bilateral hip dysplasia

[kushnd]

i just received bad news from my vet. i have a 9 month old canadian eskimo who was just recently diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia. i have just started to research this topic and am quite lost (and not too mention overwhelmed) as to how to go about helping her. i am not sure if her medication is helping her, i am not sure as to whether or not i should buy a doggie wheelchair, i am not sure as to whether or not i should start her on glucosamine and the list goes on and on (see what i mean about being overwhelmed). can anyone start me off in the right direction or at least provide a starting point so i can help her? dawn

[cricketsmom]

Hi Kushnd,
What medicine is your dog on that you're not sure is helping?
Glucosamine is probably a good idea as a supplement. Cartilage damage is a big part of hip dysplasia, and glucosamine helps to repair cartilage. If she's not good with pills, you can talk to your vet about other options such as Adequan injections.
The basic idea with hip dysplasia as far as daily care is along the lines of caring for arthritis. If she's an indoor dog or sleeps in the garage, you may consider a heated bed. A warm place to sleep helps with pain and stiffness. And you want her to keep moving. Low impact exercise (i.e. a daily walk) helps the joints too. Being only 9 months, she's probably not overweight, but since this might slow her down, make sure she doesn't gain too much weight. The heavier the dog, the harder it is on the hips.
How painful is she right now?

[kushnd]

hello cricketsmom, the medication she is on is tramadol.
she is both an outside and inside dog. she is a canadian eskimo sledding dog, so needless to say, her coat is very thick and as a results tends to heat up pretty quickly. i have been trying to get her to sleep on a doggie bed but i find that she gets too hot and wants to lay on something cold. i do notice a difference though (like you had mentioned) when she sleeps on it, less stiff, but like i said, it is pretty difficult to get her to remain on it for the duration of the night.
how would i know if her medication is working for her? in the morning, if she has slept the entire night on her bed, she wakes up and starts to walk around without a limp. as the day progresses, and as she increases her physical activity her limp becomes more prominent. i give her 2 doses daily, once in the am and once in the pm, and am not sure if this is really doing anything for her. do i equate her limping with whether or not the medication is working? she doesn't really cry out in pain during the day when she is physically active but sometimes at night i have heard her yelp because she has turned the wrong way on a sore spot. my vet said that it will be a trial and error thing to try and get the correct med for my dog, so tramadol is the starting point. i have talked to some people and have received so many different opinions as to whether a med is working or not, that is where i am getting confused. people have said their dogs limps disappear and others say that is doesn't totally go away but they are able to walk better. i really have no reference point.
i find that mentally, she wants to play and play and play but physically cannot keep up. she loves her walks but i also don't want to overdue it either. do you think she would be a good candidate for a doggie wheelchair? i happened to come across this website because i was looking online for something to increase her walk time and to ease the stress on her hips but i also don't want to baby her too much. like you said, she still needs to stay active.
thanks for the advice about the glucosamine, i will definitely add that to the daily routine. kushnd

[cricketsmom]

Tramadol is one of many medications to reduce inflammation and help with pain. To tell if it's working is a question for your vet. I would explain to your veterinarian exactly what you told me about her behavior (being comfortable in the morning and starting to limp more as the day progresses etc). He/she should be able to explain if that is what they wanted to see for her. If it's not, they will adjust her tramadol dose or try a different medication. Every dog is different. Some dogs' limps will do away and some won't. Your vet will probably know more than anyone else what you can expect.
This late in the summer I wouldn't worry about it unless her coat grows really fast, but it may be a consideration for next year to get her clipped by a groomer in the summer. If she's cooler, she might be more likely to sleep in her bed that way.
It's good that she wants to be active. You want that. But as you know, you don't want her to get too carried away. Does she eat whenever she wants? Right now I've got a young, very active dog that I'm trying to keep quiet while she heals from a cut on her leg. I reduced her food a bit because she doesn't need the calories to run while I'm trying to keep her from running! If your dog is eating a lot of high calorie puppy food, she's going to want to run it off.
As far as the doggie wheelchair goes, based off what you've told me, I don't think I would go that far yet. Wheelchairs are expensive, and at this point you've just learned of her condition and are just starting to manage it. If on down the road she gets worse, I'd look into again, but I'd hold off for now.

[kushnd]

thanks, betsy, the vet tech and mom to 3 cats and 2 dogs, for the advise. unfortunately, when i took my dog to the clinic, i had to deal with another vet because my vet was away on holidays (won't be back until mid august). i found it difficult to communicate with her and so i decided to leave all the questions for my vet so thats why i was making general inquiries.
i appreciate all the advise. as i said earlier, it is a starting point for me because i have never had to deal with this medical issue before. i have had a few dogs with old aged arthritis but never a 9 month old with moderate bilateral hip dysplasia.
i have taken your advice with the glucosamine and still trying to get my dog to sleep (for the whole night) on her bed. i have to admit that it is difficult. she has now started to chew and eat sections of it....sigh. hopefully, i will be successful.
as far as the doggie wheel chair is concerned, i guess it does make sense to keep her active as long as possible. who knows, maybe a change in medication will help her. like you said, when my vet returns, i will inquire.
if you have any other advice for me i would appreciate and again thanks for the advice you have already provided.
dawn, the paramedic and mom of one handicapped canadian eskimo sled dog.

[cricketsmom]

Well that makes it difficult. Sorry your vet's away. In the time being though, I'm sure the tramadol will be fine.
Haha, of course she's chewing up the bed. A handicapped pet has to sabotage your efforts you know. Hang in there!