Oz Working Dogs - Assistance & Working Dog Equipment

For assistance/service dog equipment, as well as guide, therapy, detection, search & rescue, police and dogs in training equipment check out my website http://www.ozworkingdogs.com.au - I make and sell vests, capes, belly bands, harnesses, handles and more... and will post to the world!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Devastated: Knightley has severe hip dysplasia

11 months 2 weeks

During a vet visit for a stomach problem that has been intermittent over the last week or so, the vet decided that Knightley needed an x-ray to check out his gut. I asked if she could have a look at his hips while she was at it. I had been a little worried about his hips - he has developed a real 'waggle' to his walk, and no longer likes lying in certain positions. Anyway, his gut issues are still possibly not good, but the devastating news is he has severe hip dysplasia - to the point he won't be able to be my mobility assistance dog.

The vet phoned me with the results after Knightley had been at their hospital for a couple of hours.... she asked if I wanted the abdominal or hip results first.... and in my ignorance, I just assumed the hip results would be ok. After all I have done all I can to prevent hip dysplasia, from finding great lines, to slow growth feeding and not letting Knightley jump or run too much. So I asked for the abdominal results first, which were so-so, and they wanted to do an ultrasound for further information. Then she said "and here are the hip results.... I'm really sorry to say, but they were terrible". I just couldn't say anything at first, I was completely stunned. I managed to choke out enough words to ask if she was joking.... but she said that the left hip was worse than the right, but both were bad and that he already had the beginnings of arthritis. I was extremely upset when I got off the phone, so very very upset. I contacted hubby and my parents, and then the vet phoned back to say the ultrasound was fine, although they are still worried about him (there is a big gas bubble in his intestine which may be caused by a blockage of some sort).

So we picked him up this afternoon, and saw the various x-rays. His hip x-rays are pretty shocking, the ball of his left hip is barely in the socket. I was appalled. The vet said his hips are the worst hips she had ever seen and the fact that he hasn't been showing symptoms until recently (but really not much at all) is because I have been doing all the right things - no running up and down stairs, no jumping, fish oil, slow growth etc. So at least he has had a pain free puppyhood.

The important point though is that Knightley can no longer be considered a viable prospect for a mobility assistance dog. Of course I am completely and absolutely crushed and devastated. I haven't really taken it in yet. I don't know whether to just stop doing all task training with him, or what. I think that he can still help me at home? I just don't know. Do I immediately stop all public training?? The vet thinks we may have a couple of years of reasonable function left, but he is the worst she has seen, so really, who knows how it may go.

Hubby and I have talked just a little about what we are going to do. Knightley has a permanent home with us, no matter whether he can work or not. But ideally we are going to look for another puppy if we can.

I am beyond upset. Knightley is home now, and is completely exhausted. We are not sure if we are going to the coast at the moment, it depends how Knightley is tomorrow morning and if he eats tonight. Frankly I think we should be cramming as many awesome things as possible into Knightley's young life while he still has good mobility. I'm also going to start him on a joint supplement, and he will be getting regular special injections to improve the quality and fluid in his joints.

Anyway, that is my bloody awful news. I am still in shock.

24 comments:

  1. I've been following your blog for a while now, and am SOO sorry to hear this, I know you've put a ton of work into him, and its a crushing blow. Wow. Good luck to you both!

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    1. Thank you... it is crushing beyond belief. My mind just won't stop buzzing, but we are about to head to the coast in an hour or so and we'll be able to think more clearly down there I hope. I took him for a short walk this morning and it was heartbreaking to see such a beautiful dog, but know the truth is lurking underneath. But he seems to be feeling quite a lot better with his stomach today. Nice to see you come out of the woodwork by the way. It helps to have people out there wishing us good luck...

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  2. Oh Lyssa, how devastating. Thinking of you at this time. Give Knightly a rub from us!

