Hip dysplasia & arthritis in GSD

SamantaD97

Hi everyone,

I wanted to see what seems to help a dog with hip dysplasia & arthritis. I have a 2yr old German Shepherd female. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 1 yr. Just before her 2nd birthday I brought her to a different vet and she came back with arthritis too. She's on supplements, fish oils and new medication to help rebuild cartilage.

We were recommended hydrotherapy. Does anyone have good recommendations for hydrotherapy? Preferably based near Dublin as I am in South of Dublin. But my partner is from Monaghan so anywhere near there would be ok too.

Whats your experience helping a dog with hip dysplasia & arthritis? What have you found works best/bad? I want to try keep muscle on her back legs but finding it difficult to find ideas.

Thank you

tk123

TopDogs in Lucan are the best hydro/physio we used (we used a few over the years) my old boy loved going in. It’s 2 mins from the exit on the N4 so easy enough to access from the M50. Don’t be afraid to medicate either so she’s pain free - you can have regular bloods done to monitor her liver/kidneys. Join canine arthritis management and their Holly’s army group on FB if you’re not on them already - there’s loads of information including info on supplements. (A lot of supplements don’t have the correct / therapeutic levels of epa/dha needed and are a waste of money)

DBB

Second Topdogs in Lucan... they are absolutely fab!

Has there been no mention of surgery to deal with the dysplasia, no? Maybe your dog isn't a suitable candidate for some reason, but it might be no harm to investigate if surgery is a viable option.

DBB

Oops, forgot to also suggest an excellent supplement called Antinol. It's not cheap, but there is a starter pack offer on it.

I have a GSD with awful arthritis in an elbow she damaged as a pup. We've done pretty much all the supplements and additives.

6 months ago, I was afraid I was going to have to make a difficult decision, as she had become pretty miserable. But since we got help from Topdogs (physiotherapy), she has turned inside out, and subsequent supplementation with Antinol has put the icing on the cake for her. A different dog.

SamantaD97

Thank you so much that's really helpful! I'll look into TopDogs and I'll definitely take this on board

SamantaD97

Im really happy your dogs doing well! There's nothing worst than seeing them in pain. I'll definitely reach out to TopDogs and look into the supplement. Vet who diagnosed her with HD at one said I may have to get surgery down the line. However the most recent vet never mentioned surgery. I'll definitely look into it.

Thank you!

pauly58

We had a Rottie with basically no hips at all, we put her on glaucosamine, vitamin c, chondroitin & metacam for the pain if it got bad. We bought a deep swimming pool from Aldi & my wife would get in & swim her. She ended up with muscles in her back legs like a Greyhound, the dog not my wife ! She led a happy life & made eleven, she could run a funny sort of bunny hop. There is hope , good luck.

SamantaD97

Thank you! I've been looking at a decent swimming pool, will keep eyes peeled on likes of Aldi or Lidl. Glad your dog got to live a happy life.

amber2

Had a Doberman with hip dysplasia our local vet put him on Sasha’s Blend worked wonders.

tk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122131604#Comment_122131604

Make sure to start with a proper physio. Your dog may not be a candidate for swimming so you could end up doing more harm with good going diy. I know with Bailey even when he was younger my vet at the time advised he had treadmill hydro vs pool and again when we started hydro again and when his back was very sore it was treadmill and not swimming. This is why I’d favour a setup that has both a pool and treadmill as they can decide what treatment is best.

SamantaD97

Thanks for pointing that out. Vets have recommended hydro but never thought it may cause damage. I'll get her set up with physio first and we will see how she takes to water.

SamantaD97

Haven't heard of supplement. I'll look into it. Thank you!

tk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122134216#Comment_122134216

You want somewhere like TopDogs where they do everything so they have no bias over treadmill vs pool.

Max H

Hi we are on our 4th GSD, had his hips and elbows scored when he was 15 months old and they are fine thankfully. Our GSD before our current one had mild hip dysplasia and was given a course of Cartrophen injections, they made a massive difference. We are in Co. Wexford so you can definitely get them here.

http://www.cartrophen.com/for-dog-owners/what-is-cartrophen-vet/#:~:text=How%20does%20Cartrophen%20Vet%20work,one%20year%20in%20some%20cases.

SamantaD97

Thank you! Cartrophen is next open if Galliprant doesn't help her. It definitely sounds like it's a good drug.

Springwell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122130960#Comment_122130960

A small aside - Lyprinol is the exact same thing as antinol, available much cheaper. Antinol has worked really well for my dog with CCL issues and stifle arthritis.

SamantaD97

Thank you so much. I got in touch with TopDogs so hopefully she will start physio very soon!