hi all, Clifford wagging this morning as if nothing has happened. Off for a gentle stroll in a minute. It was very strange yesterday not going out. Easy to forget that one of the great things about our furry friends is they get us out into the fresh(ish)air at least once a day which really makes a difference to my attitude to life!

So glad Clifford is improving and has his waggy tail back. They seem to recover so quickly leaving us feeling like wet rags.

I've been watching this thread with interest.I'm glad Cliff is feeling better.I feel I must add, however - If you're not already aware - that both breeds your Cliff is crossed with suffer from HD.Should this continue with Cliff - and I hope not for both of your sakes - it may be worth checking his hips out at some point in the future.JMO.Has Cliff received any sort of hip scoring?

Best of luck

Lily

Really pleased to hear Cliff is feeling a lot better today, but just remember, those pain meds are masking the pain, so please remember what the vet said about that gentle exercise no matter how tempting itmight me (been there!!). It needs to heal properly, otherwise you could end up with complete rest and you wouldn't want that either of you! All the best with him, I hope he stays as well as he is now.

Hi Lillyrose, I don't understand the hip scoring thing, can you explain?
Clifford did hurt himself once before getting in or out of the back of the car, perhaps 18months ago.
and yes, however tempting, clifford has been on lead for a ten minute stroll and that was it.
His meds were the single injection he had on sunday- the vet didnt give me anything else. Do you think it is still effective?
thanks.

Hi,

How is Cliff feeling? I'm unsure of how you acquired Cliff so this may have not been carried out.

Hip scoring is carried out by the breeder on both the Dam and Sire and the litter of puppies and on occasions, the Grand Dam and Grand Sire.This reading taken from the hips decides the susceptibility of the dog/s/pups getting hip dysplasia.

For more info and grading see below

http://www.peteducation.com/article....2+2084&aid=444

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/313

Hope this helps

I don't know about the injection as to how long it lasts, but perhaps it could be 48 hours max?

Hip scoring is usually done with the parents, just to make sure hopefully, that any HD is not passed down when breeding. You'd only have your own dog done if you were intending to breed from him/her OR if your vet suspected HD, but since you've been to the vets, he's given Cliffy a thorough examination, I'm sure he would have spotted a case of HD, so don't worry too much about it for the time being. The vet has given you his diagnoses as to what has happened with that hip, he's given him the pain meds to help it heal with him out of pain, and if you have future problems, then of course, he will probably investigate those hips further.

For the moment just stick to what he's told you to do, they don't spend 7 years training for nothing do they, and I'm sure if there was any inclination of HD he would have mentioned it. If you want to put your mind at rest, maybe ring him and ask him coz he's seen Cliffy hasn't he, we haven't!

You will get this a lot as the years go by about the HD. Only the other night when my dog had a serious bout of vomiting and I rang a vet nurse for some advice, because she seemed a bit stiff behind (and she's only 2!!!) on getting up, the vet nurse told me she had HD Yeah right I said The next day when the sickness had all gone, she has and still is bouncing around like a loonie with no signs of stiffness! The reason she was stiff to get up was her stomach hurt!!!!!

I do hope he bounces back to full health in a few days. When you said he did something getting in/out of the car 18 months ago, then yes, sometimes old injuries reappear again when they do something out of the ordinary, just like jumping up for that ball! It happens with the human variety too, so maybe it could be something like that, which again, means lots of rest.

I feel I must add, however - If you're not already aware - that both breeds your Cliff is crossed with suffer from HD.Should this continue with Cliff - and I hope not for both of your sakes - it may be worth checking his hips out at some point in the future.JMO.Has Cliff received any sort of hip scoring?

My point about HD was only a "should it may continue" and was no way meant to scare monger or ruffle feathers And Helen, I'm as sure as yourself that the Vet would have spotted it if it were HD,but it has been known in the past that Vets have, unfortunately, missed things.

I'm not the type of person who could have considered this and not have mentioned it to a fellow dog owner,my apologies.

ETA - Have Cliff's anal glands been checked?

ETA (again) - Dogs can get HD at any point in their life, just a note to remember

No, I quite understand why you're saying it I really do, BUT, HD doesn't come on suddenly like this does it? I thought it was a slow progress thing, and the dog would take to sitting down on a walk, and they hold one leg up? I honestly don't know much about it,coz thankfully none of my previous shepherds ever had this, but I can only read about it on the net, it just doesn't sound the same to me I'm no vet, but I would have thought a vet would have spotted the signs straight away surely to goodness??!!

What I don't like, and it does ruffle MY feathers, is the fact that when any of my dogs are reported to suddenly go stiff behind it's instantly classed by a vet nurse OVER THE PHONE as HD in a young 2 yr old dog with parents having impeccable hip scores, and even THEN she insisted it was!!! How very dare she! Lol!

Another time, when I took yet another shepherd to a vet at 3.00 am. in the morning who was vomiting blood as soon as the vet administered the two jabs, she suddenly collapsed on her hind quarters (obviously in MY mind due to the jabs!) and the female vet turned around and said "oh, I see she has hip displacia as well"!!!!!! Lordy, lordy give me strength, why is it always HD when a dog has a problem with it's back leg or hip all of a sudden???!!!

See what I mean? I'm at the give me a break stage with this HD! I didn't mean to sound as if I was slamming you down too LillyRose , it's just a bugbear of mine whenever it's mentioned, UNLESS, of course, it's been diagnosed and has been showing itself for a while, in which case, if the vet is as good as his credentials, he should be able to spot a proper case of it!

No it doesn't come on suddenly, but if it is to become an issue for a dog, it has to have a starting point, doesn't it?

HD is due to the bone gradually grinding in the socket, so you are correct that it's not a sudden thing.But eventually the constant grinding becomes too much and the pain eventually becomes vocal, so it starts.See what I mean?

Luckily, none of my dogs have suffered with HD.But having a CKCS, I've equipped myself with the knowledge of the diseases they can suffer from and the symptoms of these diseases, in hope I'd be able to catch something quickly and most importantly, eliminate as much suffering as possible for Scarlett.

I'm sorry to hear of your "battle" with the chestnut HD