15 Week-Old with possible HD

[BrewskisMommy]

Hi everyone,


A few days ago I noticed a limp in my 15 wk old Brewski's step...it was his right hind leg. I immediately thought about everything I had read on HD, and his bunny hop, sloppy sit, stiffness when getting up, and wobbly walk paired with the limp now have me worried. I scheduled a consultation with the vet for this week and am hoping that I will be able to get x-rays done ( the limp actually began the day after we had his 3rd round of vaccines...could any of these have aggravated the condition? I noticed that another poster said that their symptoms began after a trip to the vet as well but I can't seem to find the post now). I am preparing myself for a diagnosis of HD (although I'm trying to be optimistic at the same time!), and already have my list of supplements ready! But there are some questions that I haven't seen answered yet, so if somebody with experience with HD could offer any advice, I'd appreciate it!

- Are the x-rays dangerous at all? the vet tech said only to get the xrays done if the vet suggests them since they have to be "put under". I would rather have the x-rays done either way, just to be sure, but only if its safe.

- I would probably only be able to afford one hydrotherapy session per week or biweekly. Would this still be beneficial, or is that something that has to be done more frequently to build the muscle?

- Will he ever be able to jump in/out of a truck by himself? I am concerned about being able to lift him once he is full grown. Is this something that would depend on how he is feeling, or can something like this make the condition worse?

- Will I ever get to see the "zoomies"? I was getting excited for this phase, but will I have to stop him if he starts? Has any other dog with HD done them?

- I know this may sound ridiculous, but is there any way this could be my fault? I did not realize how bad the slippery floors are, and he did jump in and out of the truck a couple of times. I recently had to PTS my little Corgi with Degenerative Myelopathy (we had a little cart for him and really did keep him happy as long as possible! 2 years without any use of his back end, but he was the happiest dog around!) and to have another dog with "back-end" problems so soon just seems strange.

Brewski was from a BYB and I can NOT find his parents on the OFA site. Unfortunately I have made some mistakes and found this site too late, but I love him more than anything and I will do everything I can to make sure he is happy and healthy! I'm almost glad that he ended up in my hands instead of somebody who may not be able to deal with the issue! Thanks for any advice; I don't know what I would do without this forum!

-Jenna

[brunie's mom]

Don't go into "worried mom" mode yet. It could be HD, and the symptoms sound like it. Normal, healthy puppies are not stiff when they get up after laying down.

Have him x-rayed (they are not dangerous to him)...and it's better to know what is going on earlier than later. I have to tell you when symptoms of HD show up in such a young pup this early....it's usually not good.

What are you feeding? How much does he weigh? Slowing down his growth and having him gain weight slowly really helps....because the ligaments, joints and bones have a chance to catch up with the body.

If a dog has severe HD, they should not be jumping in and out of high vehicles. We bought a mini van so that the floor was lower and easier for our Bruno that suffered from HD could get in and out.

Even if puppy has been running on slippery floors it has not created HD....it may help to have the symptoms show up earlier, same as diet,etc....but slippery floors does not cause HD. If you got your puppy from a BYB, it could very well be the reason for HD.

Let us know what happens.

Gina

[BrewskisMommy]

I will keep you updated. He weighed 35 lbs on Thursday (exactly 15 weeks old). I am feeding him Innova Puppy, but after reading some posts I think I should probably switch to Adult(?). When you say that its "usually not good" in a puppy this age, do you mean that he won't be able to live with the HD? I guess I should wait for the x-rays before I get too worked up though...

[Terri Lambert]

Please take him to a vet it could be HD but it also could be pano (growing pains). Please have him checked to really find out what is going on.

[BrewskisMommy]

I made our appointment when I first noticed the limp...I just had a few questions in the meantime. We see the vet for consult tomorrow and then probably x-rays on Wed. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by Terri Lambert

Please take him to a vet it could be HD but it also could be pano (growing pains). Please have him checked to really find out what is going on.

