Zeke has HD
 

At 5 years 9 months, Zeke was diagnosed tonight with bilateral hip dysplasia, degenerative changes more severe on the left side. I always expected he would have some joint problems as his rear end has poor conformation, I just always hoped it would be closer to 7-8 years of age before he started showing clinical signs.

I know it's not horrible, I'm still pretty upset about it :(

Coworker noted last night "Is your dog favoring his right rear leg?" None of us, even the doctor, could really appreciate it that well - VERY mild. I'm surprised she even noted it (yay for amazing technician ;) ). But when the doctor palpated the hips and put pressure on the left side Zeke definitely showed a pain response and attempted to sit down. His limb extension is still good. So hopefully a little weight loss and glucosamine will prevent the need for pain medication at this point.

I'll post xrays as soon as I get done doing my hourly patient treatments.

Not really any questions, just more of an "I'm sad" post...

I do sympathise with you and yes whilst it is not 'horrible', it's your dog and you are so entitled to feel miserable :hugs:

My 16 month old male has just had a total hip replacement done so you have my best wishes.

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I am sorry for your diagnosis; it definitely looks mild to me.....I would think management with things you already know to do.......AND uphill walking to build/maintain rear muscle mass are the most important. ...

I found that even with the severe, crippling, changes (flanged sockets, mushroomed heads) one of mine had a 3, good management with supplements and excercise kept her in good shape for the rest of her life.

Thank you :) Yes, I know it really is mild. I am just a "helicopter" owner for sure. I stress about the smallest things. I was on the verge of tears last night when the doctor told me his left hip was painful. And as I said, I was really hoping that he wouldn't show signs of "geriatric aging" if you will until he was at least 7-8. For being almost 6, that's fairly "old" for a GSD with hip dysplasia to just start showing mild symptoms.

Are you really sure that he dod not just pull something and has soft tissue injury? This seems too mild to show symptoms.

Looks mild to me. Might want to look into Prevention Plus - a vitamin/mineral suppliment. Has shown some relief of mild dysplasia when used.

Count yourself lucky, those aren't too bad! The supplements that have worked for my HD girl are Glycoflex 3 combined with Jointagen. For pain management I really liked Canine Pain Plus, which is an herbal mixture that deals with inflammation. That takes a while to kick in, but I noticed a difference with her on it. In fact, we let it run out (it is a daily pill, not one you give for a flare-up) and now that it is out of her system she is having issues with lameness again.

Like you know already, weight is very important. Get that back to slim and try the supplements. You may need to try different ones until you find the ones that work best for your dog.

Yes I'm sure it's the dysplasia. Keep in mind his symptoms are almost non-existent. Even the veterinarian didn't really appreciate him favoring his right hind leg, it was one of the technicians that thought his gait just looked a little off. When pressure is put on his left hip, localized to the joint, that is when he shows pain.

I'm also blessed to work in the same building as several amazing orthopedic specialists :D I've ordered glycoflex iii. I am also looking into adequan injections. Although I've always considered this drug for more severe osteoarthritis, I think that's largely just because of it's cost (2 5ml vials are roughly 150-200$ for an owner. A german shepherd will get 3 mls per injection, give or take. That's only 3 injections!). I think it's AMAZING, and after discussing it with one of our surgeons/orthopedic specialists I might just start it now. He agreed that if you give it while pain/symptoms are still very mild, you only have to give the injection about once a month to keep pain almost non-existent, compared to severe cases where you're giving it bi-weekly to weekly