Newly diagnosed Hip Dysplasia

Hello All,

I have an 8 year old Border Collie who's name is Lucy and she is my angel I would love to hear others advice or information on their dogs that may have suffered from Hip Dysplasia.

Lucy lives to play ball and she loves to go shopping at the stores and is always on the go. Since January she has had some issues with her legs. She started out being very stiff (she has always been a little stiff) after she played ball. She never played hard we would just through her ball 5-10 times max for about 1o minutes. She started having a harder time getting up when laying down and when she did get up her back legs were just horribly stiff almost like they were stuck. My vet diagnosed her with Arthritis of the lower back and spine. We started her on Laser therapy and hydrotherapy. Along with many different supplements. I have noticed a lot of improvement but she was still having such a hard time getting up and we haven't attempted ball since the beginning of the year which makes her and me sad.

I have asked my current vet and my old vet about her having Hip Dysplasia and they would always say no she has good range of motion no worries. I took her to a large vet clinic last month with a pain specialist they did an entire exam .. and came back and said well she has most likely torn her ACL and the other as well.. one is almost healed the other is healing. They also said her hips felt fine and she didn't really seem to have to much arthritis just muscle issues.

Fast forward 2 weeks.. I went back to my old vet and said okay this is crazy she HAS to have XRAY's and I need a firm diagnosis. Not that I didn't believe the second opinion I just trusted my vet .. for everything else in the past. We had XRAY's done this past Monday and went over every joint in her body. She has not one ounce of arthritis on her spine (thank goodness we spent all that money on laser therapy of the lower back .. ugg). She has arthritis in her back knees. He did say the arthritis in her knees was not severe but there was some there.. and showed me how she could not have a current ACL issue because of the way the joints and everything around the knee looked. That was it except for the dreaded Hip diagnosis. He showed me her hips from the underside view (they looked fine on the side views) and said she has moderate to severe hip dysplasia. He showed me how on the XRAY good hips would have about 50% of the femur in the ball and hers were maybe about 15% and at 8 years old it would most likely mean as a puppy she also had bad hips.

I started her on Adequan that night and last night was her second loading dose.. I swear she is getting up better but I know it is really to soon to notice. She will continue her hydrotherapy on Sundays which I believe has really helped her muscle and we are on an extreme diet. She has got to drop 5 lbs, which has been so hard with lack of exercise but we are going to do it.

I asked him what this means does this mean she wont be able to walk in a year or that we can keep going as is .. or we can help her with the swimming and adequan (she also takes Dasaquen advanced and has since she was a puppy) and his only answer was.. well sometimes we see pictures like this and the dog is unable to walk 4 months from now and that's all we can do or they can go for a few years etc. I asked about surgery and he did say I could go see a specialist that her only option would be FHO as there is some arthritis in her hips. I said so when she is 10 and if she can no longer walk I can do that.. he said yes but better now because she will heal better because she is younger. I understand that but will have to hold on the surgery for awhile because of financial issues as the quoted 4500 is just to much. But believe me if she got to the point where it was my only choice somehow she would get that surgery.

I just feel a little lost on this .. has anyone had a dog as young as 8 with severe hip dysplasia and some arthritis live to be an old dog into their teens and be okay?

Are they able to diagnose Moderate to Severe dysplasia with a simple xray on a dog that was not sedated


Has anyone tried the adequan for Hip Dysplasia and had good results?

Have you had a dog with moderate to severe (still trying to figure out if that is as bad as severe or in the middle) and after having some physical therapy and put on the proper supplements been able to see them go for a little run again?

She used to run and run and run its so sad.. I just want her to be able to run after her ball.. off course would just roll it now no more throwing it .. and be able to take a little run across the field with her sister

My Bernese was diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia at 6 months old. Long story wrong diagnosis from vet went in for that and discovered the hip problem. He will be 4 in November he has managed very well and most times you wouldn't know he had a hip problem.
He has always been on supplements vit c is meant to be good and he has always had this and is now on cortaflex as we have had some front leg lameness recently. Today he has been diagnosed with elbow dysplasia too. We will manage it conservatively use anti-flamms if needed but not too much if possible not yet anyway.
To be honest he has managed well and the vet thinks he still will for a while yet.

Thank you for your reply.. how much vit C do you use? I have heard a lot about it and haven't tried it yet.

