My 13mth old labrador has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia yesterday. We went through a traumatic time last year with our previous Lab who was diagnosed with dysplasia at 6mths old and consequently developed major intestinal problems following treatments and died.

The vet, this time, has mentioned using Cartrophen Injections. Does anyone have any advice or experience of using this form of treatment?
Thanks

never had to use it but i no they use it for laimness and arthritis hope everything works out for you hun x

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Welcome! Unfortunately I do have experience with hip dysplasia. Bailey, who passed away in May(not due to her hips) had double hip dysplasia. We just found out that one of my 11/2 year old goldens Ty has it in one hip. I haven't heard anything about those injections here in the states. We gave bailey glucosamine/condroitin everyday and something for pain. Especially in the colder months. We have decided what to do with Ty yet. We're going to bring him to the Orthopedic vet and see what he suggests. He is such a active boy. I wanted to get him into agility training. His brother Samson so far is ok but I think we should have him xrayed as well. I think giving him the glucosimine will help as well as fish or flax seed oil.
Let me know what you decide to do. I'm always open to new suggestions! Good luck with your pup! M

My heart goes out to you, since being the owner of 5 GSD's in my time, it is common to the breed.

My first GSD has SEVERE HD, yet he lived until he was almost 12 years old, and never had pain relief in his life. We were lucky in that we had a homeopathic vet within our practice who prescribed Rus Tox when his hips were really bad (usually in the winter).

Hydrotherapy is also very good for HD, so please do not despair. If you live near Milton Keynes I can give the name of a wonderful hydrotherapy centre.

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Hello

Sorry to hear about the loss of your other, Labrador last year!

I have personally, never had any dog *Thankfully* with Hip Dysplasia...

I have looked on google, to see what I can find. Here are a few things.

The environment plays a large part in whether or not a dog will suffer from hip dysplasia. Nutrition is the greatest contribution. Puppies should be kept lean and not fat, obviously a puppy which is carrying round too much weight will exacerbate any degeneration of the joint. Research has also shown that giving a diet too high in protein and calcium also exacerbates the condition. Rapid growth in a young puppy also contributes, and, in most cases, the rapid growth rate is directly related to feeding a high calorie diet to puppies. Over supplementation of calcium has likewise been shown to be a major factor in the development of skeletal disease in puppies.Exercise is the other main contribution. Many people over-exercise young puppies, or give them the wrong type of exercise. The wrong type of exercise can include forced running for any distance and too much exercise on tarmac or other hard surfaces. Up to at least six months of age, exercise on hard surfaces should be kept at a minimum. Correct exercise for puppies includes running and playing in the garden or in a park, although games that involve jumping and very rough play should be avoided, and your puppy should be allowed to rest as soon as he has had enough and must not "over-do" it. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise which builds up the muscles without putting stress on the joints.

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Hi,

Sorry to hear about your pet's hip displasia.

I am afraid I have not heard of the treatment you speak of.

I have a Border Collie Skye, who also has bilateral hip displasia. In fact she has no ball or sockets on her hips and it is her muscles that hold her hips together.

She had a bilateral pendectomy when she was 7 months old because she had lost the ability to walk. This involved cutting the muscles which were pulling her legs tight together. Then she had aquatherapy for quite a while. Meanwhile she had a daily dose of Metacam to relieve any discomfort. The vet is now dispensing Miloxidyl for her which is more or less the same. She is almost 7 now and she is fine. She occasionally overdoes things in the summer when the swallows are flying down right in front of her in the fields but otherwise she is fine.

I am sure you will find a regime which will give your pet a wonderful life. I wish you all the luck in the world.

Yes, posted on your other thread

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