8 Months Old

Duncan is 8 months old. He just had a consultation with a nearby orthopedic veterinary surgeon. Up until this point we have been discussing pain management (especially because he's a growing boy and his doses change rapidly and we have to keep up with that), joint supplements, and options. Currently, Duncan is on carprofen and taking a supplement called movoflex, which we purchase from our vet. We had radiographs taken when Duncan started to limp. It was more for our piece of mind and to confirm that this is what he was dealing with. The radiographs are included next for your viewing pleasure. Please note he was not sedated for the radiographs.

As you can see, Duncan has terrible hips. Absolutely terrible. And it's no wonder he limps and is in pain. For those who might not be aware of symptoms of pain, Duncan shows signs of pain by breathing hard (especially at night), by sitting with his legs flung out to the side (I'll try to take a picture of this position), and by not eating (this especially occurs when he needs his dose updated). Dogs show pain through a variety of behaviors like the above described, however this list is not exhaustive so please consult your veterinarian if you believe your dog is in pain and needs help. And please, if you suspect hip dysplasia consult your veterinarian as well. This blog is not meant to be anything besides supportive and to show our journey with it. 

Okay, so after all of this, we knew Duncan needed care. And since I've been doing a lot of research since our initial suspicions, I knew there were a lot of different surgery options dependent on his age. A majority of these surgery options can only occur at young ages. I want to say it's 6-8 months or less, but don't quote me on that. Thus, we were rushing to get him seen by the orthopedic surgeon to see what Duncan's options are at this time, and where we go from here. The surgeon confirmed that Duncan's hips are awful and told us about our options. I'm not going to talk about all of the surgery options because every case is unique and I want you to consult your own surgeon and veterinarians about the options for your dog. But I will say that price wise it ranged from $1600 to $3800, with the $1600 being an FHO and the $3800 being a total hip replacement. For Duncan, we believe the best option is the total hip replacement and that is our course of action at the moment, but again, every case is unique so be sure to consult your veterinarians about your own options and price ranges. 

Since Duncan is so young and in a great deal of pain already, we run into the problem that he is a growing puppy. The orthopedic surgeon said that Duncan can get the THR as early as 10 months old, although we would like to go as long as possible.

At this time, we are continuing to treat Duncan's pain and monitor his condition. We will have another appointment with the orthopedic surgeon at 10 months old to evaluate and have a better estimate on whether or not surgery is needed then or if he can wait a little longer. I will update when I receive new information, so until then!

(Here's a picture of Dunk helping us remove dead bushes)