Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Phew! Happy Healthy Hips!

Mom and Dad have always been concerned about my hips because they sway quite a bit when I walk. During the pet expo in Taipei last year, they chanced upon a booth promoting Canine Hips Dysplasia awareness called dogchd.net (犬髖關節狗友會). They picked up some pamphlets, a deck of playing cards and a reversible red scarf for me.



Canine Hips Dysplasia (CHD), simply put, is the poor development of the hip joints and it affects mostly large breed dogs. It is an inherited disease and it is often made worse due to environmental factors such as over-nutrition, rapid growth and excessive trauma during the early growing stages of a dog's life.



dogchd.net was founded by Amy Zhang in 2004. Amy's golden retriever, Yellow had severe hip dysplasia and the whole family went through a difficult time seeking proper treatment for Yellow. Through dogchd.net, Amy aims to bring dog lovers together, create awareness for this hereditary disease and educate people to be responsible dog owners.

So, we went to Elwood Animal Clinic where many members of the group brought their dogs to get their hips checked.

The vet first took a video of me walking and then he started examining my joints before I was sedated for the Xray. From the preliminary assessment and Xray, there is a fine white line on each side of the joints and the vet says if he were to give me an OFA rating, I would be given a FAIR.

Vet said that there is a possibility that I may develop hip dysplasia when I am about 5 to 6 years old. He said I can resume my normal exercise, but not on slippery surfaces. He also suggested low dosages of Glucosamine and Chondrotin for me to help strengthen my joints. Vet also advised Dad and Mom to bring me for a checkup and Xray every one or two years.

If you are interested to find out more about CHD, check out the following links:

http://www.offa.org

http://www.pennhip.org

Here are some photos at the clinic, Vet said I was a strong boy as I was already waking up 15 minutes after the sedation!



This is the clinic


15 minutes after anesthesia


Trying to open my eyes and lift my head


Xray One


Xray Two


Walking wobbly and ready to go home.

It is a huge relief that I do not have hips dysplasia even though I got a "Fair" rating for my checkup. I have started eating Cosequin DS which contains 500mg of Glucosamine and 400mg of Chondrotin per tablet everyday. Here's to Happy Healthy Hips forever!

And to all my furry friends out there: If you are at least 4 months old, get your owners to have your hips checked today! Early detection can save you lots of pain and suffering.

5 comments:

The Thuglets said...

Thats excellent news you do not have HD!

We fink you deserve some yorkie pudding for being very brave and having the xrays done!

Thanks fro visitng us

Big Nose Pokes
The Thuglets +2

Lorenza said...

Hi, Dino!
Sure is nice to know that you don't have HD.
I hope you stay healthy for many many years!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

Amber-Mae said...

From the X=rays, your hips look pawfectly fine becoz the knuckles are fitted into the sockets nicely & they're well rounded. For me, I think my right hip bone is not fitted into the socket properly becoz the socket is too small. So, it's jutting out a little bit & I sway quite bad & many people call me a model on a catwalk. The x-ray was taken when I was 6 months old actually. Now, I should be having my 2nd X-ray but my hoomans don't want me to be knocked out by using an injection. They are looking for a place where they use gas becoz it's much safer & they say it's actually quite terrible to force a dog to go to sleep. I wouldn't want to be wobbly either...

Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer

☮momoKo said...

Hi,Dino.
It's so nice That have not HD.
Momoko has a same potential handicap.She sometimes monroe walk.I give her supplement and shorten hard exercise time.

Thor and Jack said...

Hi Dino!
I´m glad to know that you don´t have HD!

Thor