not good news-hip and knee

[clastala]

I had my 9 month old female, Roxy to the vet today.

They did x-rays.
She has Right Hip Subluxation- (it looks to be out of the socket to me).
She also has Left Knee destabilization. (They did not tell me if the knee is blown or what. They say that the knee looks like something is up on the x-ray, however I did not think they can tell from x-rays) They say it is swollen and hard to tell. She walks on tippy toe with the left leg.

They are sending the x-rays to Washington State University. I guess a radiologist there will look at them.

She is also in heat. I was told by someone that they do not have their females hips x rayed when they are in heat. That can make the x ray off. Has anyone heard of that?

I may be getting too much info from too many sources, however, the vet said she may need surgery on knee and a hip replacement or euthanization.

I just do not know what to do. They want me to give her Rimadyl. I am afraid to. The breeder wants me to give joint response, yucca and comfort Msm with prosta-gx instead and to take care of knee first.

I got a second opinion and they told me to have the x-rays sent to WSU (like I am) and that they can tell about the knee in an x ray if they know what they are doing and in the meantime to rest her.

Is there not a way to tell is a knee is blown in the meantime? Something I can watch for. She does not cry out-she just limps and bunny hops when she goes potty. I just hate not knowing.

It breaks my heart. Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Cadillac_Lady]

I don't have any answers, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry about your situation. My 8 mos old pup started limping over the past two weeks and goes in for xrays on 1/7.... So, I look forward to what other folks have to say.

Take it easy, it's tough as it breaks your heart to see them in pain.

[spidey]

First, I'm sorry for the troubles you're having with Roxy. :(

She has Right Hip Subluxation- (it looks to be out of the socket to me).

It will. :) She has a partially dislocated hip. Or did you mean it looks RIGHT out of the socket? Is this dysplasia-related or injury-related? In a dog with dysplasia, the top of the femur doesn't sit securely in the hip socket (because the socket is too shallow), so it's subluxated (or partially dislocated) all the time.

As to the knee - it's very hard to tell whether a ligament is torn or ruptured, and it doesn't usually matter unless the tear is very minor. If there's enough destabilization, it doesn't make a difference in terms of treatment and prognosis whether it's seriously torn or just ruptured.

They don't x-ray in and around heat cycles because the hormonal changes can increase the amount of laxity in the joints (i.e. it can make a joint look looser than it really is, so you don't get an accurate picture of what the joint is like).

What does your vet recommend doing now? The longer you leave things untreated, the more damage will be done (especially to the knee). There is another drug comparable to Rimadyl called Etogesic, which some people say is safer, but this isn't proven. Rimadyl is fairly safe in most dogs who take it, just be sure to get baseline liver/kidney blood values and recheck them regularly if you choose to use it. IMO quality of life is more important, if your dog cannot get adequate pain relief on things like aspirin or MSM, then I think you need to move to whatever will provide adequate pain relief, even if it's something risky like Rimadyl can be. Good luck, please keep us posted. :)

[Sis]

When my rottie blew her knee the vet could tell just by moving the leg while holding the knee. He also did x-rays to be sure. It's been about six weeks now since her surgery. They put her on Rimadyl 100mg twice a day for the pain after surgery. About a week later she had a strange stomach upset, not eating and diarreah. I immediately took her off the Riamadyl but I'm not sure that was the cause. They did the blood test for liver function and it was fine. After two trips to the vet and other meds she's over that, but I still use the Rimadyl occasionally for her spondylosis. I'm hoping occasional use won't upset her stomach, but aspirin doesn't seem to help. I'd use the Rimadyl sparingly just to ease the pain.

Good luck with Roxy.

[clastala]

I think that it is injury related. The vet said usually it is hereditary when the hip is like that. To me it looked a bit out of the socket when her legs were straight down and she was on her back. I do not know what I was looking for. (The vet is having them sent to Washington State University to be looked at by a radiologist) I was a bit in shock but from what I remember the socket did not look too shallow. It looked like it would have fit but was not in the right place. Everthing looked smooth and perfect except the leg bone was not correctly in the hip socket. I just do not think it is dysplastic. I think it was injury.

She did cut a corner short chasing the Beagle about a month ago. She hit her hip and was limping for a bit. We had been crating her and she was getting better it seemed and then one night I let her go potty at 2:00 am and did not use the leash. I was so tired and it is so much trouble. She thinks she is going for a walk and gets very excited and it takes awhile for her to go potty. (I regret that now) When she came back in she was limping badly on the other leg. She walked on tippy toe and still is. It is a touch better but not much.

As for xray during heat, I had heard you should not xray and can only hope that was part of it.

The vet recommends waiting to see what we hear about the xrays from the radiologist. I went to another vet because my breeder said I should get the knee taken care of right away. The other vet said she would send the xray to a radiologist. So I am going to do nothing but rest her today and then talk to the breeder again after the holiday. I think my breeder is right about having it taken care of. She has alot more experience than I do with this and has tried the rest before and wished she had not. It usually ends up in surgery eventually.

I decided to use the Rymadal for a short time and then have something done for her knee. I will also see what the breeder thinks I should do. She has had the surgery on her dog and I is a good help. I called her first thing right after I got out of the vets and could not think what I should do and she helped alot.

Thanks for your answers.

[Judi W]

I agree that the knee should be your first line of repair. Without the proper use of that leg it is putting a great deal of additional stress and twisting on the hip.

Although being in season can occasionally make a slight difference in rating, I do not believe the being in season makes a remarkable difference, but just a slight difference. If the joint shows it is bad, all you are going to see is a slight improvement in the sublux out of season.

[clastala]

I guess all I can do is the knee and then see what I need to do about the hip. It just has to be taken one step at a time.

I just do not see how we can not do something. She is a part of the family and to tell you the truth, this dog is the love of my life as far as any dog I have owned. She is so lovable and sweet. She does have her issues but is doing very well in obedience. I is too bad this happened right now. She was making some good strides.

Thank you for your input Judy.

[clastala]

Oops. I mean Judi. I pushed post instead of preview.

[Miabella]

Hi clastala,

I'm sorry to hear about your girl's orthopedic problems. My previous Rottie had both a total hip replacement and cruciate ligament repair surgeries within 9 months of each other, and she had good results with both of them. In the meantime, you should try to prevent your dog from engaging in any high impact activities and make sure she doesn't gain weight. Cut back on her food and no treats. Good luck, please keep us updated on her progress.

[Judi W]

You very well might find that after you do the knee, the issue of the hip will not be so strong. Many dogs do well with anti-inflamatories and care. Not all bad hips require surgery, but blown knees do.

[clastala]

Thank you. I want to get the knee done ASAP. Both vets suggested we wait for the xrays to be seen by a radiologist but I do not want to. I know she needs the surgery. It is not getting better with rest and was injured Dec 22nd.

From what I am gathering from everthing my breeder told me after looking at her and after all I have read I do not want to wait. I will call breeder tommorrow and see if she can be of help with the vet to get my pup in. She is well respected by both vets I have seen.

I hope I am not rushing things but I just dont think she should be putting all her weight on the bad hip she is starting to shuffle when she walks to go potty. Although she just rests anyway she might as well be recovering from the surgery.

Thanks again for all the replies. I feel so much better with more info. It does not have to be the end of the world. Carol