Please help me, I have been crying for 2 days, the vet said
that my beautiful, smart and wonderful GS puppy may have HOD! On the internet it says that it may criple her and be
extremely painful. She is 4 months old and does not cry in pain, she can stand fine, she does have a semi-knob on her
front legs. Vet said this is from rapid growth. I feed her
IAMS Puppy for large breeds and the amount on the bag.
Internet says to mix 1 pint of apple cider vinegar and 1 pint of honey and give 2 tbsp. with every feeding. What should I do?? This puppy has alot of promise and I don't want her to suffer. Someone help.
Vet says it will pass. Please what should I do??
Thanks
Julie

 Quote:

Please help me, I have been crying for 2 days, the vet said
that my beautiful, smart and wonderful GS puppy may have HOD! On the internet it says that it may criple her and be
extremely painful. She is 4 months old and does not cry in pain, she can stand fine, she does have a semi-knob on her
front legs. Vet said this is from rapid growth. I feed her
IAMS Puppy for large breeds and the amount on the bag.
Internet says to mix 1 pint of apple cider vinegar and 1 pint of honey and give 2 tbsp. with every feeding. What should I do?? This puppy has alot of promise and I don't want her to suffer. Someone help.
Vet says it will pass. Please what should I do??
Thanks ,Julie

What did the vet say about the food?

I have a lot of material on this subject, if you want it. How about if I give you this:
http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0018.htm
and meanwhile I'll bet people who have first-hand knowledge will reply.

Did the vet say that it was possibly pano, which I understand often presents very similarly?

vet said food was good, she said that she was sure it was
HOD, she did not x-ray because she was 99% sure.
My puppy will run 100 mph to catch a ball and bring it back
and sometimes she will fall running so hard, then she will
limp for a second then the limp will go away. It is usually
either one of the front legs.
julie

 Quote:

vet said food was good, she said that she was sure it was
HOD, she did not x-ray because she was 99% sure.
My puppy will run 100 mph to catch a ball and bring it back
and sometimes she will fall running so hard, then she will
limp for a second then the limp will go away. It is usually
either one of the front legs.
julie

After reading the link above, did you feel that you had questions about such a confident diagnosis without X-Rays?

She said both "may have" it and also "99% sure"?

I'm not a health professional, and I am absolutely not second-guessing your vet.

May I suggest, though, that you might want to compile a list of questions for a telephone consultation, as a kind of followup, since I imagine that announcement left you unable to think clearly about further questions?

I would probably want to ask whether the vet thought your puppy "may have" Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy, or whether she thought it was "99% sure." I'd ask again about X-Rays, about the usual fever, etc.

I'd ask for a discussion about the food, because I've read a lot of suggestions about support treatment for this disease being largely nutrition-related. Of that food's first four ingredients, two are grains (one is corn meal) and one is chicken by-products. I understand that a protein-heavy or fat-heavy diet might contribute to Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy, but I would want to discuss that ingredient list in more depth than "the food is good."

I've read that Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy can indeed go into pretty fast spontaneous remission (and that skeletal maturity means freedom from the disease). Maybe the vet thinks that it's such a mild case that it might not linger?

I think that what I'm trying to say is that I would want more information, more suggestions about nutrition... I would want more than that little bit of info.

Do you want the vet school web pages about Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy, or will more just be overwhelming?

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. For me, information is vital and lessens my anxiety (fear of the unknown), but I do understand that many others are more comfortable placing complete trust in the health professionals.

Sorry about this long message -- I'm not sure how much information and/or suggestions you wanted.

I have been watching my GS and she is fine I cannot see anything wrong with her, except that she is happy, healthy, and active. She wants to please me all the time.
Do you think that the IAMS is causing her to grow way too fast? Should I switch her to the Dehydrated natural food?
Julie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

 Quote:

I have been watching my GS and she is fine I cannot see anything wrong with her, except that she is happy, healthy, and active. She wants to please me all the time.
Do you think that the IAMS is causing her to grow way too fast? Should I switch her to the Dehydrated natural food?
Julie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Did you read the WorkingDog.com information?

You said earlier that she falls and then limps. So now I'm confused, because this post says you cannot see anything wrong with her and she's fine. What generated the vet consultation? Wasn't it lumps, falling, and limping?

No one can diagnose on the 'net (and I'm not even a health professional!).....all we can do is point out possibilities and give you suggestions.

I think that's a poor quality food. That's my opinion.

IMO, you might want to bring up all the questions listed in my longer post with the vet. That's what I would do. If you don't have confidence in the vet, then maybe you need a new vet.

If you don't feel comfortable writing a list of questions for your vet and having another consultation - even on the phone - now that the first shock is receding, then my opinion is that you do need a new vet. This is all just opinion. That's all I have: research and opinion and a lot of doggy past.

Perhaps others here have had actual experience with hypertrophic osteodystrophy.

What I mean is that she is fine, what she does is sometimes
after she chases a ball running 100 mph she will limp on one
of the front legs for a second then she will be fine. She does not always limp, maybe every once in a while. Today
she was running and playing and she was fine. The vet noticed her 2 front legs at the knees are looked like HOD.Then I told the vet that sometimes she will fall while playing and limp for a second. I just have a gut feeling that this is not a correct diagnosis. There was no
x-ray just opinion, like my opinion.
julie

read the link connie provided, then AT LEAST call your vet w/a list of questions. don't get "red-herringed" (sp?), calmly insist on answers to your questions. if she can't provide answers to your satisfaction--call another vet. there's nothing wrong with a second opinion!!