1 Year old with Hip Dysplasia..wanting to avoid surgery

[jocoyn]

You know I honestly don't think I have seen any rancidity issues with the Grizzly in the pump. It primes very quickly and I discard the first fraction. Keep it in the fridge and the odor is extremely faint throughout.

It comes sealed before that first use.

[Jmcgreggor]

Originally Posted by jocoyn

You know I honestly don't think I have seen any rancidity issues with the Grizzly in the pump. It primes very quickly and I discard the first fraction. Keep it in the fridge and the odor is extremely faint throughout.

It comes sealed before that first use.

Thats good to know because I was debating liquid or pills. I want a high EPA without giving a crazy amount of oil. Some oils out there are very hard to find the mg.


On a side note. We have a vet appointment tomorrow and hoping she has some suggestions so I can get him going. =)

[GSDMUM]

Originally Posted by Jmcgreggor

Our orthopedic specialist is having us wait. He is showing symptoms but doesnt appear to be in pain. Just stiff when walking which clears up in a few hours. I had asked her about the remedies and she said it would be a good diea but she didn't really have much info about them.

My Frisco has this since we got him and though one vet was urging surgery, the highly recomended skilled orthopedic specialist in this area told me that unless the dog is in a lot of pain and miserable, only then get the operation. She said that many dogs get along quite well even with hip dysplasia, normal, eating well, happily playing and enjoying life. As long as he is doing this, don;t think about surgery. "Let the dog let you know when, or if he needs it". OUr dog is now over 11yrs old and has played and is still playing, even with the additional diagnosis of DM. He has been very joyful and active despite it. I also remember her telling me that the a dog really needs to reach adulthood so that any hip replacements will fit into his lifetime. We are confident we made the right decision. He did rupture his ACL a few years back and we had surgery to have that repaired.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Originally Posted by Jmcgreggor

After another member suggested the FHO i looked into it more and called my vet about it also. He wouldn't be a candidate. Basically we stand at total hip replacement or supplement. She doesn't think he will need any surgeries for a few years and adding supplements will extend that. she was also saying that he isnt completely done growing and sometimes when they are done growing and have good muscle mass, the stiffness may subside a bit.

Is she the one who would do the surgery?

Did she explain why he would not be a candidate?

[Jmcgreggor]

Originally Posted by GSDMUM

My Frisco has this since we got him and though one vet was urging surgery, the highly recomended skilled orthopedic specialist in this area told me that unless the dog is in a lot of pain and miserable, only then get the operation. She said that many dogs get along quite well even with hip dysplasia, normal, eating well, happily playing and enjoying life. As long as he is doing this, don;t think about surgery. "Let the dog let you know when, or if he needs it". OUr dog is now over 11yrs old and has played and is still playing, even with the additional diagnosis of DM. He has been very joyful and active despite it. I also remember her telling me that the a dog really needs to reach adulthood so that any hip replacements will fit into his lifetime. We are confident we made the right decision. He did rupture his ACL a few years back and we had surgery to have that repaired.

Thats what our orthopedic specialist had said. If he isn't showing signs of pain then we should wait. I guess since he has some arthritis (very minor in xrays) he would need the total hip replacement. He is super playful just gets a little stiff if he plays too hard (running, jumping). We just have to limit what he goes. He never seems bothered when his hips get stiff. Still plays, eats, tackles our other dog.

[Jmcgreggor]

Originally Posted by JeanKBBMMMAAN

Is she the one who would do the surgery?

Did she explain why he would not be a candidate?

Yeah our orthopedic specialist is the surgeon as well. She is from a speciality hospital so I trust her opinion. He has minor arthritis so he would need total hip replacement. She doesn't think he needs it yet. He isn't in pain. Just gets stiff after playing hard. He will be stiff for the day and wake up like nothing happened. I just gotta remember he is special needs and limit what he can do. (Kinda hard when he's a year old and gets the puppy "crazies"). We also have a normal vet who gave us Tramadol for his tough days. I end up giving him a 1/2 of one just to make him more comfortable (she explained the stiffness would feel like working out too hard. sore muscles).

[BowWowMeow]

If you want something holistic for the stiffness I would use the homeopathic combo remedy Zeel. It has been proven to work as well for arthritis as NSAIDs and it has no side effects.

Rafi also gets stiff from a lot of activity and I give him Only Natural Pet Get Up and Go at night. Since starting that he's been doing great!

[GSDMUM]

Originally Posted by Jmcgreggor

Thats what our orthopedic specialist had said. If he isn't showing signs of pain then we should wait. I guess since he has some arthritis (very minor in xrays) he would need the total hip replacement. He is super playful just gets a little stiff if he plays too hard (running, jumping). We just have to limit what he goes. He never seems bothered when his hips get stiff. Still plays, eats, tackles our other dog.

You mean both hips? If so, the orthopedist also told me that although both hips are bad that only the worst one should be done as they can do quite well shifting weight onto the better hip and front legs and most of the weight, I believe 60% is on the front legs so one hip should do it. That, of course is general advice, each dog should be evaluated individually.

[Jmcgreggor]

Originally Posted by BowWowMeow

If you want something holistic for the stiffness I would use the homeopathic combo remedy Zeel. It has been proven to work as well for arthritis as NSAIDs and it has no side effects.

Rafi also gets stiff from a lot of activity and I give him Only Natural Pet Get Up and Go at night. Since starting that he's been doing great!

I will have to look into that! There are so many products out there for Hips, just gotta find the right combo.

[Jmcgreggor]

Originally Posted by GSDMUM

You mean both hips? If so, the orthopedist also told me that although both hips are bad that only the worst one should be done as they can do quite well shifting weight onto the better hip and front legs and most of the weight, I believe 60% is on the front legs so one hip should do it. That, of course is general advice, each dog should be evaluated individually.

Yeah both hips. His left is worse and was the one showing very mild arthritis. We did the Penn Hip testing just so we would really know what we were up against. The Penn Hip Evaluator reported mild arthritis but the orhtopedic surgeon and the offices X-ray tech could not see any arthritis.

She did mention the single hip replacement and that a lot of dogs do very well with just the one hip done. She also mentioned that even with surgery there could still be complications and him not walking properly. Thats why I am trying to do everything in my power to avoid surgery as long as possible. I will not let him be in pain and know surgery would be the only major option to correct that.

The things we do for our pets. Thats true love right there.