I'm hoping it's pano too...but it does not usually cause limping in the back legs or bunny hopping or stiffness upon rising. Pano does cause them to limp, but usually from front leg to front leg.

This pup is not overweight, and not growing too quickly at 35 lbs for a 15 week old pup...he sounds like an average size pup. Pano often shows up in puppies growing too quickly or that are overweight.

Sadly I've been there, done that, having a young puppy start showing signs of HD at this age.

Gina

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by BrewskisMommy

I will keep you updated. He weighed 35 lbs on Thursday (exactly 15 weeks old). I am feeding him Innova Puppy, but after reading some posts I think I should probably switch to Adult(?). When you say that its "usually not good" in a puppy this age, do you mean that he won't be able to live with the HD? I guess I should wait for the x-rays before I get too worked up though...

No I mean if he is showing sign of possible HD at such a young age...often the hips are in bad shape already. Find the theads by Baby Brownz.....her puppy started with the symptoms at a young age too.

I am sorry to scare you, and without x-rays you really will not know what is going on...just want you to know of the possibility.

Your puppy sounds like a good weight for his age...so he has that going for him.

Good luck at the vets.

Gina

[BabyBrownz]

Please get xrays and have solid answer, even if it's not what you want to hear. It stopped us from guessing and got us on the right track for making decisions for Quades future.

For us, sadly, Quade didn't make it to a year old to have hip replacement surgery. There were other surgical options but we felt for the size of him THR = Total Hip Replacement was the only good option for long term success.

Please don't feel that this will happen to your boy, each pup is different. Quade didn't start limping until just over 5 months but we now know there were signs earlier on but didn't know, we thought some of it was clumsy puppy stuff.

Praying that it's not HD but if it is the people here on RDN were a wealth of information and support through ours and others HD journeys.

Keeping you in our thoughts,
Lynn and family

[jonesjoyful]

Hi Lynn,

When you said Quade did not make it, did he pass? My Roxy was dx at 6 mos..has the bunny gait, slow to rise, and sometimes a slight limp, even though not recent...She is on supplements but we also had to start her on Rimadyl..which has done wonders...She is on that once a day now (we were having to be on it twice a day but just this past week have cut down and she is doing great) She still likes to run and play and other than sometimes having difficulty getting up, you wouldnt know it...I am just concerned for long term possibilities..thanks

[BabyBrownz]

We decided to have Quade pts. He was in so much pain not even the metacam was working. He was dx at just over 5 months with Grade 5 (severe) HD. He's sprained his good foot once quite bad and then again just recently.

At 8 months we noticed that he was starting to use his bad leg to support himself more often and he was limping more and from both legs. We had him to the vet because we suspected HD starting in the other hip or ligament damage in the knees. The vet found was quite a bit of looseness in Quades knees and his shoulders were starting to really bother him. But no signs of HD in his good hip or rupture to the ligament.

We found too that he was spending more time in his crate or in a room with nothing for him to jump on because nothing seemed to stop him. It was a catch 22, prevent him from further injury and have the sprain heal but then he wasn't developing the muscles he needed to support his steadily growing body.

When we last had him at the vet they sedated him to do the drawer test. When they went to put him on the table his eyes flashed with panic and he went into fight or flight mode. It took 3 techs to hold him down and a fourth to muzzle him and knock him out.

That's when they found the knee problem and that he is now completely bone on bone in the right hip and there is no socket left at all. It is this that is causing him more pain then anything.

Although overall he's still loveable and a big goober we noticed changes in his personality and his overall comfort level. He would wake up panting and crying during the night (with pain medication). He had daily doses of Glucosamine/Chondroitin, Flax Seed Oil, Salmon (fish oils), Ester C, etc. and we fed him Orijen 6 fish kibble.

