Moey has been diagnosed with Hip dysplasia at 3.5 years

[MoandPinky]

Hi Everyone,

Have had a heart breaking morning at the vets as Moey has been diagnosed with rather serious hip dysplasia of both hips. The vet showed me the xrays of hers and a of a dog that doesn't have the problem and I was mortified! She doesn't really even have sockets or the rounded ends of the femur!

She is only 3.5 and up until about 2 month ago she really didn't have any symptoms other than being a bit stiff when waking and I simply thought that was due to the stairs in our house and her heaviness. She started limping severely about 2 months ago (whilst I was away traveling) and the vet said just to give her some pain meds as it is likely a muscle tare.

Yesterday it had become so bad she was completely off one of her back legs. I took her to the vet first thing this morning and requested he scan her as I am sure there is a serious problem and he confirmed that she has quite serious dysplasia.

I am an Australian living in India and although he is a fantastic vet i struggled to understand what the surgery options were. I think he brushed over them because he doesnt believe such serious surgery is good for dogs for all sorts of obvious reasons and he would prefer we try to treat it with supplements and building up the muscle. He has give some pain medications, glucosomine supplements and Science Plan food for joint issues and said lets see how it goes.

I really don't understand what the surgical options are and am interested to know of anyone who has experience with this...what is the best way to give her the best quality of life? I am just heartbroken to think she has to deal with this pain her whole life. I noticed about 8 months ago her personality totally changed - so sombre and lethargic and just not her crazy self but no physical differences. I thought it was just the stress of the litter of puppies she had...but now I realise it was probably a lot of pain she was going through I have lept one of her babies - Pinky who is now about 8 months and I am terrified that she may also have the same problem. I am going to write to all the people that took the remaining babies and let them know as the vet said it is a genetic condition.

Any help would be incredibly appreciated.

Love and light

 

[Davidh]

So sorry to hear this. I have no experience with this, but there are others here that have. I do know that the surgery is very hard on them, and there are a couple different types of surgery also. You need a specialist to look at her to tell w
if she is a good candidate for surgery, or if she just needs to live on pain meds all her life. There is also a laser treatment that helps with this also. I'm so glad you called the puppy owners and told them this and it's too bad you didn't know this before you breed her, but it's too late now. At least you know now and can get her spayed so she will not pass this on to other pups. Again I'm sorry for her and you, and please keep us posted on her progress.

 

[Petra]

Hi there Sorry to hear about your baby's hip dysplasia I have two bulldogs diagnosed with HD, one of them, Joey, has already had surgery on both her hips. She had the femoral head removal/ostectomy (FHO) operation, it went well on both her hips and she's now doing great She can't jump and go crazy but she can move around normally and run and play, so she's happy.

Boeboe is Booked in to do her first surgery on her left hip that's a bit worse than the right one now in end of December, we might move the operation to beginning of January but we'll see... She was diagnosed when she was 2 1/2 years old and she didn't show any symptoms before then. She's got mild dysplasia though but my husband wants to do the surgery on her. She's gotten supplements so far containing glucosamine and occasionally she gets a pain pill if she shows pain. She's now almost 4 years old.

I guess the options are either to do FHO, or manage it with supplements and pain meds... As far as I know it's uncommon to do hip replacement on Bulldogs due to their joints being a bit different from "normal" dogs. Those are the options I know about, there might be other options just not available to me, I live in South Africa.

I hope your lill puppy will grow up healthy, there are ways to help them if she should have it... maybe you should take her for a check up so you know. It might be a good idea to start her on supplements too and try to keep her on the slim side

Hugs to all of you

 

[2BullyMama]

so sorry you are now finding this.... our girl is 8 yrs old and has bad HD, we did not go the surgical route nor did our vet ever talk about doing so. We have treated her with supplements and pain meds as well as keeping her under 60 lbs (Banks is a good size girl and looks too thin when less than 58lbs). we use Tramadol, Deramaxx and Gabapetin on a daily basis for her hip and back pain.

Banks has lived a very good, happy, fun life... nothing stops her so give the pain management a go and see if Moey can still have a quality life without the surgery

hugs and prayers to you and Moey

 

[MoandPinky]

Thank you all so much for your guidance and support. She is now two days into her supplements and pain meds although not showing much improvement but I suppose we need to be a little more patient. I really need to do more research on the surgical options although my gut is that I will try and stay clear if possible. KNowing her personality I can't imagine she would be the best 'after care' patient and I am also terrified of infections during the surgery process as I live in India and I can tell you things really dont seem to be the same in human hospitals let alone veterinary clinics!

