aisling Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brierley Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Glucosomine and Chondroitin is what my vet recommended for my HD dog Sam (Border Collie). Most vets recommend it. Vets seem to have differing opinions on exercise routines - some say not to change the regular routine while other say to temper the exercise. On a personal level (and my boy has severe HD in both hips and arthritis in at least one), I strike a balance. Quality of life is important and he is a Collie, but, unfortunately, a Collie that doesn't notice any pain until he gets home <sigh> so I keep a check on how he's moving and exercise accordingly. If he's having a good day, we might throw the ball four or five times for him to retrieve (keeping it low so he doesn't jump for it), on a bad day, it's on lead short walk time. He still jumps in the car (and out again). We don't have stairs, but he negotiates the steps on and off the beach. On the beach we stick to the 'firm' sand, not the trawling through the soft stuff. If he's having a bad day, we avoid the beach and stick to grassy areas. I take the view that quality has to come before quantity, but that is a personal choice which my vet is happy with. Just to put your mind at rest. A friend's dog was diagnosed with HD at 11 months old and he competed in agility and still did fun rounds when he was 12 years old. I didn't know about her dog's condition until I mentioned Sam's diagnosis and how devastated I was by it. Some dogs cope with the condition remarkably well. Trouble is, we don't have a crystal ball to know which ones will cope and which won't. I can't help out on the cruciate ligament problem on a personal level, but I've known a lot of dogs who've had the op and recovered very, very well without problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I can highly recommend Synflex, which is liquid glucosamine - my Milly was diagnosed with severe HD at less than a year old and she's been on it for three years. We tried all the treatments like cartrophen injections, glucosamine in tablet form, etc but they made no difference. When I tried Synflex it worked its magic within a week and she's never looked back! She still runs round like a lunatic with the other dogs, but if she is out for too long she gets stiff and limps a bit afterwards. It's best to take her out for shorter, more frequent runs, to give her a chance to recover in between. So instead of doing an hour, do two half hours or else three twenty minute stints. I don't do agility with Milly but she does everything else the other dogs do (try telling a border collie she's not allowed to run about with her brothers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Hydrotherapy is good for poorly joints and would be great for the cruciate after the op, have you got a pool near you? A physio may be able to help with both too. Cortaflex is a good supplement. Keeping as much weight off as you can will be really helpful for both hips and cruciates. Magnet collars can help with pain but like supplements work differently in different animals. Cruciates need lots of rest to get them better but I know dogs who've had the op and got back to 'normal' function afterwards My cocker was diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia years ago, she's 14 and still going strong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redditchlady Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Dylan our small elderly terrier had his cruciate repaired after he got knocked over by a pup and an old leg injury (from before we had him) at the same time. At first it was crate rest for a week or 2, but the gradually progressed to tiny walks but often. Now he is fine and kerboings like he is a pup. Kazz xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snougles Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 My Collie X Rottie I have long suspected as having hip problems and in the last day or two seems to be experiencing problems with her back legs by them giving way (we have laminate flooring) and also avoiding turning right ! Unsure if this is a sympton but think it probably is. Also I have two dogs who have had a ruptured cruciate ligaments - one a small terrier cross who fell off a seawall (20 ft drop) who recovered well and then more recently my DDB who has had both back legs operated on -(vet thinks a hereditary factor ) and infact she is not allowed out at present other than to relieve herself for the first month post - op. It is a lengthy recovery for the larger breeds and my main concern has been that she does not get depressed through being left out of things. Good luck with the op Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathyw Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 My Elsa has HD and we were recommended hydrotherapy for her. Elsa didn't like being confined in the pool but will swim if allowed to do so freely. Elsa loves her ball and is obsessed with chasing it. The hydro lady told me off when she saw me throwing the ball for Elsa. I mentioned this to my vet and he said it depends what you want for Elsa - quality or quantity. I chose the first. Elsa is 10 years old and has 2-3 hours off lead exercise per day. Elsa is on Metacam because she also has arthritis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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