Thanks, guys. I truly appreciate all your input. He's already on glucosamine chondroitin w/MSM, and vitamin C. Dr. Link's best guess was that the hip would start to really bother him by about 9, but that since only one is dysplastic, the good hip usually is able to compensate for the other, and surgery probably will never be necessary. In regard to the elbows, the main concern was the DJD, not so much the grade 1 dysplasia. I am going to seek some holistic opinions as far as where to go from here in addition to conventional. I'll probably have no choice, once I get thrown out of the conventional vet's office <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. I'm not going to rush into neutering him until I have enough research and evidence to assure me that it will do him no harm. I'd love another alternative. I'd never breed him, and I have only male dogs, so it's not a big issue to me as of now. However, the terms of his guarantee require neutering. Luckily, the breeder is open-minded and agrees that what's best for Caleb is what needs to be done, and if I were to find a viable alternative to castration, I think she'd be ok with it. I don't know enough about the sterilization injections to feel one way or the other about them, but injecting chemicals doesn't sound any safer, in general. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Chris, I checked out adequan, but I can't find anywhere where it states when to begin using it. Caleb just turned 2 on Monday, and shows absolutely no symptoms. When do I start? Does it help to get ahead of the arthritis, or do you wait until they exhibit stiffness/pain? It sounds promising-thanks!!!

jenni,
it's perfectly understandable that you are upset. you've invested a lot in your pup. anybody would be upset in your situation.

but do try to calm down just long enough to realize that caleb's test results may not be defnitive. if he shows no gait problems, his movement is good, there are no symptoms, i would consider retesting him and getting a second opinion. especially since you indicate he is very well bred.

the biggest predictor of hip dysplasia, i'm told, is the test results of the aunts and uncles, the siblings of the parents. if they also passed their hips, while it's not impossible for caleb to be an unfortunate family exception, it definitely would be worthwhile to get another opinion.

also, i would talk to the breeder about the contract terms. if he trusts you and knows you have the dog's best interests at heart, he may work with you on the terms. my breeder's puppy contract guarantee is the same, but i, like you, would never send my pup back. so since she was willing to give me a 50 percent discount on another pup, but i didn't want another pup, she agreed to refund half the purchase price if the guarantee kicked in. the rationale was that i could use the money to pay for his vet bills and care.

luckily, i never needed it. he passed with OFA good.

i had another dog with very severe arthritis and he went on a two-course regimine of adequan. it's helped lots of dogs, and even avoided some surgeries, but it won't cure hip dysplasia.

lots of dogs test positive for hip dysplasia and never develop symptoms. keep an eye on his movement and keep with the supplements and keep your fingers crossed.

btw, what i gave my boy who had arthritis and skeletal problems, in addtion to the adequan, was daily doses of glycoflex and MSM powder. glycoflex is made with green lipped mussels and is carried by some vets. MSM powder is available at feed stores.

other than that, your best defense is strong muscles. keep him active and physically fit so the muscles can do the work the joints may not be able to do.

Hi ALice,

I'm not hysterical-just disappointed and worried about his future. I'm just trying to gain all the knowledge I can to "hit this head on" and give him the longest pain-free life I can. The breeder is checking with her friend/breeder who owned his sire (who has since passed away) to see if any others have had bad xrays. At least she could avoid breeding his progeny then. His hips were great.

Do you know when it's appropriate to start Adequan? I can't seem to find that anywhere. The breeder is agreeing to give me a refund if I don't want another puppy. It won't be purchase price, but her thinking is it will help me pay for his future medical care, which I think is more than fair. I believe she is genuinely as shocked as I was, as neither of Caleb's parents (or aunts, I believe) had anything but normal, if not excellent, hips and elbows.

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Do you know when it's appropriate to start Adequan? I can't seem to find that anywhere. The breeder is agreeing to give me a refund if I don't want another puppy. It won't be purchase price, but her thinking is it will help me pay for his future medical care, which I think is more than fair.

sounds like a very good breeder, and they are doing right by you.

i don't know the answer to your question. if it were my dog, i would not put him on a course of adequan based only on the results of one x-ray. i would use it only to alleviate symptoms.

please talk to an honest vet who is knowledgeable and experienced with adequan and get their advice.

is there a reason neither you nor the breeder wants to retest before deciding this dog has hip dysplasia? it's easy for vets to make mistakes, even the best vets. i'm not remembering now, is this the diagnosis given by OFA? or is it the opinion of the vet who took the x-rays? xrays are so open to interpretation. and dogs that have failed one time have passed later. it is not uncommon.

i would certainly, at the very least, have the existing x-rays evaluated by a veterinary radiologist, preferably one at a research center, before doing anything else.

I wasn't going to start adequan now, but I am giving the usual recommended supplements for HD and arthritis, even though he's not showing symptoms yet. The plan now is for me to send the breeder his xrays to see if there's a possible positioning problem, but I doubt it. Dr.Link has an EXCELLENT reputation and has been doing this for 37 years. I'd love it if he was wrong, though. We may retake them if the breeder sees a reason. I just have a hard time believing that he could be wrong on three aspects; he saw hip dysplasia in the left hip, elbow dysplasia in both, and degenerative joint disease beginning in the elbows. Seems like nothing short of a miracle could change that whold diagnosis! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Luckily, all three are mild, and he may never show symptoms if I keep ahead of it, I hope.

sorry, i don't know who dr. link is. is he a radiologist? if not, i would consult a radiologist, if it were my dog.

remember, this diagnosis is a matter of opinion, a matter of interpretation, and even the very best vets can disagree.

As I said in my first post (I'm sure it was too long for anyone to remember all the facts <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Dr.Link is the vet that Cindy recommended I take him to. Ed also agreed that he was the guy to see. I was careful to take him to someone qualified, not just convenient. I checked all around, and even though he's three hours away, he looked like the best guy for the job. I don't like to do any unnecessary radiation, so I wanted them done right the first time.