I have purchased her a warm onesie to keep her warm as its winter right now and the early mornings, evenings and nights are cold which I know wont help her pain. I am also looking into some hydrotherapy although I think the version here is throw the dog in a swimming pool! She has never swam before, loves a bath but wont accept a cold bath so not sure how this will all go.

I have the baby Pinky on supplements and will keep you all posted. Thanks once again for taking the time. Much love.

Also if anyone knows much about diets/foods to support her problem also? The Vet has switched me onto Hills Joint Therapy which is one of those prescription foods which again I am a little hesitant with as I had been feeding them Taste of the Wild which was meant to be grain free, preservative free etc (it was the only alternative available in India to cheap highly processed food or prescription food). I would be happy to cook meals also for her...I am presuming fish oils etc must be good...

 

[Petra]

There is a "home cooking" section under "Diet and Nutrition" if you click on the forum tab at the top. I haven't checked it out myself but I'm sure there are good stuff in there I don't know much about what helps dogs to detox but I'm sure there are things that can be added to food that helps them keep their liver and kidneys safe when on meds.

I would also stay away from surgery if I could, I don't agree with my husband on doing Boeboe's surgery... I think the meds and supplements nowadays are so good that it will work well. It's always a risk with surgery and I'm a total mess stressing about Boeboe's operation I hope the meds works out for Moey

 

[ebulldoglover]

There is a very good supplement called Glycoflex III available at amazon.com I use it for all my dogs. It has had a dramatic affect on even the more advanced HD dogs. Vets often recommend target diets. Grain free is absuutely best. I feed a small amount of grain free kibble with a large amount of fresh veggies and limited fruit and rotate protein at every meal it takes prep and work but is worth it

 

[jenzaar]

Oh I am so sorry to hear your baby has such serious hip dysplasia. I have nothing to offer at all, but I wanted to say you did a really good thing by calling all the owners of her pups to let them know about this.

Wishing you and Pinky the best!

 

[dbutler813]

My lilah girl has had hip dysplasia since she was a young pup. Some days its worse then others I do give her meds on occasion and she get a joint supplement 2 times a day as long as you are aware of the issue and educate your self on how to function with it and make them as comfortable as you can. I also do what I call her doggy stretches with her I simple have her eother lay infront of me or stand infront of me (how ever she chooses to do so that day) and extend her legs one at a time to help loosten her muscles she will come to me some times and try to do it her self in front of me and that's when I know she wants help. I wish you the best of luck. By the way my lilah girl turned 7 this week and she is still going strong :-) just remember all hope is not lost.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Texas Carol]

I'm so very sad to hear this, know that I will keep y'all in my prayers.
Thank you for letting the other owners know to spay/neuter before
breeding...Bless you!

It can be managed (usually) and there are elderly bullies here that were
dxed even earlier that are doing well. Don't lose hope, dear friend and
please keep us informed of Moey's progress and come here too, to let
out your feelings, anytime. May GOD's favor and mercies be upon you
and yours!

 

[MoandPinky]

It has been a while since I logged on although have now just read all the latest messages of information and support - thank you so so so much!

Moey is improving slightly and seems to run around with Pinky playing a lot more although she is often limping by the end of the day and i can see the muscle on her bad hip has completely faded away and she is not at all pain free. Still researching and have her on a new supplements which my vet had bought over from the US and seems to swear by them.

Whats worse is one of the other puppy owners had her Sophie X-rayed and it appears she also has the problem I have told her to hop on here and read and research as much as she can.

Thanks again so much...I have posted some updated photos of my 2 angels also

 

[Petra]

Glad to hear Moey is improving a bit Boeboe has had her operation and all went well, I'm so relieved This coming Friday it's 4 weeks ago since her surgery and she's limping of course but she walked really well right from the start so the hardest part has been to try to keep her from running I know when it comes to HD cartilage builds up around the area... and sometimes it can build up and become sharp... we have to take Boeboe in for another x-ray a year from now to see what's going on. I don't know if anything can be done to cartilage once it has built up... but the best way to prevent it is glucosamine supplements if I understood our vet right. We've had Boeboe on that supplement for about 2 years now.

