Severe Hip Dysplasia in a 13 mon old female - HELP!!!
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Severe Hip Dysplasia in a 13 mon old female - HELP!!!
Submitted by JeebleSneebs on April 21, 2010 - 12:30amOur little girl Lola was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hip Dysplasia yesterday. The vet, (who is familiar with bullies -recommended by our breeder), said that it was 'shocking' to see hips this bad in a 1 year old bulldog. Her right socket is malformed to the point that the ball is just 'hanging' there. She has been pretty stoic, but is showing signs of pain and tenderness. She prefers to drag her hind end rather than stand and walk and has never been keen on stairs (she really tends to avoid them). The vet suggested Total Hip Replacement (THR) right away, but is not sure if she would be a great candidate given that she seems to be showing signs of left knee problems as well(ACL?) He also mentioned that THR would be approx $5000 per hip (We are in Ontario, Canada and the surgery would be done by University of Guelph, a vet. teaching hospital). Another option discussed was Excision Anthroplasty or Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO). THe only caveat was that dogs need to be under 20 kilos or 44 pounds to have this surgery and our Lil' Lola (okay, she's not so little) is 48 pounds. We were given Deramaxx and told to take a 'wait and see' approach. Does anyone have any advice regarding next steps? I have read about Adequan as an alternative option. Does anyone have any advice regarding these injections or....
FHO/excision arthroplasty vs. total hip replacement?
bully specialists in Canada or nearby states?
any other successful alternatives?
good/bad experiences with any of the above?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We are just sick about this news and really want to make the best decision for Lola for the long-term.
thank you all
I really appreciate all the advice!!! Lola is our first bully and this is all new to us. We will definitely be considering all options for her. It's hard to know what will be best for her down the road. My biggest fear making things worse by putting off surgery - I don't want the joint to get even worse because of scarring/tissue damage. The Adequan injections sound like a good first step and we'll be following up with our vet.
Thanks again
when the pectoral muscle is cut.....
it stops the pulling of the joint and so the head does not rub against bone the ball will go into the socket...all the tension is released and the dog is pretty pain free....their is alot of at home physical therapy to rebuild the tendons to take over for the muscle that is cut....but it is inexpensive and gives the dog relief....
interesting approach.
If the femoral head is rubbing on the socket (so displaced that it doesn't sit inside at all, or barely so) having the muscles removed may change the shift of her walk, but it wouldn't necessarily alleviate the joint rubbing which forms arthritic mass and further distorts the socket joint. I'd certainly ask the specialist about this option, tho.
i would
look into having the pectoral muscles cut....this will release the tension on the socket...and she is young enough that the muscles will form as she will be more willing to walk...
i have had this done on rotties and it works great and is half the expense....
I think Adequan would be for pain management
and to ease joint pain...but her joints sound so malformed that IMHO medication is not the answer...and surgery is. The hip replacement is terribly expensive but probably gives her the best options since she is so young tho the 44lbs vs 48lbs sounds ridiculous to me...she will lose weight just being hospitalized but you should plan to keep her on the slim-side anyway. The FHO surgery is a long-standing approach with known success, probably less costly, and should, with proper exercise afterward and some luck with the procedure, provide enough mobility for this dog to live a 'normal life' with some restrictions on jumping, excessive stair climbing, etc. I know dogs who have had success with the FHO, but I don't personally know dogs who have had the total hip surgery...doesn't mean its a bad thing, only that I cannot provide any first-hand knowledge.
that is terrible news!
I don't have any advcie for you, but I am so sorry your baby is hurting.
Cathy
when she first came home
I would definitely try the Adequan
Morgan was diagnosed with HD at 2 years of age. I immediately started her on Adequan. She is now five and doing great. Also, she takes no pain meds and does not limp.
I'm so sorry your baby is in pain.