I'm confused???
Injury to what and why the x-ray for hips??
Remember an x-ray is only a phenotipic reading(looks on the outside).
The parents can still be carriers of the hip dyslasia(genotipic)..
My first Golden billion yrs ago was moderately dyslastic and hunted till she was 12yrs. She also did Obed. compet. and Hunt Tests.
Sue

 

Sandiatop, We went through the same scenario, same age, same good OFA history, etc. with our now 29 month old chessie. When doing xrays to determine the source of an intermittent lameness, the bad hip was revealed. We were advised to keep him lean and fit. Obviously this means training. We are supplementing with glucosomine and giving Adequan to help protect the joint and so far he is doing great. When I first discovered the displasia, I was devastated and thought his future looked bleak. Now he is training for field trials and is loving life like we love him! Good luck.

 

My dog has SEVERE HD, he has yet to go lame and if I did not take him training he would go nuts, he is also my main hunting dog, he loves to hunt. Glucosamine/Adequan used here also. My vet said to train him for hunting, but not Hunt Tests?? Thought that was wierd, so I backed off on drill work, decided that was a mistake, got him back in and he is happier..

 

Id rather have a bad hip than elbow since it often affects them more as more weight is on the front end.

 

My doctor found that my 15 months old puppy has hip dysplasia. My dog got injured, and my doctor did X-ray and found the hip dysplasia. Both her parents have Excellent hips, and my dog came from a well know kennel. I have some questions.

1. Is this a rare case? How often does this happen?
2. Can a dog with hip dysplasia be trained? Training worsens the conditions?
3. If my dog is not suitable for hunt tests, is there any other dog sports for her? How about Obedience?

Thank you,

1. There are actually statistics on OFA website somewhere... I think it's about an 8% chance to get dyspasia off exc to exc parents. Don't quote me on that, though, but there are statistics somewhere online.
2. YES!!!!!!! NOT ALWAYS! I have a 13.5yo that was rated SEVERELY dysplastic that STILL jumps up on the couch!!! She was a master hunter AND search and rescue dog. EVERY dog presents differently clinically vs xray. Dogs with mild dysplasia may be extremely painful. Dogs with severe may never be. It varies with every dog. I would recommend that you continue training, have him on whatever supplement your vet recommends and monitor him for lameness. If he hasn't been lame yet, I wouldn't "worry" yet -- I know it's hard not to.
3. Refer to #3. Your dog may or may not EVER show any clinical symptoms of dysplasia. Just pursue whatever you both love, watch for any symptoms of lameness, manage them as they come along and decide how to proceed.

I hope she's like my Emmie, who has never been lame. At 13.5 yo, she is far less arthritic than the 14 yr old OFA EXC we lost earlier this year.

-K

 

I guess I would get a second opinion. Was it sent to OFA or was it a kind of BTW, you dog is dysplastic? If the xray was really done for an injury, I would want to know the dog was positioned properly for a hip evaluation before I would accept the diagnosis.

 

Totally agree with this -- always worth a 2nd opinion on hip evaluation.
Esp if you're going to make a big decision based on whatever the evaluation is -- like spaying, stopping training, etc.

 

There is life with an HD dog. I remember hearing my pups diagnosis (9 months) and crying my eyes out. She is coming 4 in October.

Second opinion because if they were NOT purposefully taking xrays of your dogs hips, they may not have had the best position, and that can make a good dog look dysplastic and vice versa. Get an true hip xray well positioned before getting to worried. You said it was found looking at another injury which is hwy I mention this.

Yes multi generations of excellent can produce HD. Sad but true, however if you do have good genes behind you (I didn't) chances are it is not too severe and easily managed. Weight control, and joint supplements are good place to start, acupuncture, adequan, later if necessary and worst case scenario, surgery. If your dog has HD in earnest, weight control is a must. One additional pound can be a lot for an HD dog.

My dog played in agility, field, obedience, and dock jumps. She has a THR on her right side, and bad elbows, so we just do stuff for fun. She has a happy wonderful fun life.

 

There is life with an HD dog. I remember hearing my pups diagnosis (9 months) and crying my eyes out. She is coming 4 in October.

I was so naive 13 yrs ago, I thought she was going to HAVE to be put to sleep!!!!! Talk about crying!! LOL

it was so funny when the doc said she wouldn't "have" to be and I was like "really??????" in total shock.

 

How old does a pup need to be before it can be x-rayed for dysplasia, getting a quality diagnosis?

 

Check out OFA's website. I believe they will do a preliminary at 4 months. I usually do prelims around 8 or 9 months.

 

Personally, if you're feeding a high protien diet, I'd cut back to a lower protien. Then I'd wait til he's 24months and have an actual hip xray done.He could of just had a growth spurt and the joints haven't caught up yet.Common with young large breed dogs fed a high protien diet.

 

Exactly why OFA will not make a final judgement untill the dog is 24 months.

 

I had a female golden that was a beautiful dog. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. I was very disappointed as I wanted to breed her. I had her spayed. I then had her drop 10 pounds. She never came up lame on me. In fact I used to hunt pheasants with her. I even videotaped one hunt which includes a leap over a three foot high brush pile to chase a cripple. My point is that there is life after that diagnosis.

 

I had xrays done to be certified on my youngest this spring and they came back mild and moderate. I was devastated beyond. I told the breeder about it and he thought a second set would be a good idea by his vet, as he had never had that problem before. I do believe both parents are certified, although I don't know the grade. Anyhow...the second set came back as only mild, but with growths on both hips. I don't intend to take another set, as this gets quite expensive.
My little girl bounces around like there is no tomorrow, so I have no intentions of stopping her training unless she tells me to. It wasn't suggested by either vet to give her anything except the vet food. I am quite sure there are better ways then switching over to that stuff, so I am looking for alternatives.

I know how you feel though...I cried really hard......she is clear EIC/CNM. I'd rather be a carrier then have bad hips. Now I will have to have her spayed and the thought of that just tears me apart, but eventually i'll bring myself to make an appointment to have it done.

good luck with your dog, and hopefully the xrays were just taken to early!!

Debbie

 

I have the same thing going on right now possibly. I am taking my dog to the vet tomorrow to have her hips xrayed to check for displasia. She is 10 months old. She does a "bunny hop" thing when she runs and she refuses to put any pressure on her right back paw right now. She also has a little sway when she walks. I hope I am just worrying too much and this is something else.

 

I will hope with you. The sway does not mean HD. Bunny hop... well it can. Hopefully it comes back something like pano that will be outgrown.

It wasn't suggested by either vet to give her anything except the vet food. I am quite sure there are better ways then switching over to that stuff, so I am looking for alternatives.

There are a lot of different things that can be done to manage HD. I belong to a canine HD group. There are people there who managed moderate to severe HD dogs who lived long happy lives without surgery. If you want the website PM me, and I will be happy to pass on. They are a good bunch of people I could not have gotten through my ordeal without them.

 

I am not sure all vets are qualified to identify HD. We had a female that we had hips done on for OFA and the vet thought they were borderline Dysplastic. This was going to be our brood bitch. You can imagine the worry at our house while waiting for the results from OFA!!!!

The OFA came back as Excellent.

We had another vet with our first dog do the xrays while the dog was in heat and when I told her the dog was in heat in heat the vet said they look marginal and that if OFA does not give us a good or excellent she would re-shoot the xrays due to the heat cycle? She came back Excellent.

I would agree with most here that it may not be time to worry just yet.