Lazy or sick?

Sandy in CT said:
Smart mom! Insist on that Lyme's...
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I am very glad I took him to the vet, but we agreed devastated to find out he has hip dysplasia. We saw the X-rays and his left hip is definitely slipping in the socket. Vet referred us to an orthopedist in Pensacola. Waiting for an appointment. No wonder he was so uncomfortable the other day. Vet thinks it is bad enough he will likely need a total hip replacement. Put him on anti inflammatories and Dasuquin. No wonder he didn’t want to walk.
Breeder has in contract we can bring him back and she will give us another puppy. WHO does that?
The good news is he is totally healthy otherwise. I am so sad.
 
I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s a tough diagnosis to get on a puppy. But it’s not the end of the world. One of mine got the same diagnosis at 10 months old, in both hips. Her hip sockets were terrible. When you see the orthopedic doc, ask about having an FHO done. It’s femoral head replacement and much less involved than a total replacement but does the same thing.

We had Sprite’s first hip done at a year old and the second 8 months later. I did PT at home after on both, which was simple. She runs, jumps, and is pain free and totally normal now. My vet has dogs that do agility after this procedure. We call her our bionic doggie. You’ll want an orthopedic surgeon to do it but Sprite came home the same day after both. It’s a much simpler procedure.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/femoral-head-ostectomy-fho-in-dogs
 
OK this is not what any of us were expecting, and I'm very sorry to hear this is Scout's issue. But as Ann said, the FHO is a very common surgery with good results. Hopefully when you get the Xray the other hip is OK. I don't think this is very common in Shelties, but it does occur, which is why most breeders do OFA's on their breeding dogs.

I mean, it's responsible of the breeder to say she'd take him back and let you have another pup, but as you said, not too many folks are gonna go that route. Scout is lucky that you've found it quickly and can get him on the road to recovery. :hugs
 
Scout’s Mom said:
I am very glad I took him to the vet, but we agreed devastated to find out he has hip dysplasia. We saw the X-rays and his left hip is definitely slipping in the socket. Vet referred us to an orthopedist in Pensacola. Waiting for an appointment. No wonder he was so uncomfortable the other day. Vet thinks it is bad enough he will likely need a total hip replacement. Put him on anti inflammatories and Dasuquin. No wonder he didn’t want to walk.
Breeder has in contract we can bring him back and she will give us another puppy. WHO does that?
The good news is he is totally healthy otherwise. I am so sad.
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I am so sorry to hear the dx, but thankfully you now have an answer and can decide on treatment. Our little Panda who is only 2 also has hip dysplasia...his is mild enough that right now no surgery is recommended. But my past Sheltie, Rory, had to have surgery on both hips. If the hip socket is too damaged for a successful hip replacement the surgeon may recommend doing a femoral head osteotomy (FHO). This removes the ball of the hip so there is no bone on bone...the dog's body then builds a muscle sling that does the work that the hip joint had done. The possible advantage to this surgery is that unlike a hip replacement that can wear out over time, the FHO is the only surgery he would ever need on that hip and there is no possibility of arthritis forming in the hip later in his life. Talk over all the options and I am sure the surgeon will recommend what he feels is best for Scout. Either way once surgery is done and he has healed he will be fine. Are both hips involved or just one?
Trini
 
trini said:
I am so sorry to hear the dx, but thankfully you now have an answer and can decide on treatment. Our little Panda who is only 2 also has hip dysplasia...his is mild enough that right now no surgery is recommended. But my past Sheltie, Rory, had to have surgery on both hips. If the hip socket is too damaged for a successful hip replacement the surgeon may recommend doing a femoral head osteotomy (FHO). This removes the ball of the hip so there is no bone on bone...the dog's body then builds a muscle sling that does the work that the hip joint had done. The possible advantage to this surgery is that unlike a hip replacement that can wear out over time, the FHO is the only surgery he would ever need on that hip and there is no possibility of arthritis forming in the hip later in his life. Talk over all the options and I am sure the surgeon will recommend what he feels is best for Scout. Either way once surgery is done and he has healed he will be fine. Are both hips involved or just one?
Trini
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Thank you for the encouragement and advice. It is only his left hip. The right hip is normal. I emailed the breeder to let her know. I think I remember her saying the breeding female was a young dog, so this might have been her first brood. Hopefully she won’t use her as a breeder now that she knows Scout has HD.
 
Scout’s Mom said:
Thank you for the encouragement and advice. It is only his left hip. The right hip is normal. I emailed the breeder to let her know. I think I remember her saying the breeding female was a young dog, so this might have been her first brood. Hopefully she won’t use her as a breeder now that she knows Scout has HD.
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I am glad you let the breeder know. For a dog to have HD, both parents must carry the genes...so Scout's Mom is not the only one who has the genes for HD. Five to 6 genes have been id'd that cause hip dysplasia...and for a pup to have it he/she has to receive just the right combination of genes from both parents to have HD. Unfortunately there currently is no test that can determine if a dog carries these genes or not, so it really is a crap shoot when breeding. These same dogs could be bred many more times and never have another pup with HD...but since it is now obvious that both the female and the male used for Scout's litter do carry the genes responsibility they should never again be bred to each other. Our Panda came from a female who had previously had 4 litters...producing no pups with bad hips...but for Panda's litter the breeder used a new stud she had never used before and sadly it turned out that he also carried the genes for HD. Panda thankfully was the only pup in the litter who ended up with the right combination from the parents that gave him HD...the rest of the puppies are all OK.
I know this dx is devastating but it is one medical issue that can be corrected so that Scout will go on to have a happy, pain free and full life.
Trini
 
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