Hip dysplasia in dogs - advice

She's a shih Tzu. No previous injuries (that I'm aware of) for anything to be flarring up. I'd been noticing that she's been slower to get up from with siting or lying down. She refuses to go down stairs so I'm having to carry her now but can get up them ok. Earlier this evening when she was out for a piddle I seen her back left leg kinda give out underneath her so now I've been really paying attention to every little step she's taking to try pick up on clues to figure out but I'll be bringing her to see the vet.

Shih Tsu rank near German Shepherds for incidence of HD according to these statistics, but fewer Shi Tsu's were submitted in the study.

[link to www.ofa.org]

Sounds like it could also be back pain from what you have described. She is lucky to have found a loving home.

[link to www.workingdogs.com]

here if you don't believe me on the vitamin C.

VITAMIN C it sounds too simple. I have a 10 year old Springer Spaniel (breed highly prone to hip dysplasia) and he runs and jumps up on beds still after he was hobbling around when he was 6 years old. I know what the fuck I'm talking about.

Also, what another poster said....I cook for him. I grind chicken breasts in a Ninja, steam sweet potatoes and carrots, and rice and blend it all together. I then put the vitamin C in the blend. He loves it and his coat is very shiny. I give him about 2 cups of that a day. Then if he is still bothering me for food I give him like a cup of dry food.

[link to www.workingdogs.com]

here if you don't believe me on the vitamin C.

VITAMIN C it sounds too simple. I have a 10 year old Springer Spaniel (breed highly prone to hip dysplasia) and he runs and jumps up on beds still after he was hobbling around when he was 6 years old. I know what the fuck I'm talking about.

Also, what another poster said....I cook for him. I grind chicken breasts in a Ninja, steam sweet potatoes and carrots, and rice and blend it all together. I then put the vitamin C in the blend. He loves it and his coat is very shiny. I give him about 2 cups of that a day. Then if he is still bothering me for food I give him like a cup of dry food.

LISTEN TO THIS!
PROLOZONE may help.
It worked on my knee.

Maybe MMS (Chlorine Dioxide) could help you.
At least will not make worst to your friend.

* English is not my first language.

There are vet orthopedists and there are surgical options
Very very expensive
But you could get a consult to confirm your options
We had a big rangy rescue shepherd mix who at est age 4 developed a really bad hip
We kept him going with glucosamine and pectin every day ( pectin as in certa the stuff they sell to make jelly) and it sure helped a lot
He lived to age 13
The vet can give you a prescription for pain relief or you may be able to,give your dog aspirin - but ask!

Our Golden Retriever had it from puppyhood. Acupuncture gave him complete relief. Hard to remember all details as I was a kid (this is 30 plus years ago) but he did not have to undergo treatment throughout his life; only when he was a puppy iirc. No health problems whatsoever after that until he developed bone cancer in his spine when he was around 12 yo.

Your in the U.K.? There are hydrotherapy pools for dogs everywhere there. I'm a canine hydrotherapist and trained in the U.K. That is your best bet. I had at least 15 completely paralyzed dogs who 2-3 vets said to put down. Well after about 3 months of swimming they could walk, run, catch a ball all that. Some were a little clumsy, but they could walk and run and they were happy. If you really want to help your dog find a hydrotherapy pool today!

Re the acupuncture post above - clarified the history and following a number of treatments as a puppy, he then had one yearly for a few years thereafter. Also on a special diet as a puppy and no table scraps ever. Had some balm, a kind of eucalyptus extract that we massaged into his hip joints for relief, guess it was similar to something like bengay in mechanism (he'd tell you when he wanted by backing into you). Warm sleeping area off of floor.

Googled it and found one roughly 20 mins from where we live. Gona phone them tomorrow thanks

Thank you gona check it now

Glucosamine - chondroitin


Not sure about full dysplasia, but I've gotten a couple of happy years more out of a dog that could barely stand up at one point. I give it twice a day, it is like a snack for them.

you have to very carefully read the packages because the amount of each is everything, you have to reach a happy economic medium between price and dose. It is expensive.

If the bag seems really cheap, it usually doesn't contain much so shop carefully!

I'm not a supplements guy but it worked for my dog!

[link to www.amazon.co.uk (secure)]
I ordered this yesterday so will get it tomorrow

I just read the link and sounds very interesting and found some on Amazon so gonna order some

It has helped me too.

Please give an update after you get the x-rays. If it's really HD, you can't always judge the severity by the obvious symptoms. Some mild HD dogs seem more affected than moderate to severe HD dogs.

This is an interesting article on proper hip positioning in x-raying for HD, not all vets know what they are doing...

[link to leerburg.com]

Dig a hole

Shoot the flea bag in the head

Issue solved.

You people and your filthy animals.

Well, unfortunately I do not have any advice that will help you now, but what I am about to say will help you with your next dog.

Hip Dysplasia is a hereditary trait. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has an exam and a rating scale.

Any reputable breeder, of a breed where hip dysplasia is known to be fairly common, will be able to provide the OFA score for both the dam and sire (mother and father dog). If you have a sire and dam with OFA "good" scores, it would be EXTREMEMLY rare to have a future problem with any of their offspring having dysplastic hips. A reputable breeder will never breed dogs together where there is a likelihood of dysplastic offspring. Dysplasia does not "just happen" like catching a cold. It is inherited, and thus, preventable by good breeding.

The key here is to be choosy about who you buy your next dog from. A "back yard breeder" is just some person who managed to put two dogs togther and HEY now we gots puppies to sell. They don't do the x-rays (required OFA exam), they don't do the genetic testing for bleeding disorders or other hereditary ailments. They don't match up the breeding pair based on complementary traits... nope, they both got "papers" and we can make some bucks, so let's get ol' Sally Sue knocked up and we can RAKE IN SOME BEER MONEY! Yee Haw!

NO.

STOP.

Contact the breeder's association in your area for a list of reputable breeders. Or go to an AKC show or a performance dog sport event, and talk to the people there. PUT DOWN THE NEWSPAPER, THOSE ARE NOT THE "BREEDERS" YOU WANT. You don't want people in it to "make money" because virtually all actual reputable breeders are LOSING MONEY big time every year, despite what they charge for their dogs... this is their passion, an avocation, a money and time HOLE into which they pour untold resources every year because of their love of the breed and their desire to jealously guard the future of that breed and preserve it. Every cent goes back into the effort of taking care of their kennel, putting performance and show titles on their dogs (the dogs are judged independently to certify their comformation and ability).

This is assuming you want to avoid having a dog with problems.

If your goal is to get a dog with problems, then please go to a shelter instead of a BYB or "newspaper seller". There are plenty of dogs there who will need a loving home where the people in that home don't mind having a dog that may not be smart, or physically "able" or may have protracted or expensive medical problems... and you won't be funding people who continue to churn out more of these 2nd/3rd/4th tier dogs because chumps out there who don't know better keep filling their pockets.

That way, instead of spending a couple grand up front on a quality dog, you can spend 3-5 times that much at your local vet's office who I am sure will be very grateful for such a loyal sponsor. And you get to watch a dog suffer through whatever genetically transmitted flaws it happens to carry as those hidden problems eventually make themselves known. If you're into that kind of thing, of course.

SHE'S A RESCUE DOG!!