would take her everywhere. If you have any thoughts, please let me know

[Lucy Dog]

Exactly how bad are those hips? Did you have x-rays done?

Does she seem like she's in any pain? Trouble standing up or moving? What's her weight like?

Are you supplementing anything to help with these issues?

[Emoore]

With a dog with bad hips, it's really important to keep those hips strong. So you definitely don't want to shelter her and never exercise, but you do need to watch the impact. Walking on sand/dirt/grass/etc is good, and swimming or water walking is awesome.

Do you have her on any joint support?

[Ms.Rowan]

I did have x-rays done. The vet showed them to me on the little thing with the light.. It was bad. She said she tried to adjust them so they looked better but it didnt help much. The vet said I am not to let Rowan jump very much unless I wan the dog to go downhill. And I have Rowan on a joint supplement too. Her weight is good. I havent weighed her for a year but last year at 2 years of age, she wighed 85 pounds. She never acts like she is in pain by herself. Not like my older dog. He is also on a joint supplement because his hips hurt him pretty bad. Rowan still acts like a puppy, running and playing. The only time she acts like she hurts is if our bigger dog is playing with her and jumps up on her back or hips.

[KZoppa]

swimming and walking should be fine. She'll let you know when she needs to take it easy. Zena's hips were bad when we adopted her but she didnt let it slow her down. We also gave her regular vitamins which seemed to help. She loved to run and when she started getting sore, she'd stop running and just basically slow down letting me know she was done and needed a break. But you do need to keep her hips as strong as you can and allowing her to be active will help with that. The only jumping Zena ever did was to jump on the couch. If she needed to jump in the back of my truck she'd just put her front paws up and wait for us to lift her back end up. Beyond jumping on the furniture (more like climbing) she's not a jumper.

[bruiser]

I have a lab that is starting to get some hip problems and we do a lot of water/swimming and walking. No quit starts like chasing a ball or sudden stops and turns. Keep them strong by gentle low impact exercises.

[Elaine]

Swimming is by far the best option, but the thing to keep in mind is she needs as much exercise as she can do without showing signs of lameness afterwards. With her bad hips, she is going to tell you pretty quickly what she can and can't do.

I would have her on a good joint supplement and start thinking about pain control for down the road.

[jocoyn]

If you have a K9 physical therapist get an appointment there for some sessions. Some of our advice was

Hill walking
Water walking (chest high water, not swimming)
Range of motion

My female was diagnosed severe HD in 2006 with flanged sockets and mushrooms for femoral heads and is doing very well in 2011. She is 50lbs and carries no fat.

[selzer]

Vitamine C - Ester C, is good for joints issues. And I agree to allow her to run and jump, just do not encourage her to jump. Regular walking is fine, but running over concrete or even asphalt for any amount of time I would be skeptical about. Swimming is great.

You do want to keep her lean and well muscled. 85 pounds for a girl seems heavy, but it depends also on her height, length, breadth, depth, and heaviness of bone. GSDs seem to be extremely varied. Some 24.5 inch bitches would be FAT at 85 pounds while others would be proper.

Even with terrible hips, it is possible for your dog to go through life with very few or no symptoms of hip dysplasia until they are elderly.

Good luck with your pup.

[vicky2200]

Dakota is 7 with hip dysplasia. Im not sure how bad they are because the vet never said, but it was years ago that we were told about it. Exercise is good for this condition but do not push the issue. Whatever the dog can comfortably do is what she should be doing. If she is running and jumping, great. If she is only walking that is fine too. Dakota is pretty overweight also so that can limit his activity as well. However he loves going for walks. He can get kind of slow towards the end but thats fine. Its really great when he will run (rare.) He cant go very fast or very long but he has fun and it helps his hips so I enjoy running with him. He probably goes a little slower than I can go when I go as fast as I can go, so we are a good match.