Dillon has 500 mg a day. Meant to say make sure its ester c as vit c is too strong and will upset their stomach. He weighs 64 kgs. Around 120 lbs.
He also has salmon oil but if you use salmon oil use vit e too fish oil on its own can make things worse it needs the vit e to work properly. 1 daily of 400 iu (international units ).

My Nigredo has hip dysplasia too. He takes vitamin c 500 mg daily too. He takes it in capsule form with rosehips and his stomach does fine. He also gets fish oil, and glucosamine chondroitin and msm daily as well. He's about 93 lbs or so. He doesn't need pain medication yet. He wobbles but otherwise seems fine. He can run and jump like normal fat labs and he's doing just fine.

I have a American bulldog x who has hip dysplasia tore her cruciate and has severe arthritis at 7 years I have just started using a supplement called stride and she has anti inflammatory tablets from vet she still loves her walks and going swimming once a week so easy said than done but don't worry to much

My parents had a Cavalier that was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia at nine months. They let him set his own limits for exercise, pain medication when he needed it and kept his weight down. He died from something entirely unconnected at 11 years old, having had a happy life.

Alongside vit c Rhus tox also helps with pain relief.

Hi Shelly,

I have not had to deal with hip dysplasia myself, but I know that it rears its ugly head in dogs of any age. It's pretty awful, but there are things you can do to help control the condition, and as Lucy is only 8 and active, you're already in a good place to start.

As you know, hip dysplasia is a bone disorder. Please ignore me if I'm telling you stuff you already know and maybe forward it on to someone who doesn't... you can picture it like this. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint, beautifully put together, wonderfully mobile but perfectly formed to hold together. Make your right hand into a fist, and curl your left hand around it. That's how it fits together, a lovely ball in a lovely socket. Now let up on the fingers of your left hand. Straighten them out. Flatten your palm. See how your fist slips now, without that socket... and there's your hip dysplasia.

The bad news is that there's not much you can do to help the bone. What's gone is pretty much gone. The good news is that the whole skeleton, hips included, is supported by a cast of muscles, and those can hold things together even when the bones are wonky. Keeping the muscles strong will do a great deal towards keeping Lucy healthy.

Exercise is key! Lucy's already active, so you want to keep that going. It would be a good idea to reduce high-impact stuff, things that could really jar her, like jumping from heights, but walking, running and swimming are all excellent exercises for her. Don't focus just on her legs, either: a strong back is extremely important for holding her body together, and swimming is a particularly good exercise for that. It'll keep her heart and lungs strong too-- good cardiopulmonary health will help her all around.

Nutrition is very important. Vitamin C will help, and you don't need to stress too much about it: dogs can manufacture their own, unlike humans; we need to get it from our food. But like us, dogs excrete any they don't need, so you can give extra without worrying. A good balanced diet with easily absorbed proteins from meat and some nice roughage will keep things on an even keel. Watch those poops! Fibre will keep things moving along. Butternut squash and pumpkin are particularly excellent sources, and they taste nice too.

Whatever you do, don't let her put on too much weight. No matter how much the treats make it all worthwhile, no matter how much you want to show her how much you love her through just one more sausage... this is one of the worst things you could do. We humans tend to generalise our own preferences and our own desires over everyone, our dogs included. But we carry extra weight well. Dogs do not. It is hard on all the joints, especially the knees, hips and back. Extra weight, especially for a dog with a compromised skeleton, is a bomb with a short fuse. Keep her weight at a good level and you will save her from loads of discomfort in the long run. Sweet veggies like carrots and snap peas make wonderful treats and you can always make your own!

All the best to you and Lucy!

Hi Shelly! Sorry to hear about your pup. Unfortunately dysplasia and arthritis are pretty common conditions in dogs. My Zola hasn't suffered from dysplasia or arthritis (despite tearing her ACL last year), but from the torn ACL I definitely understand how overwhelming it can be when something's wrong with your loved one.

I found this article about hip dysplasia that may be of help for you, it comments on a lot of the different available treatment options:


I know there are also a bunch of support aids that can help both you and your dog with mobility problems arising from dysplasia/arthritis, depending on the level of her pain and reduced mobility. Luckily nowadays there are so many options available that I'm sure you'll be able to find the best way to help her live a comfortable, long life! could be a possible option to help with her hip/back pain and instability.

I bought a knee brace from this company last year for the torn ACL and the quality and customer service were truly great.

Hopefully you and Lucy are back to being active and as pain free as possible in no time! Warm regards!