Hip going out ?

prginocx · Post by **prginocx** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:01 pm

My shorthair is about 6 years old, and I believe she is suffering from Hip Dysplasia. Even after a 2 mile hike which isn't steep she doesn't want to put weight on her RR leg. 2 years ago she could go 6 miles straight UP !! This has been getting progressively worse that last few years. The leg tenderness issue lasts about 3 days, and then she is rarin to go again....I bought her off Craigslist for $50 and she was purebred but in a very bad situation ( Owner jailed, wife w/ 2 infants ) so I'm not out a lot of money. What irks me is she is just now really getting good at pointing and holding points and searching cover really well...Also she is a very loving dog and wants to go so badly, but her wheels are just not there any more.

I'm wondering about givin her some aspirin when we start hunting next season ? What about Vitamin C ? I do see now why people pay so much for dogs from certified breeders and such, it is really a pain 'cause she isn't that old. Also, the issues with her RR leg are very much aggravated by any high jumps, like jumping in the back of the truck. I don't let her do that any more.

Does anyone have any advice other than telling me to buy a dog from a certified breeder ? I'm getting a Brittany next time....

Brittguy · Post by **Brittguy** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:55 pm

aspirin will help. Don't try to give her a smaller amount a whole aspirin will be alright. You might try glucosomine and condroition (sp) That takes a little while to build in the system but I have seen it help horses and people. There are other meds. that your vet can perscribe.

Post by **ezzy333** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:07 pm

And you need to get her to a vet to find out for sure what the problem really is. You may have it figured right but if one hip is that bad the other usually is too. That makes me wonder if its a torn ligament or something of that nature.

Ezzy

Brushbustin Sporting Dogs · Post by **Brushbustin Sporting Dogs** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:49 pm

I'd almost vote for a torn ACL by the sound sof it...

Rob

Post by **Kiki's Mom** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:05 pm

I'm with Ezzy....although it may be a hip problem it sounds more like a cruciate ligament injury that keeps getting aggravated. Since it gets better over time ( the three days you mentioned) it points to soft tissue injury ( ligament, tendon, muscle) VS Hip dysplasia which is bone. Bone injury/arthritis would take longer to show improvement in the face of anti inflammatory drug therapy.

Cruciate injuries are absolutely repairable. Hip Dysplasia as you know, is not....at least not without a great deal of expense.

suggestions:
1) Get to a vet for a definative diagnosis of the problem
2) DO NOT run her/hunt her until you have a definative diagnosis
3) Do give a buffered aspirin ( one 325 mg is fine) to help relieve the pain until you get a definative diagnosis

bobman · Post by **bobman** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:24 pm

dont give aspirin to dogs

Ezzys observation is spot on take the dog to the vet and get a real diagnosis

ScottG · Post by **ScottG** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:28 pm

Would a torn ligament get progressively worse over two years? (That's not a rhetorical question).

My dog has HD and he only shows pain after hunting. The pain is usually gone in less than a day and he's good to go again. Also, although he has HD in both hips, one seems to bother him much worse than the other. I sure hope its not joint problems for this dog, but it sounds similar to my experience.

Post by **Sharon** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:19 pm

Aspirin can cause intestinal bleeding in dogs. Do not use coated aspiron as it is not absorbed. Buffered baby aspirin is better. Much better to see the vet and get some Metacam for pain.

http://www.adogslifetoronto.com/resourc ... ordogs.pdf

PS There's a thread on a ruptured cruciate ligament in the "Health" forum.

prginocx · Post by **prginocx** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:47 am

One reason I lean in the direction of hip going out is that high jumping activities really aggravate this problem, in fact 3 hears ago high jumping and high twisting jumps ( Playing with the flying ring, frisbee ain't far / fast enough for a shorthair ) is when I first noticed this problem. Back then it would be better the next day...

Now it takes 3 days to get better. Also the dog seeks out warm areas and she never used to do that....She would sleep right on concrete. Now she wants to get on a soft rug or foam, and she always seeks out the dryer vent when the warm air is coming out.

Same for that special spot in the sun, she goes there immediately if the sun comes out ( We are in Oregon, a rare event ! )

Swimming does not create this issue, I don't care how far she has to swim, the leg is never sore after swimming across the lake or against the current. I should mention she is rather large for a female @ 72lbs and she is not overweight at all. She is definitely as large or larger than every male shorthair we've seen...

bobman · Post by **bobman** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:54 am

the dog is like a person thats 45 years old

Brushbustin Sporting Dogs · Post by **Brushbustin Sporting Dogs** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:03 pm

Could be a ligament tear that has bothered her this long. Just now arthritis is setting in...