We did what we thought was best for our boy as the look of pain in his eyes and his lack of quality of life were quite evident. There was no way we could keep him in this condition for 4 more months until they could do hip replacement surgery. No idea what his personality would be like because of the pain and because there were other issues with his body as well.

This has been a learning curve and we found out a lot about HD. We initially thought that we caused it because Quade had slipped once on tile floor but the vet said that would not have caused it and not to that severity. That Quade was born with a very bad hip and that it was a polygenic disease. That it was the combination of his parents genes that were the greatest contributing factor.

Sorry this is long and hopefully it makes a bit of sense. Again for those who's dogs have HD it IS NOT a death sentence. Some dogs can respond well to main medication and have no other issues.

Thinking of each of you, sending thoughts and prayers that it is not the case but if so ask lots of questions, do not be afraid to question your vets prognosis or to ask for alternate treatment methods. Get second opinions and see an Ortho vet. We've had such wonderful support from our Vet, his staff and people here on RDN.

[poohbearsdad]

hopefully brewski does not have hip dysplasia. You may want to use some kind of supplements with glucosamine and stuff like that. I'm another member of the hip dysplasia club. My Poohbear has responded well to the supplements and antiinflamatories - diagnosed in July of last year at 8 years old.

Definitely don't be afraid to get a second opinion, as BabyBrownz suggests. Sending good thoughts for your puppy ( and ear rubs, and butt scratches, and all the other things he likes).

[TrinaJ]

Jenna,

I am thinking of you and Brewski and I hope you get some good news from the vet.

~*Sending postive thoughts your way*~

Trina

[BrewskisMommy]

Well, its official...Brewski was just diagnosed with HD. They said that his "femural heads" looked flat and the hips are not set as far in the sockets as they like to see. Its worse on his right side, but they didn't give me a degree of severity. I suppose I could take him to the Ortho vet, but is it really necessary? My vet wants follow up x-rays in 3 months so maybe at that point I will know. I'm going to go spend some time with the little guy after his scary vet visit, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions to post tomorrow. Thanks for your support!

[BrewskisMommy]

Wow I don't know where to begin....when we pts my corgi in February I never thought I would be getting news like this again this soon. :-( Well Brewski and I have decided not to feel sorry for ourselves anymore, and we are going to keep on top of this! I am trying to compile a list of supplements to give him based on the old posts. Here is my first round of questions:


1. I read that somebody uses NutriAid that contains the glucosamine and a few different supplements...is this safe to give a puppy? Would it be better to get the SynoviG3 Granules and give the other supplements separately? Would I also have to give the Mineral Manganese then?

2. I gave him a 500mg Vitamin C tablet (chewable) this morning and he ate it...should I continue this? Are human chewables ok for puppies?

3. I also gave him a tsp of Cod Liver Oil. Is this in addition to the Wild Salmon Oil or should I give both?

4. Would Traumeel be given in addition to these other supplements, or instead of?

5. What is Duralactin? Would this be good to add to my list as well?

6. I've read about DogeGonePain, Sashas Blend, Adaquan, and PhyCox. Are these all to be used if the supplements are not working, or in addition to the supplements? Is there something here I can give him if he is just having a "bad day" and seems like he is in pain?

7. How long will it take on the supplements before he starts feeling better? I can't tell if he is in pain...I've noticed that he moves around the room a lot while chewing on his bones, and I'm not sure if it is because he is uncomfortable or just restless.

8. For exercise, we are going to try him to the lake now that it is nice out. Any ideas on how to get him acclimated to the water? What else can I do with him around the house? Should we always take him out on a leash, or is it ok to let him run around a little outside on a good day?

Thanks everybody...I'm going to post some pictures when I get home so you all can see how adorable he is...I'm sure you'll be seeing more posts rom us as we come across new issues/questions!

-Jenna

[BabyBrownz]

BrewskisMommy,
I've been thinking of you and wondering how the appointment went with the vet? Please let us know, sending positive thoughts your way and praying for the best.

Lynn