Tracy Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Guess what hip hisplaysia in one hip and still no diagnosis for the limping in the front end
we x-rayed my first berner when he was 10 months old since he was limping on and off and would only pace for the show ring. My vet and a specialist we consulted both agreed that they would not say he had hip dysplasia but neither one would say he did NOT have hip dysplasia. Both recommended I wait until he was at least 2 years old and repeat. In the meantime, unless he showed increased limping, don't worry. They did discuss a potential TPO before he reached a certain age if we felt his hips were in need of that. I did not want surgery so I decided to take my chances.
At age 2 I redid the x-rays and he received an OFA good. At the age of 11 years 4 months, he has slowed down a little but he is still sound and can move like the wind in a show ring. He can still jump on and off my bed, run up a flight of stairs, and jump in and out of the back of my Grand Cherokee. I have had him on Glyco-Flex since he was about 4 and started adding Ester-C this winter.
My second berner received 3 different ratings from OFA on her hips and elbows - none of them passing but all of them different grades with a different diagnosis. I never did any surgery but kept her muscled and lean. She only started showing lameness around age 6 but even then, after "warming up" she had a flowing gait. She was also on Glyco-Flex and I kept her thin. Sadly she died of histio over the winter.
Joints go through so much in that first year that unless it is SO obvious and the pup is showing pain and an altered gait, there is a chance all will mature better than expected. The front end could also be pano and something that will pass as the pup ages. Try Ester-C, a low protein, low fat food, and exercise. My mom's golden had such severe pano that she had to carry him for 8 months - he refused to walk. They feared dysplasia but on x-ray at 8 months, he had gorgeous joints - but the long bones were inflamed indicating pano. He finally grew out of it by 14 months and remains sound at almost 9 years.
Good luck, Molly and the gang Charlottesville, VA
