So, I took Daisy into the vet this morning for what, fortunately turned out only to be a nasty UTI. However, since the vet suspected bladder stones, she got X-rays for the first time in her almost 11 1/2 years. Well, no stones fortunately, but we did discover that she has what the vet termed severe hip dysplasia in both hips.

I was pretty surprised; she's never been the most athletic dog, but aside from occasionally having some difficulty getting up on our slippery wood floors and maybe seeming reluctant to sit sometimes, I would consider her asymptomatic. She has problems jumping straight up onto our slippery concrete porch (about 18 inches) but no problems at all jumping higher than that onto beds and couches (where she isn't allowed).
The vet mentioned either a total hip replacement or long-term pain management, but didn't push either. I think the first is totally out, due both to her age and financial considerations. I am certainly willing to consider the other assuming it will do some material good. She doesn't seem in pain to me, more just weak in the hind end. She's not the most stoic of dogs when it comes to pain either.

I will probably need to get another urinalysis done in 2 weeks when her course of antibiotics is done and could discuss it more with the vet then. Is there any relatively cheap OTC stuff I could try in the mean time to see if medicating her will really make any difference? Does anyone have any general suggestions?

Wow! So glad that she hasn't had any major issues with it. Sometimes it doens't really show up unless the dog is fairly active.

I would go with a combination of fish oil (if she's not already getting it) and a joint supplement. Personally I'd use one with both glucosamine and MSM. You can use a regular basic human grade supplement. I aim for at least 500 mg glucosamine for my 40# dog. The cost of a basic Gluco supplement bought at wal-mart should cost around $5/month for a dog weighing less than 50#

I currently use Cetyl M advance with my dog. It works really well for Missy - it allows her to just about keep up with my younger two while playing ball. Without it she is prety stiff and sore.

Surgery is cruel at her age IMO. JMO. You might be surprised what your own joints look like in a radiograph.
At 11 1/2 other body systems are just as likely to collapse as are her hips. She's already presenting with urinary issues. 12 is old for many dogs.
Your dog is brave - perhaps more stoic than you thought. Secretive too, about her troubles. Have her carry no extra weight and do some regular exercise so good muscle tone supports the joints. With what you know now things like long hikes and jumping thru snow maybe should be limited, especially if she is weaker the next day. A soft and warm sleeping surface would be good.
Having on hand a painkiller/NSAID for bad days would be great. If she is occasionally super cranky it could be the pain talking.

No, I agree with you Betty, major surgery is completely out. I think the vet only mentioned it in a very theoretical sense anyway, not a recommendation. If I ever thought she was in pain beyond medicating (even if we did have 10K lying around for both hips), I would have her put to sleep; there's not a whole lot else to do at her age for anything.

She may be in pain, I just don't see it. She does tend to be very vocal about everything in general, including pain. She's always been a pushy dog, but never a grouchy one, and that hasn't changed. They weighed her today and she is down to 60 pounds, which is probably about ideal, but think she is still fat, she has lost a lot of muscle tone lately. She isn't on any supplements at the moment, just her Chicken Soup kibble, but I will look into them.

Do you think I could try children's aspirin for a while to see if makes any difference? I guess I would like to see if she actually is in pain and work from there.

I don't think she has "good days" or "bad days" at this point. They are all just "days" and she gets really weird if she doesn't get exercised.

Personally I would use a good joint supplement on any medium sized dog over the age of 9 or 10. Joints wear out and chances are they will start to get arthritis. IMO some sort of joint suplplement is a core part of an older dog maintainance program.

I wasn't really noticing much pain/stiffness with Missy when I started her on supplements 2+ years ago. But when I let the lapse for a month or so after about a year I had a stiff dog all of a sudden. Started them back up again and in about 2 weeks she was back to her normal active self.

I'm paranoid, and both my dogs (under 2 yrs old) get joint supplements.

I'd get her on Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM as Mara suggested, along with quality salmon oil and Vit E.

Ask your vet if you can get a Rx for tramadol (cheap) to keep on hand if she has a bad day, and seems really sore. If she's not reluctant to move, and is not showing signs of pain, I'd hold off on the NSAID's as long as possible. Not only can they get very expensive, but you need to monitor blood work (mainly liver) to make sure she's processing it OK, and her internal organs are all staying up to speed. (I recommend blood work every 6 months on 'senior' dogs anyhow though)

Consistent, easy (low impact) exercise are going to go a long way toward keeping her comfortable. The seniors I know all get grouchy, sore and stiff if they don't stay as active as possible. Hell, same goes for me, and I'm only in my late 20's!

Kristin,
First, there is a difference between clinical hip dysplasia (where the dog is symptomatic), and radiographical hip dysplasia (seeing less-than-ideal hips on an x-ray). That your dog is over 11 and this xray information came as a shock is GOOD news.

Second, x-rays done to evaluate hips are very specific in nature. The dog is (sometimes/often) sedated, put on its back, and the legs stretched out. I can't imagine this was the style of xray done in this sitation, and anything less than that I would never consider diagnostic. (search "hips" on LB...there are examples of xrays here somewhere, if I recall)

A dog in good physical condition with no symptoms is not something I would personally lose much sleep over.

Lastly, google "Vitamin C hip dysplasia". You will get a lot of information. Powdered vitamin c is very inexpensive, and has tremendous benefits in this situation.

Best,
Tracy

 Quote: tracyroche

Kristin,

Second, x-rays done to evaluate hips are very specific in nature. The dog is (sometimes/often) sedated, put on its back, and the legs stretched out. I can't imagine this was the style of xray done in this sitation, and anything less than that I would never consider diagnostic. (search "hips" on LB...there are examples of xrays here somewhere, if I recall)

Well, if the vet did shoot a VD in addition to a lateral shot to look for stones, she would have been on her back with legs stretched - just not in the perfect positioning required for an OFA picture.
However, as many of you on here know, it can go either way with HD. A dog can present as very painful, but not have super bad xrays, or, the HD can appear severe on the films, but the dog doesn't seem that bothered. At her age, I would tx according to her physical symptoms. It's great that she's not been in pain!

Yes, there were two different X-ray shots, but no she wasn't sedated for either of them, so you are right, the positioning probably wasn't ideal and the vet isn't a specialist either. I should have asked the him if he saw arthritis (that shows up on X-rays right?), but forgot.

No, I'm not losing much sleep over this. She's the same dog she always was as far as I'm concerned. Her UTI seems to be clearing up, so she's actually much better than before. I was considering doing some light biking with her so I could increase her food and hopefully get her muscle tone back, but of course that is probably out now. Since she is eleven it might have been a bad idea from the start anyway. I'll just stick to walks.

I only asked about meds just to see if there was any marked behavior changes on them, in case I'm missing (or she's masking) some pain signals. I haven't tried any yet, though. How much does tramdol typically cost?

I'm going to try to get her some supplements, to support whatever her hip condition and general health may be. Money situation is just a little volatile (tight isn't the right word) right now, so we are in lock-down mode on spending and may be for a month or two. I've got time to do some research at least.

In case anyone is interested, I posted a video of her during the recent video contest that has a clear shot of her "going" in it (it's the first video of the 3 I think).

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

You might be surprised what your own joints look like in a radiograph.

This made me lol Betty; you are very right. When I was a baby my doctor actually thought I might have dysplasia in one hip. My parents went to an orthopedic specialist, who never did do X-rays, but they followed his protocol and I apparently grew up fine, without incident. I don't even know which hip it was supposed to have been. One of my hips does hurt on occasion when I am pregnant, though, so I have to wonder...