On Monday as we touch down in Dallas I get a frantic call that Sebastian is limping badly. I call the vet and they said it sounds like he's pulled something and to bring him in in the morning. I get home and he won't put his back right foot down. We checked for snake bites, ant bites, there is nothing. So we give him a pain pill ( after researching on the web) and he has a rough night. Next am I take him in, the vet is worried, mentions cancer of the bones and scares the utter SHIT out of me. He is sedated, and Xrayed, no tumor but severe hip dysplasia They gave him a shot of Adequan and gave me Rimadyl for pain for him.

I gave him one rimadyl before I read up on this med, and see that it can cause SUDDEN DEATH in labs HE'S FINE high as a kite but fine slept great that night.

I am not giving him this med again but he will need a pain reliever does anyone know of any alternatives?


Yeah and he needs to lose about 20 pounds, he's right at 100.
[Edited 7/17/08 10:05am]

awwwww

My friend Kyle had a sheppard, and it's hips were causing it considerable pain.

They were able to get medication for him that helped for a few years though.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

Is surgery necessary or an option? My Marley had hip displaysia that required surgery. His was due to his hip socket being very shallow genetically. They had to remove the ball from his femur so it would fit better in the socket. Watching him go through the recovery was VERY hard to watch but he came through it like a champ. I can tell he's stiff in the morning but other than a slight pimp walk there's no sign of discomfort from him. Marley was 9 months old when he had surgery and is now 6. I'm sure his youth helped with the successful recovery too. Anyway, i hope everything works out for your baby.

Awwwww I hope they can do something for your baby.

It is hard to see them limping and in pain.

The only thing I have seen that helps is Gondrotin with Glucosome it is a geltab you can give it two times a day.

It will releive pain and stiffness as well you can always find it on sale at Walgreens get the highest does!!!

rachel3 said:

Condrotin with Glusosome

oh no

rachel3 said:

However, if your feeding the dog good food it will have chondroitin with glucosomine in it already and the extra supplements are not needed. Also, the effectiveness depends on the cause of the problem. If the ball is out of the socket, they'll prolly give him an anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks to see if it self corrects. If not, surgery is the only recourse.

Dog food does not have enough of it. I told my two neighbors this and they are now giving it to their dogs they have been fine for the past 3-5 yrs respectivly without having surgery.

Research magnet therapy for pets. Here's one website:
http://www.magna-mat.com/


The hematite braclets I wear help with the carpal tunnel. The 24\7 numbness & pain are down to a tolerable level.

By the way, he's a handsome dog.

i am very impartial to the german shepherd breed - when researching getting a dog i learned that most breeds have some genetic "problems" ...

I had a german shepherd for 13 years - i had to put her down about 3 yrs ago ... it was tough but thankfully i never had to deal with a delemna like what you are going thru ... i cannot imagine ....

after much thought - i bought mine from a pretty reputable dealer who made alot of guarantees but u know how that game works - i mean ... someone cant guarantee health ... etc ...

hope it all works well ... he is a cutie ...

rachel3 said:

Again, depends on what dog food and it depends on the cause of the injury. A joint problem like arthritis is not the same as a ball out of the socket which is more severe.
[Edited 7/17/08 8:05am]

I'm sorry butterfli25. Wish I knew something. Hope the fella is fine real soon. I just hate to see animals in pain. At first i had no idea you were talking about you doggy and i had to read on. he's cute

SCNDLS said:

had anyone heard about the Rimadyl? I read up on it and it is scary! Does any one know of any other pain relivers?

rachel3 said:

thanks rach

I am feeding him Flint River lamb rice and millet, it's a premium diet, not sure about the glucosamine though, he got the injectible glucosamine yesterday and now he wants to play

rachel3 said:

Yes, less invasive is always better.

SCNDLS said:

the doc said surgery was an option but not necessary at this time.

butterfli25 said:

Great! What did they say caused it? What are the other options in the mean time?

http://www.srdogs.com/Pag...dylfr.html

warnings about rimadyl

his hips are both bad, he's a big boy, genetics, growing too fast etc probably caused it. On the xray neither joint was fully in the socket and the left one was just touching it he has extra bone growth on both sockets. The doc said hip replacement is an option but he wouldn't do it just yet. He quoted the $3500-4000 price range for me though, even though I probably could get it done for $3000 at the university ( I am and hour away from UT)

This injury appears to be a soft tissue injury that happened while he was jumping around in the back yard. He's very playful and I had recently increased his food because he thought we were starving him and was getting into the trash once I increased his food he stopped that behavior. Anyway he heavy right now and the vet waggged her finger at me for his weight gain and said feed him the same but more often to increase his metabolism

butterfli25 said:

Wow, that baby is in a lot of pain if both joints are out of the socket. Hip replacement ain't no joke for humans OR animals. Ask the vet if the less invasive ball removal (something-ectomy I think) is an option.

With mine we did anti-inflammatory pills to see if reducing the swelling, which reduces the pain, would help. But after 2 weeks there was no improvement. Weight also plays a large part. I just switched mine to a reduced fat super premium dog food. Like I said Marley had hip surgery and Prince has had knee surgery. As they age, extra weight will be a problem so I'm trying to address that now. Well, good luck with everything. Keep us posted.

this happens a lot in pure breds, doesn't it?

Aww, your poor dog! I hate reading about animals in pain.

you would think he was in pain, but up until monday there was no indication that anything was wrong. even his vet was surprised at how the xrays looked. I am more concerned now about which pain med to give him if he flares up again. I am not giving him rimadyl again.

errant said:

he's not pure he's 1/4 lab, note the floppy ears

he got the bad hips from the shepherd side and the allergies from the lab side.

Aww, that's sad to hear. It's like hearing a family member is in pain.

My dog is going blind. He is 80% blind on one eye and 50% blind in the other.

Boriqua1130 said:

thanks for the link

1sexymf said:

awwww poor guy, poor mama

my friends dog was blind for 8 years before she died at 14, she had the best nose and we would always find it in our plates if we put them in reach

I am so sorry, I hope your boy get's better!