I am really worried....

[AngelBunny]

I am so sorry for you and your dog. Your girl's breeder has BYB written all over her.

Take careful notes and if you don't understand something, ask the vet to explain it again--and again, if needs be. I know full well how being upset sometimes gets in the way of hearing things clearly. Do not leave w/o clearly understanding what your vet finds and suggests you do.

Best of luck.

[Bucky's Mom]

Just wanted to send good thoughts and hope your Vet visit this morning gets you some answers

[Dugganmom]

Hope everything goes ok!!! Please let us all know when you know something...

[John64]

Thanks so much everyone for caring!

i took her this morning, and the Vets was way overfull, although they don't want me to wait long, guess they could tell I was very upset about Athena, I am taking her in at 5:45 tonight.

I did hear back from the "Mother", again this morning. The breeders Mom, and she did admit to me that they had trouble with two other pups, having a calcium deficiency?
Probably spelled that wrong.
She stated that the other pups were limping off and on, and not playing, and after bloodwork, and given calcium phosphate, that they were completely fine, and got better, within a month.
WOW....that would be great if that was it!
This is gonna be a long day. I cannot wait to get her in there. I already told them to make time for x-rays and bloodwork. I don't know if they check the bloodwork at the vets or send to a lab. I am hoping right there!

Thanks again everyone for caring. To me, my Athena is my baby, and this is about killing me, as odd as it sounds!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by John64

I did hear back from the "Mother", again this morning. The breeders Mom, and she did admit to me that they had trouble with two other pups, having a calcium deficiency?
Probably spelled that wrong.
She stated that the other pups were limping off and on, and not playing, and after bloodwork, and given calcium phosphate, that they were completely fine, and got better, within a month.

Funny how it only took her 12 hours to concoct that story

Sorry - I call BS

[John64]

Yes, I thought that also!

[TR Young]

We're with you every step of the way, John. Keep us posted, and know that we are praying and thinking of you and Athena.

[John64]

Thank you!.....I cannot wait till tonight, especially since my wife started crying at the Vets when they couldn't see her right away...ugh!

And of course, Athena leaned up against her, and was licking her. Begining to wonder who needs comforted....

What a nightmare, I will post as soon as I get home!

[spoiledbabies3]

Sending good thoughts and prayers your way that Athena is back to her old self in no time! Bloodwork...some of the work can be done in-house, however, be prepared that in an extensive blood panel it is normally sent outside the office. When major bloodwork is done on any of my guys results are normally back in 2 days. Hope this helps...Good Luck and keep us posted on Athena!

[Sharon Marples]

I hope that they find that Athena just needs some minor "fixes" to get her up and going. Please let us know as soon as you find out.

PS The bs about calcium deficiency is just that, BS! I suspect HD or a torn cruciate.

Keeping fingers crossed for ya!

[debbiej]

I adoped my girl from a man who "couldn't keep" her when she was about 8 months old. She was very undersocialized, but there was something else going on. Within a month, I was sure she had HD, and xrays confirmed it. pups are born with the genetic 'blueprint' of the bone growth even though it doesn't show up in tiny pups. a lot of things can be done to help avoid the severity, but at our dog's age, there is surgery and management. I can pass on some of what I've learned.

A combination or all these problems are present; head of the femur is mal-formed or the socket is too shallow. Sometimes the formation or position of the pelvis contributes. In pups who are young enough, and don't have arthritis yet, a surgery can be performed where the pelvis is cut and re-positioned to allow the socket to be at a better angle to accept the head of the femur. this is expensive and invasive, but has good results.

two other surgeries are also used, one where the hip is replaced, and that is done when the joint is pretty far gone. the other is the head of the femur is cut off, and a false joint is created using the muscle. the replacement is sucessful, but also expensive and invasive and the removal of the femur head is not so sucessful in large dogs.

My girl has pretty bad HD. Her symptoms sound very much like your girl's.
She never jumped, even in or out of a car. she cried after walks, she had very little muscle development in her hindquarters and an over developed front end (still does) I have done so much research and tried so many things, that I hope I can offer you some insight.

The vet suggested a program of pain management, suppliments and physical therapy and gentle exercise. We begin with meloxicam, hydrotherapy and Cosequan DS. We saw a gradual improvement. After the Cosequin DS was gone, we started experimenting with suppliments. You want a suppliment that is very high in glucosamine, chondroitn and MSM and some other things. (I have to leave my computer very soon, not checking spelling )

We had the best result from a liquid suppliment that was made for horses called 'Next Level Joint Fluid'. it is expensive, but not as expensive as cosequan, and I think she got better results from that than any oral suppliment. note that not all horse suppliments are safe for dogs, but this one is.

The hydro therapy was a big help, it helped her get a head start on muscle development. The pain keeps the dog from good movement, the lack of movement causes lack of muscle develpment, the lack of muscle development puts lots more stress on the joints. you want to break this cycle, by gently building muscle. If you can't find a place to swim your dog, try gradual hills on soft surfaces. gradually increase the amount and distance you walk her. Avoid over doing it with exercise. don't let her try to walk on slippery surfaces, don't let her play too hard, these precautions avoid injury. The Hydro therapy was for 6 weeks. I'd take her every week if I could.

For about a year we were managing her with suppliments and a mild exercise program, including swimming in an above ground pool with pretty good sucess. Then we started her on an injectable suppliment called adequan. This drug is very sucessful for her. She got it (trying to remember here..) twice a week for 4 weeks, then once a week for a month or two now once every month to 6 weeks. this is the only treatment or medication she is getting now. Although she will always have HD and we will always be careful of how much she does, she is pain free. she jumps on and off our bed, she runs and frolics and can go on longer walks without suffering afterwards. He hindquarters are becoming sllghtly more muscular and she is quite able for a normal life. Adequan doesn't work for all dogs, but it sure has made a difference for her.

good luck, HD is manageable, and you have several options. I know people who have done the surgeries and are happy with the results. I'm glad we opted for the conservative management of our girl, and feel it has been sucessful. Finding out your dog has it is heartbreaking, and yet it isn't a death sentance. Good luck!

[ralph]

We have our fingers and paws crossed for you all. Good luck at the vets office. Sandi

[winniecnm]

Originally Posted by John64

I did hear back from the "Mother", again this morning. The breeders Mom, and she did admit to me that they had trouble with two other pups, having a calcium deficiency?
Probably spelled that wrong.
She stated that the other pups were limping off and on, and not playing, and after bloodwork, and given calcium phosphate, that they were completely fine, and got better, within a month.
WOW....that would be great if that was it!

I really, really hope that this would be the cause, but in reality it most likely is not at all.

Low calcuim levels are not commonly known to cause bone pain, the most common signs would be tetany (severe, uncontrollable, muscle contractions) and eventually cardiac arrythmias and seizures. It is commonly caused by a defect in the parathyroid glands. You see, the body will usually leech calcuim out of the bones if the levels are too low to correct the levels in the blood, the most common causes of a calcuim deficiency would be metabolic. And the only way to test for this is an Ionized calcium level..her story is sounding like a crock of BS to me.

Even Pano is caused by too MUCH calcium intake...

We will be thinking of you guys today - keep your chin up and think good thoughts try to stay calm so Athena does not get too worried.

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by John64

Thank you!.....I cannot wait till tonight, especially since my wife started crying at the Vets when they couldn't see her right away...ugh!
.......................I will post as soon as I get home!

We are here for you still

[TR Young]

And we are anxiously awaiting an update.