Take her to the vet...

Rob

vikings269 · Post by **vikings269** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:00 am

And you need to get her to a vet to find out for sure what the problem really is. You may have it figured right but if one hip is that bad the other usually is too. That makes me wonder if its a torn ligament or something of that nature.

Ezzy

This is just my experience on one dog but I had a gsp who had tried to jump into my car while on a chain and he landed hard cuz he hit the end of the chain on cement cuz he thought he was gonna go for a ride. He limped around for quite awhile and we took him to the vet without explaining the injury and the young vet said it was hip dysplasia even though I have papers saying both parents had no signs of it. The vet stated it was probably in the grandparents then. Long story short, he healed fine and runs as hard as any dog you could meet! shows no signs of anything at all in any way. Were gonna get a second opinion when he got good again but its been so long now why waste the time?

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:52 am

vikings269 wrote:
And you need to get her to a vet to find out for sure what the problem really is. You may have it figured right but if one hip is that bad the other usually is too. That makes me wonder if its a torn ligament or something of that nature.

Ezzy
This is just my experience on one dog but I had a gsp who had tried to jump into my car while on a chain and he landed hard cuz he hit the end of the chain on cement cuz he thought he was gonna go for a ride. He limped around for quite awhile and we took him to the vet without explaining the injury and the young vet said it was hip dysplasia even though I have papers saying both parents had no signs of it. The vet stated it was probably in the grandparents then. Long story short, he healed fine and runs as hard as any dog you could meet! shows no signs of anything at all in any way. Were gonna get a second opinion when he got good again but its been so long now why waste the time?

Thank you. That's a good example of what we are talking about. An injury of some type would be more in line than HD with only one side being the problem . And they can't tell HD with out doing some US or x-rays. Sounds like your dog is out of the woods by now and I sure wouldn't do anymore checking either as long as something doesn't show up.

Ezzy

vikings269 · Post by **vikings269** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:41 am

Thank you. That's a good example of what we are talking about. An injury of some type would be more in line than HD with only one side being the problem . And they can't tell HD with out doing some US or x-rays. Sounds like your dog is out of the woods by now and I sure wouldn't do anymore checking either as long as something doesn't show up.

Ezzy

He can run with any dog and beat them all, ok if ya got 50 gsps together he probably wouldnt be number 1 but i'd put money he is in the top 10. Weird though we wanted that second opinion bad but over time just forgot about it, this thread just reminded me of it. Doesnt matter though cuz we got him fixed so we dont NEED to know anyway, he got fixed for disappearing for sometimes days when the mile away neighbors dog was in heat, frustrating times let me tell ya. Its not cuz we didnt watch or contain him well, i swear he can leap over 6 feet without caring where he ends up or what damage he does to himself, would never leave the fenced area and saw a coon entering, he was outside the fence like it didnt even exist to kill that coon, switched to invisible fence since but he still will bust it if something is more then he can handle. sometimes prey drive needs to be toned down, lol

ScottG · Post by **ScottG** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:13 pm

A dog can have hip dysplasia without showing signs. That's why its so important to have x-rays. While you don't need to know if the dog is fixed, it can be advantageous. If the dog has HD, you can start them on glucosamine and chondroiton now to help reduce the potential effects down the road.

WildRose · Post by **WildRose** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:01 pm

Ascripton works wonders, I've used it for many years. One twice daily on a larger dog (over 40lbs) works like a miracle drug.

Before you go off attempting to treat pain however you need to get the source of the pain properly diagnosed. Get the dog to a vet and get the hips X rayed.

WildRose · Post by **WildRose** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:04 pm

Do not use coated aspiron as it is not absorbed. Buffered baby aspirin is better.

This is incorrect. The coated aspirin products like Ascripton are coated with something very similar to Maalox. This eliminates the problem with intestinal bleeds and yes the aspirin is absorbed and utilized.

Post by **Sharon** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:13 pm

Well. All I can say is that my brother in law is a vet and what I posted is what he publishes. I wasn't speaking of Acsription . I was speaking of your everyday coated aspirin. Maybe that's the difference.

"NEVER EVER give Tylenol (toxic to liver) or ibuprofen (Nuprin, Motrin, Advil, etc.). Ibuprofen is very toxic and fatal to dogs at low doses. Only aspirin is safe for dogs, and buffered aspirin or ascriptin is preferred to minimize stomach upset. "
http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/healt ... ticle1.htm

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