Possible hip dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia can only be ruled in/out with x-rays.  There can be outward signs, but those can also be something else, and a dog can have HD and never show any outward signs.  If you're concerned but the dog does not show any sign of pain, take the time to find a good radiologist.  I went through this with Nikon.  He has walked abnormally for as long as I can remember and sometimes drags his hind feet.  He doesn't have hip dysplasia (in fact he is OFA Good).  A lot of times, weaknesses or lack of control in the hind end is neurological, especially if there are no signs of pain.  With HD the dog has arthritis and it's painful, so that is why the dog might limp or show reluctance to do certain movements.  With a good radiologist, it's easy to rule in or out, so often it is the first step especially in breeds where it is common.

Gizmo has/had severe hip dysplasia. Before she was a year old she had an FHO surgery to correct one hip and the other hip is rather bad. When the vet first looked at her x-rays he said it was the worst case he had ever seen. She's almost 6 years old now and you could never tell by her level of energy that she even had surgery or that she has arthritis, only way to see it is in the x-rays. She shows almost no signs of it other then her wobble when she walks due to her uneven back end. She hates for her back feet to be touched but likes it when I massage or brush her behind.

Here are x-rays I took of her about 3 years AFTER the surgery. The R hip is the one that had the femoral head removed and if you can see, the fuzziness around the bones are signs of arthritis.

 Xebby, does Gizmo have a transitional vertebra?

hapnthatch

His elbow joints are really worn, (no hair at all) but when I asked about it, the vet just said it was from laying on hard surfaces and human elbows get worn too.

If this becomes a problem, take a look here http://www.dogleggs.com/files/adjustable.cfm.

Thanks Janet! I'll have to save that website because I do think it will eventually become a problem, considering he's still so young and it's already soo bad. He's allowed on the furniture (soft surfaces) but he prefers the linoleum in the kitchen.. I guess it's cooler and he's used to it (he used to stay in a garage before me).

Thanks Lies and Xebby for your help. I think I'm going to keep an eye on him for now. I was watching him run the other day and now I'm not sure if he's really bunny-hopping or if he just has an odd gait. Hap kind of lopes sideways so watching them run is really different and hard to compare.

 

Xebby, what do you give Gizmo for the arthritis?

Liesje

 Xebby, does Gizmo have a transitional vertebra?

Not that I'm aware of, or at least a vet hasn't said anything like that to me. She's been doing fine so I haven't bothered to take any more x-rays or test. One vet didn't think she would live past 5 because of her health conditions she had when she was a puppy/young dog, but Gizzy is just as happy and as healthy as could be.

HapnThatch, I feed Gizmo a food that has glucosamine in it. It's a large breed diet but is formulated so that it's great for dogs with problems like arthritis and such that are common in a large breed. She also gets glucosamine tablets because I don't think the food has enough in it by itself. If she's limping and I can see that she's in pain I'll give her yucca root to help calm it but it's rare that she ever shows any signs of pain. I can also get her stronger prescription meds if needed but I haven't had to use them in a long time. It's harder now that she's not living with me but I'm sure my Dad will let me know if anything becomes a problem for her and I'll make sure she gets seen by a vet.