Hi,

I have a 6 month old Springer Spaniel with hip dysplasia. The x-rays indicate that it's not severe right now, but my puppy has really pronounced signs -- hunched back; bunny hop; slow, infrequent tail wag; stiff gait; cowhocks; lazy sit; high degree of laxity; and the femur had actually slid out of the socket and needed to be popped back in. The contrast to this is that he is a puppy and loves to run at speed, tries to stay very active (I try to limit him - not always easy), and tries to jump up whenever he can (his springer instincts are kicking in and he enjoys leaping several feet in the air for no apparent reason).

So, my question is how do I tell if the dog is truly in pain or just uncomfortable and/or stiff? Being a puppy, he has no sense of his own and I'm not sure I'm reading signs correctly. I worry I might be keeping a dog alive for whom the kindest thing to do would be to put him down or that I might be forcing a dog who is in excruciating pain to keep going because neither one of us has much sense.

Thanks,
Kaya

I believe that your ortho vet will be able to assess it pretty well. S/he will know something about it from adults and seniors who don't have crazy puppyness (and who might actually go to their beds when they are in a lot of discomfort), and whose degree of damage is similar.

I'm with you that I would want to assess this as well as possible so that in the future you are not waiting until the dog is whining. Dogs have it in their nature to endure, to show no weakness or injury if at all possible, to refrain from vocalizing. By the time a dog vocalizes, I think often the pain is more than we would have wanted him to go through.

I absolutely would make an appointment to talk about this ... not a quick phone conversation, but a real discussion in which you are clear about your desire to save the dog from living in misery (which it definitely doesn't sound like is happening yet).

No matter what, the knowledge that you and the vet understand each other will be good for you as time passes and/or if symptoms worsen later on.

You will probably want to talk about pain management, too: What are the options (and there are many, RX and not), what are the short- and long-term side effects, etc.

A couple of times in the past I have asked the vet "What would *you* do if you had this dog?"

JMO.

I think that a dog in so much pain that it has no quality of life and should be humanely put down is not going to be running, playing or jumping around. JMHO

Oh, yes ... I hope it was clear that I was referring to possible future deterioration.

Kaya,

I compleatly understand where you are coming from. In January of last year I had to put my 15yr Samoyed down. I never thought I would ever be strong enough to make that decision. Like you, it was hard to tell sometimes just how much pain he was in. He never whinned and ate so much food up to the day he died. My vet told me that when the day would come that I will know its time. One day his eyes told me when. You have a puppy so it is a different situation. I would sit down with my vet and have a long conversation with him. You may even want to write down all your questions before you go in. Good luck to you and no matter what decision you make know that you are doing it with the best intentions.

Thank you for your answers. I am having more x-rays done in a few weeks to check the progression. I'll talk to my vet then.

 Quote: PeggyBayer

I think that a dog in so much pain that it has no quality of life and should be humanely put down is not going to be running, playing or jumping around. JMHO

Peggy really hit the nail on the head...take your cue from your dog. The signs are always there, sometimes subtle and sometimes very obvious.

An inattentive or unknowing owner can do a lot to make HD worse but most dogs (and puppies) won't freely continue something that causes them real pain.

My dog was 4 1/2 months when he was diagnosed and, like you, I wondered what sort of life he could have? Limping, stiffness, major surgery somewhere down the road, arthritis, limited activity...you name it...all of that went through my head. And playing that worst-case tape we wondered if putting him down wasn't the kinder thing to do.

Turns out there is a lot that can be done to minimize the pain and discomfort of HD and to slow down its progression. Most of it doesn't involve huge vet bills or expensive (and dangerous) medication. All of it I learned here...on this forum. :wink:

My dog is now 18 months old and he's having a hell of a life. A good, active, happy life. He won't ever be an agility dog. He can't pound the pavement running a marathon. But you should see him take off after a ball...you'd have to look close to know he has HD.

A conversation with an ortho vet is a good idea. They will tell you what things to avoid and what options are available when/if things get worse.

There are a number of dysplasia threads that you should read, full of really good, helpful advice and options that you may not hear from a vet.

So sorry! Isn't there a surgury that can be done on this before they get too old and arthritis has set in? I would ask about that and also pursue the information on this site mentioned above.

I would never put a dog down because of hip dysplasia. My view is that if a dog is getting joy out of life, trying to prevent future problems by putting the dog down is unrealistic, since some suffering is part of life. When the dog's joy is gone, you'll know it, if that time ever comes. He may live a long full life and pass away peacefully.

There's definitely a "meanwhile", that time in between now and then where the dog is treated with things like glucosamine and chondroitin which can repair damaged joint/cartilage tissue. Go here http://www.leerburg.com/healthcare.htm and scroll down to "Joint Pain and Arthritic Relief". Lots of products that can help.

There's another product on the market which I like called Recovery SA that you might want to look into: http://www.recoverysa.com/ and http://www.recoverysa.com/recovery_sa.htm .

Dear Kaya: One thing I would do is to make sure you do not let your pup over do it. If you have a crate, make sure you put it in there so he can have rest, feed him the best food possible, learn all you can about the disease, and like you are doing give him the best quality of life you can. I am with Sandy, I wouldn't immediately assume you hve to put him down.