Hello all
Apologies if this is a subject that has been covered exhaustively before, but I'm looking for some advice for my collie, Amber. She's three and a half years old and was diagnosed today with mild hip dysplasia. Thankfully it's only in her left hip, and her right hip is ok. The diagnosis came out of the blue, as I wasn't aware of her having any pain or discomfort in that area, but my vet picked up on it when he found her reluctant to flex and extend her left back leg. The diagnosis was confirmed by x-ray.
I'm very lucky that this is at the mild end of the scale, but at the same time I feel a bit overwhelmed and confused about how to manage this for Amber. My vet has suggested that I need to strike a balance between giving her enough exercise to keep her fit and happy, while at the same time putting limits on it to minimise further deterioration and arthritis down the road. Amber's always been an extremely active, lively dog who lives for speed - she really only has two gears - stop and full throttle! Up to now she's always enjoyed free running every day in the fields and forest tracks around our home.
We definitely can't take part in agility any more, but I'm uncertain about what changes I should make to her day to day routine, if any. Is it ok to let her climb the stairs, and jump into the car? How much free running can she have? Is it ok to let her have as much exercise as she wants, so long as she's not showing any signs of pain and discomfort afterwards, in which case I'd cut back a little? Also, are there any supplements that I can give her on an ongoing basis, that would be beneficial?
Sorry for all the questions but this is a whole new ball game for me, and I'm still coming to terms with it. She's also been diagnosed today with a ruptured cruciate ligament and is going in for surgery on Thursday. I'm all at sea!