hip dysplasia

Hi,
This is my girl Luna, she will be 4 years old in June
She got diagnosed with hip dysplasia and twisted knees last year.
At the moment she has been getting a needle every 3 months to help with it, and we have pain killers for her.
Does anybody have any advice that can help my girl?

Hiya, I'm afraid I don't have any experience with this but I'm sure some one will

I can't see the picture, this may help when posting photo's

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12017-how-to-post-a-photos-onto-the-forum

You could consider an op to help, other wise hydrotherapy is good to aid it Xx

How bad are the hips and knees? Hip replacements in dogs is pretty straightforward nowadays, so are operations to correct the patella, but they're very expensive. Do you have insurance?

Hi everybody,
Thanks for the responses.
Our vet has said that she will need both hips and both knees replaced in time, but it will be too much stress on her.
Also, he has seen dogs get the needed ops, but some of them are never the same.
Like any op, there are always risks.
As first time dog owners, we were not aware of pet insurance and how important it is. Due to it now being an existing it is not covered.
We take one day at a time, not looking forward to winter as the vet has informed us that Luna's bad days may become more often, and we will need to get her injection every month.
It just kills me to know she will go through this, and when she gives the eyes that just feels like she is screaming "I love you mum, please don't give up on me"

This is Luna on a good day

There are things you can do to help but ultimately it does sound like the op will be needed at some point. Yumove, Aloe Vera Gel, Hydrotherapy etc can all help ><

Hip Dysplasia/ Knee twist in dogs, my hubby put this together for you he is a sports therapist (For Humans) but the principles are the same.

Depending on how the hips were affected, there are some physiotherapy techniques which may help.
Arthritis is often associated with hip dysplasia, and this can be a problem if it is not seen early, but the usual things prescribed for humans can help her - ginger, garlic, peppers, basically anything that has an anti-inflammatory effect, and encourages blood circulation.

Do check that there are no problems with garlic - some vets get scared of it with regards to dogs, but food with a touch of garlic (the sort of stuff you would eat) tends to go down a treat.
Hydrotherapy certainly helps with mobility, but every day physio work would involve finding how the knee and hip are affected.

For example, if the hip dysplasia caused a deformation in the femur, which led to the knee twisting (I have this myself) then assess which way the knee is rotating - it is usually the case that the distal (further away from the body) end of the femur is internally rotated - you will often see this written as the HIP being externally rotated - it is confusing!) If the distal femur is internally rotated, the patella will tend to displace laterally (off to the outside) and exercise to strengthen the medial (closer to the centre-line of the body) muscles.

IN a dog this is awkward, but getting the dog to sit, then half-stand (reaching up for
treats) will strengthen the thigh muscles, but do NOT have her stretch all the way up, and only do 5 at a time.
E.G. Put her in the sitting position.

Hold a treat on your mid-thigh, and have her reach up to it (give it to her), if she can reach this without too much pain, only just lifting her front feet off the floor, continue. Make sure you are straight on (not to one side) when you do this.

IF the problems were opposite, you could try the same exercise, but move the treat to the side on which she is injured (if her left leg is bad, move the treat to her left) slightly so the lateral thigh muscles fire first.
Walking on soft ground, especially sand is great exercise - it doesn't stress the joints, but the muscles have to work well.

Take a video of her walking and running to and from you - this will give you an idea of how the muscles are being used.
If she were human, we'd have her walking across some talcum powder, or just check the soles of her shoes, but unfortunately dogs are trickier.

I hope this helps. Hydrotherapy would also be good as the water takes the stress not the body. Please let us know how you get on with things.

Hi Kathy,
Thankyou for the information, and thankyou to your Hubby.

I have printed out the info and will go through it.

Thankyou so much