Help!!

[Mat mute]

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Hi

Not realy the first post I want to be posting on here but I need some help, I have a 9 month old Alaskan Malamute and started to notice when he was about 5 months he was a little lame with his back legs getting up somtimes. I took him to our vets who did a range of movment check and felt it was HD.

I knew about the possibility of this diesase before we brought a pup, so I checked parents HIP scores (good) and made sure we never over execised or over feed him but still the worst has happened. just after six months we got him x-rayed and it confirmed our worst fears, the vet said pretty much the worst hips she has ever seen and that he would require double HIP replacment when his skeleton was fully grown. Good news was that the HIP replacment could give him a upto 95% full recovery and that even working police dogs have had the op amnd go back to work )

I have got the Virgin pet insurance (Top one) which covers me upto £6,000 for any one ilness or accident for life time of the dog. The vets had to refer Bud to a specialist and sent his x-rays, they thought it would roughly cost about £2,000 per HIP. The specialist have come back and said he could have the op at 10 months old and it will cost £4,300 per hip :blink:

I have some money to top up the 6k but not enough, does anyone know of a specialist I could get a quote from or anyone had the samething and could recommend somwhere???

I live in sussex but am more than willing to travel the country for the right place.

Currently Bud is just about mobile around the house and garden but unable to take him for walk as he just sits/lies down after 30-50 yards. He is on some pills from the vets to help relieve the pain and act as anti inflamitries.

Any advice on surgery would be great!!

Thank you

 

[jinnyfizz]

I am so sorry that this has happened to Bud

I will ask my neighbour ( who works for my dogs' vet) to see if I can get some advice and if I get any feedback I will let you know straight away

:luck: :luck: Jane

 

[rls22]

So sorry to hear about Bud.

Lots of :luck: that you find a good surgeon so he will be living life to the max soon :huggles:

 

[Mat mute]

Thank you jane and rls

 

[Crystal]

Hi - I have a similar story with a German Shepherd pup I had taken in - she started falling over at about 4 months - the x-rays were grim with one joint out of the ball socket and one only just in, my vet gave me a choice of an op where the ball joints were cut off or one where the muscles were tightened ( the first op sounded horrific) I opted for the muscle tightening op - sorry I can't remember the actual name of the op, and it was a great success - all of a sudden it was like she had bionic legs and she went on to an age of 13 years and had a fantastic quality of life, we had to opt out of agility but still had lots of fun - she was a real angel never complained about anything.

Has your vet talked you through the op etc ? :luck: Sue

 

[Mat mute]

Glad to hear a succes story, and the german shepard having a great life.

Both ball joints are out of the socket, the local vet did say they may chissel out the hip to make a socket but she thought the bone was alittle thin for that and said to see what the referal thought. the referal came back with a recommendation total hip replacment due to the serverity off the condition. Also if they did try the chissel out method then it would be impossible for hip replecment later on if that did not work.

 

[hely]

he's lovely :huggles:

good luck :luck: :luck:

 

[whippynit]

Aw, how sad I know a friend of my dads had major probs with a springer spaniel of theirs and it had to have loads of ops on its backlegs, Im sure it was HD. :unsure: I will ask him over the weekend when i see him for more info on what it was and treatment they had, etc and let you know :thumbsup:

 

[Jessr123]

My firends lab has elbow displaysia and I know she keeps her really trim to prevent excess weight on the joints. She also gives the dog Glucosamine and Condroitin supplements as well as medication prescribed by vet, so maybe it is worth investigating those supplements.

 

[kris]

After a dog had hip or elbow surgery, many veterinarians advise owners to rest their animal and slowly start gradual exercise. The recovery process can be long and require a lot of nursing care by the owners. This is especially difficult with large dogs that are primarily candidates for these problems. Proponents of hydrotherpay feel this non-weight bearing exercise, which encourages full range of motion activity, required for swimming, helps to speed recovery.

I do not think you should try this yourself in your bathtub or pool, unless your dog is very small. The people doing this are very well trained in how to help an injured dog or dog recovering from surgery. They recommend the pool be heated 90 degrees, which allows the muscles to relax. They also feel that if you do not know what you are doing, your dog can get nervous, might scratch you, or become over tired.

This swim therapy may not only be for injured dogs but can benefit dogs with hip dysplasia. Swim therapy helps them to relax their hip joints, allows the hip join to sit better in the socket, and dogs are able to walk better after this therapy.

saw this on another site i go ona nd thought it may be of help to you.your dog is gorgeous by the way, :wub: such a shame this has happened

 

[whippetwise]

Im so sorry to hear this, good luck with him :luck:

 

[Mat mute]

Thanks for all the replys guys n girls good to have some support.

Bud has been on Metacam but that did not help to much so now he is on Previcox tablets (£50 for 30 days :blink: ) which has perked him up abit. I know we have to keep the wieght off and at the moment he is alittle over weight, so we are controlling his food intake and he is on a strict 'no treats', but finding it alittle hardas we can't exercise him to burn it off. I have looked into hydrotherpay and think it would be a great idea, but it does cost quit abit of money and I am trying to save all the money I can for the op.

My dad has a square pond (no fish any more) that is about 9ft x 7ft and 4ft deep, we have brought some heaters to go in it and a XL doggy life jacket, so I will take Bud in there and hold him while he paddles around me. Hopfuly this will help him to build some muscel up and keep him trim.

If anyone knows of anywhere that performs Hip replacement or know of a dog that has had it before please share the information......

 

[kita]

Two of the top people in this field are Dr. Malcolm Willis and Dr. G. Clayton Jones. They both specialise in GSD's. Dr. Willis breeds GSD's. Not sure about contact details for them, but I think your vet may refer you to them.

You might find this link interesting, these people have a GSD and are in a similar situation to yourself it is a bit long but worth reading through as there is advice about supplements etc. you can give.

http://germanshepherdsuk.co.uk/forum/viewt...=willis&start=0

Sue

 

[kita]

Lots of information on HD and hip replacement here (it is an American site though):

http://www.biomedtrix.com/faq.html

 

[Mat mute]

Thank you kita for the links, realy need a contact number for those names though, can't realy go to my local vet and ask for contacts numbers ont hese names as they have already refered me to a place in kent and it would be alittle undermining if i go there and ask for them to find out contact numbers.

I haven't got a problem with the place they have refered me too, but it's just alittle too expensive and I can not affordthere quote. I would like to get a few quotes from different HD specialest and then make a desion on what is good for Bud and affordable.

 

[Mat mute]

OK thought I would post an update, We got Buds mum given to us by the breeder (she's fantastic) just before I started posting on here and between her and the Previcox tablets Bud seems to be doing much better, as he nows has to get up and follow mum around to see what she is doing, which is getting him stronger ) . We can walk him around the block and you can tell he is much happier, still his legs look realy wobble/bandy when he walks.

I search the net for K9 referals and found the Queen mums hospital in London, I got my vet to call and the quote for a HIP was reasonable. So the way things are going I am plaining to get Bud a new hip at the begining of 2008 if he continues they way he is, but if he starts to get realy lame again the the OP may have to be brought forward. Hopfuly he may only need one replacment as we have been told that this can be enough for most dogs with servre HD in both hips )

 

[pepa]

I hopeall gose well with bud keep evey thing crossed

sue