Consulting with a board certified surgeon would be my best suggestion. If you wait till the full onset of the degeneration, corrective surgery becomes much more difficult as far as recovery goes, degree of damage and anesthesia is always a greater risk when an animal is aged. Typically the femoral head ostectomies are done one at a time so the animal still has full function of one of its rear legs to support it while it heals. If you're not familiar, this sx involves the removal of the femoral head so there is no bone to bone contact with the pelvis which is what is so painful and develops arthritis. Supplementation is important as well. The specialty clinic I work at has great successes with these repairs and it is definitely worth looking into. It can be quite expensive but it is worth it in the long run!

Hi,

Thanks again for the help. The vet who x-rayed my dogs was the chief surgeon at a fairly large veterinary practice here. He was also certified in Penn Hip procedure and has some experience with treating dysplastic dogs. When he did the x-rays I did talk to him about different options for my dog, which included both total hip replacement and femoral head ostectomy. My dog will probably be 55 to 60 pounds, which is about the upper limit for the FHO, so it may not be an option. He also has 'arguable' signs of arthritis on the outside of his pelvis already so I don't know if FHO would do much to prevent arthritis.

If the pain management route were chosen, one of the keys to success would be recognizing when the dog was actually in pain. I'm not getting too much help with that one so....??? A life permanently doped up on pain killers that may or may not help doesn't sound like something I would choose for myself or my dog anyway.

I read through the forums before posting. I'm aware that diet and exercise can have an effect on the development of hip dysplasia (although it's my understanding that hip dysplasia can't be induced in a dog that is not already genetically predisposed). But, in any case my dog has been on home prepared meals since I got him at 8 weeks. His supplements have included vitamin C and salmon oil, both of which were increased when I realized that he was dysplastic. I also added a glucosamine supplement with chondroitin at this time. The breeder also suggested adding SAM-e, which I have not yet started since I only know it as an aid to liver function.

My puppy is kept on the light side of normal weight. I don't have access to a place to swim my dog regularly. I limit leash walks to three 10 minute walks as I've read that forcing the puppy to keep pace can put added stress on the joints. I also take him to the dog park at non-peak hours for free run since my yard is not fenced.

I appreciate the sentiment that I'll know it when the dog is ready, but I really don't think I would. In retrospect I think I put my last dog down too late (she was 14 and had Cushing's, Lyme, renal failure, and so on). I think I encouraged my grandmother to hang in there for too long as well. And, I'm afraid I would do it again with my current dogs.

So, like I said, I'll talk to my vet again when I go back for more x-rays. But, I never find them very helpful (I've been to several). They certainly aren't very good at identifying pain.

Thanks,
Kaya

Kaya
Sounds dismal. I think many "dog lovers" fail to see that our BIGGEST respondsibility is to know when to let go. Not at all meaning you. Just saying it sounds like you might be faced with a huge disicion that unfortunately only you can make.

It has been five years since putting my 14 year old Boxer to sleep and I still second guess myself.

I will keep you and your pup in my prayers. Sounds like you are exploring all options.

I still think you have to look at the quality of life your dog has, is he able to do the things he enjoys doing. My vet once told me that younger dogs tend to adjust better to the discomfort of hip dysphasia then an older dog that develops the symptoms later in life. Her reason was that the younger dog grows up with a certain amount of discomfort and doesn’t know any different, where as an older dog which was pain free and then develops the pain, has a harder time adjusting to it. Of course all dogs are different and have different threshold of pain tolerance.

My dog was diagnosed at 7 months of age with mild hip dysphasia and will be two next month. He was limping when first diagnosed and I had him on pain pills off and on for a few weeks and since then I have not had to give him anymore. I have him on oral joint supplements and he is doing well, like Sarah mentioned about her dog True, if you weren’t familiar with the signs of hip dysphasia, you wouldn’t know he had a problem.

I wouldn’t have a problem keeping my dog on daily pain meds if needed as long as he still was able to enjoy his life, for example – eat, drink, potty, still wanted to play some and overall seemed content. But if my dog was in constant pain and couldn’t do anything but just lay around, then I would choose to have him put down.

We really have no way of knowing for sure just how much pain our dogs are experiencing unless they are very vocal about it, I assume that my dog suffers a certain amount of discomfort everyday from his hips. The best we can do is know our dogs, what they do, how the do it and be aware of any changes that could alert us to a problem. Dog’s do hide a certain amount of discomfort, but I don’t believe they can hide sever pain without showing some type of signs. Many dogs with hip dysphasia can live long full lives, and depending on the severity of the hips some will require surgical intervention.

I can understand that in hindsight you feel that you kept your last dog around longer then you should have, but if you’re looking for anyone here to say that you should put your current dog down because he has hip dysphasia I would be surprised if anyone did. Now if you’re not willing to treat the dog for this disease and that includes pain control when needed, then I would recommend you rehome the dog to someone that is willing to do so.

I do think that you did what you thought was best with your last dog and that’s the best anyone of us can do. Don’t let that cloud your thinking; you are dealing with a totally different disease in your current dog. Accept that your dog is going to live with a certain amount of pain, but that doesn’t mean its life isn’t worth living. JMHO

Since the title of this thread is Pain vs. Discomfort and quality of life is the issue, here is how I approach it.

A dog in serious pain will act depressed, lethargic, withdrawn. Will have little to no interest in activities it previously enjoyed. Will have little interest in its owners. May growl, snap, or bite in response to touch. Will whimper or yelp when it moves or when it's touched. May experience decreased or no appetite.

That's my definition of a poor quality of life.

Discomfort can be limping for a day or two following an overly strenuous workout, but still wanting to play. It can be stiffness coming out of the crate, but still able to get out of the crate with a tail wagging, butt wiggling so-happy-to-see-you. It can be needing to sit down and take a break during a game of fetch, but wanting to continue the game after the break.

I'm sure my dog feels some measure of discomfort every day but it has not in any way put a damper on his enthusiasm and it certainly hasn't put a damper on his energy.

As far as pain management goes, your dog may need it daily, or only occasionally. The thing I noticed with my dog is that initially he needed it every day. Once we realized he had a problem, and then made adjustments for the HD by avoiding the hip-jarring stuff, he didn't need medication regularly. He rarely needs it now at all. That may change as he gets older but I'll deal with that when it comes.

The only other thing I'll say is that I've dealt directly with countless people who were deciding whether or not to euthanize. It was my experience that the vast majority of owners make that painful decision at the correct time and based on what their doctor is telling them. Very very few people do it way too early or way too late. You do the best you can with the medical advice you're given and what you know of your animal.