Sorry to hear one pup has it too the good thing about knowing right from the start is that you can do things to prevent it from getting to bad Keeping them active and fit, giving them the right food and supplements and so on. Boeboe does worse when weather is cold and rainy. She loves to snuggle under blankets then to stay warm and in winter her favorite spot is in front of the heater

 

[MoandPinky]

Hi Petra - so happy for you to know the surgery went well. I can not begin to imagine keeping Moey from running around. Even when she is completely limping (like her back left leg not even touching the ground) she will still get excited and sprint around - try and hop up the stairs etc. It is also worse with Pinky as they are always fooling around together.

Although I mentioned Moey has improved slightly it really isn't good enough and I am still at a loss. My vet has actually suggested stem cell injections which build up the cartilage and assist greatly in the pain management. Although after reading what you have just said the cartilage build up can be a problem? so confused...I think more researching for me

You mentioned that your other bully - Joey had the surgery previous to Boeboe and you were really happy with the results? May i ask then why you were hesitant to have this recent surgery with Boeboe? I also feel rather strongly against surgery if I can avoid although I am not sure if my thinking is correct considering the pain that Moey is experiencing.

 

[Texas Carol]

Hi Petra - so happy for you to know the surgery went well. I can not begin to imagine keeping Moey from running around. Even when she is completely limping (like her back left leg not even touching the ground) she will still get excited and sprint around - try and hop up the stairs etc. It is also worse with Pinky as they are always fooling around together.

Although I mentioned Moey has improved slightly it really isn't good enough and I am still at a loss. My vet has actually suggested stem cell injections which build up the cartilage and assist greatly in the pain management. Although after reading what you have just said the cartilage build up can be a problem? so confused...I think more researching for me

You mentioned that your other bully - Joey had the surgery previous to Boeboe and you were really happy with the results? May i ask then why you were hesitant to have this recent surgery with Boeboe? I also feel rather strongly against surgery if I can avoid although I am not sure if my thinking is correct considering the pain that Moey is experiencing.

Thanks for the update! My 6 year old girl, Cami has been limping on her rear leg. Her
vet thinks a torn ACL, we're trying rest, supplements, and a pain med/anti inflammatory
called Previcox for 10 days. An experienced bully owner advised me to order & use an
equine formula supplement called Regenex, 8 drops daily.

My vet advised their food too but I declined (crap) and keeping her on TOTW. Please
let us know how Moey is doing, I'll do the same. Keeping y'all in my prayers~GOD bless (t)

 

[Petra]

Hi Petra - so happy for you to know the surgery went well. I can not begin to imagine keeping Moey from running around. Even when she is completely limping (like her back left leg not even touching the ground) she will still get excited and sprint around - try and hop up the stairs etc. It is also worse with Pinky as they are always fooling around together.

Although I mentioned Moey has improved slightly it really isn't good enough and I am still at a loss. My vet has actually suggested stem cell injections which build up the cartilage and assist greatly in the pain management. Although after reading what you have just said the cartilage build up can be a problem? so confused...I think more researching for me

You mentioned that your other bully - Joey had the surgery previous to Boeboe and you were really happy with the results? May i ask then why you were hesitant to have this recent surgery with Boeboe? I also feel rather strongly against surgery if I can avoid although I am not sure if my thinking is correct considering the pain that Moey is experiencing.

It's been four hectic weeks of keeping Boeboe from running, she did take a few chances but I saw she's not touching the ground with the leg when she does so I think it's fine She doing better and better by the day, still limping but she uses the leg more.

Cartilage has to build up around Boeboe's hip as well and it is supposed to to protect it, so no worries about that it's just that if unlucky it can build up sharp and become a problem, that's why we need to do another x-ray a year from now.

I hesitated mostly cos I was scared, scared something would happen during surgery, scared she wouldn't be as active as before, scared she and our other dogs would start fights after the operation cos she's hurting, just scared in general Boeboe has always been very active and runs like the wind, she and her male bulldog friend Bennie played every night and I was stressing she wouldn't be able to do that again. Joey has always been more calm and relaxed, doesn't like to run and plays mostly laying on her bed rolling around with her toys I can see that I was worried for nothing though... Boeboe is running already but she and Bennie doesn't play yet. I hope that will come in time