Hypothetical question

[debbiej]

as I read information here, and also in other places, a hypothetical question comes to mind. If I had gotten my girl as a little puppy, and limited her activity and jumping, and fed her so that her growth was slower, would she still have hip displaysia? I first saw her in July when she was 2 months and tiny, and her owner called to offer her to me in November. I hadn't seen her since July, and when I went to pick her up I was stunned at how big she had gotten, how fast she had grown. He also told me she slept on the bed, which means she jumped up and down. I just wondered....

[spidey]

Hip displaysia is generally considered to be genetic - the incorrect shape of the hip joint is coded for in the genes. Management issues (slow growth, careful exercise etc) can delay the onset of symptoms and make the symptoms less severe, but a dog with HD was born with the genetic code for HD and management cannot change that. So no, you might have been able to make things a bit better for your girl if you'd managed her from day one, but you couldn't have prevented the HD.

[poohbearsmom]

Spidey is correct.

I think sometimes we want to grab at straws, trying to place "what if's" in our minds...I know I did.... I think what's important, after finding out that your dog suffers from this, is learning as much as you can about the various therapies that can help her ease through life a little more comfortably.

The best thing you can do for your girl now, is to manage her properly from here on out. Let her be a dog, and enjoy her life.

Good luck!

[lblax]

the above two answers are absolutly correct, it is 100% genetic

[debbiej]

thanks for the replies. I'd wondered if she would have been better if...
finding a good glucosamine suppliment was difficult. I finally decided on glyco flex III. researching and comparing ingredients, price, dosage, and quality, it seems like the best. she really did well on cosequin, but it is very expensive. My vet didn't have any advice about suppliments other than "Well see how she does on different ones after the cosequin is gone". I could see a big improvement in her condition when she was taking cosequin, when on the human pills and then a liquid glucosamine, she begin to limp again and move with the old pivot/wiggle. She is very active and comfortable again on the glyco flex III and it has higher doses than cosequin, and the grade of ingredients seems to be as good, maybe better. so that's a relief.

[lblax]

just an interesting note my daughter was born with congenital hip dysplasdia our dr. caught it early and she spent from 3 months of age until 14 months she spent life in a cast from her chest to her knees with her legs straight out at the hips with only a small square cut out for eliminating... her dr. at that time at riley childrens was dr. derosa he left there to chair the othepedic foundation she was supposed to go for checkups each year until she was determined to quit growing but at age 9 they told us that they couldnt even tell by the x-rays that she had had previous trouble so we were done for eleven months her hips were kept totally imobile while the ball and socket formed.. without catching this they told us she would have been ready for her 1st hip replacemant about 14 years old...... just thought i'd pass this on because lots of people dont know its just not animals that are born with it

[lblax]

debbie you cant worry about what if's there will be people say if you fed them this or if you didnt let them do that but its all bull true dysplaysia is hereditary.. but people come up with all these ideas because vets and such tend to lump things into dysplaysia such as injuries or from being obese that causes an injury which in turn developes artheritis and such but they are really not dysplasia..... you have done the best possible for your dog

[Rott-Wiley]

I also wanted to add that I had a GSD back in the 70's that was diagnosed with grade 5 hips. We moved to Miami in 72 where we had a pool in the back yard. After swimming for about a month you would never have known there was any problem with her hips. She lived a happy normal life until she passed away from bone cancer that spread into her lungs. Maybe we were just lucky but today there are many different theropies available to our dogs and you should look into and try some of them to see if one is right for you.

[DNeff]

I have Osa (11 yr old) on Glyco Flex III, and she is doing fantastic on it. She used to be on Duramexx (sp), but I have been able to stop that, and just have her on Glyco Flex. She acts like a kid these days and romps and plays, it's really amazing to see. I have had Riven on Glyco Flex II for about three years now, and I can't say enough good things about this product. KV Vet supply has excellent prices on this and free shipping. www.kvvet.com
Best of luck with your girl.

Dawn + Osa
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