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    1. I can't even really get my head around it yet. When I was considering this very very faint possibility back when I was planning getting a pup, I thought of selling him if he had bad hips but I just can't do that - and he can be of limited usefulness at home for now. I just can't give up on my dream, I am too invested now. Thanks for the thoughts....

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  3. Oh no Lyssa. Nooo. I am really sorry to hear this. I wish I could fix this for you ):

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    1. It is awful indeed.... thanks for the thought at least, even though nothing can be done.

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  4. I'm very sorry to read this Lyssa as I have been following your blog for a while and I know how focused you were on this.
    Hugs to Knightly and yourself.

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    1. We were very focused, you are right. Got back home from the coast an hour ago or so and we have made some decisions that at least help us feel more in control of the situation. Thanks for the hugs! I'll pass them onto Knightley.

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  5. I know HD is serious, but once you've had some time to recover, please look into some of the therapies available. Counter balance work is unlikely to be something he can do, but if you keep him fit and try some alternative therapies, I've known lots of dogs with really bad HD who have continued to do dogsports and live great lives..

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    1. The vet has some ideas of what to try in order to help, and I'll research things on my own. It is obvious to me now that the reason he has been refusing to obey my down/flat cues for the last six weeks or so is because it is too painful for him getting down and up. The way he lies has also changed totally, and he spends a great deal of time sitting. It is possible we can improve his quality of life for the next couple of years to the point where he could do some limited work, but without a solid down stay, public work is more or less impossible. Asking him to down is kind of cruel in my opinion, now I know why he doesn't want to do it, so I can't really see where we go from here training wise without a down.

      We'll see if therapies can help much, but the ball of his hip is literally outside its socket, it is simply amazing he has managed this much function for this long. He also has significant arthritis already. :( If we could get him to the point where he could down happily, perhaps, but from what the vet said things are certainly not going to get better - it's just a matter of preventing the slide too quickly. She doesn't even know what to expect though, with it this bad. :( But we are certainly going to try to keep him as fit as possible and try whatever might work! Maybe it won't be as we are told/fear, but this weekend Knightley was moving like a 13+ year old dog (we think he may have got a bit of soft tissue damage from the x-rays... or at least we hope so, because he had a *very* bad limp).

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    2. I'm assuming someone has talked to you about surgical options and for some reason, they're not a good fit for you.
      Also, you mentioned on the TL list that you're giving EFA with Raw diet. For joint health, the recommended EFA levels are MUCH higher, so look into that for sure.
      I know you've done lots of thinking on this, so I'm sure you're making the right call. Personally, I don't think a down-stay is a necessary part of most public access work (a stand would be fine), but the STAY part of it is probably the bigger issue.. remaining in one position/still for any length of time is probably uncomfortable for him.

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    3. Sorry for multiple posts, my thought process is a bit skewed due to the heat here! I almost wish it was winter like there!!
      Do you have anyone in Aus who does PennHip? It's a hip xray that can be done on young (4mo i think) pups, so you can know their hip status sooner.

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    4. Yep, we have a few places that do PennHip scattered Australia, and one by amazing chance is my own vet. I definitely plan to get PennHip scans done on a future pup at an early age.

      I talked about the surgery stuff on the TL group to answer the same question... but the vet says it really needs to be done after Knightley finishes growing in about 6-8 months. Even then he will never be able to do the counterbalance and manual wheelchair pulling I had wished for in an assistance dog. There is no question surgical solutions will help but it won't give me what I wished for in a mobility assistance dog. Also, it would be maybe a year from now, or even significantly more, before he was healed enough to begin public access training again, and then it wouldn't be at the level that would give me the independence I had wished for. So, that's the reason the surgical solution wouldn't be the fix we would wish for. Still, it will improve Knightley's quality of live so it's very likely we will go for it.

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  6. My first Newfy had severe HD, so bad that the left hip socket couldn't hold the ball in place all the time at 6 mo. The right was nearly as bad.
    My vet suggested that I do controlled weight pulling to build up his hip and leg muscles to hold the joint in place.
    We worked at it, and he did very well, earning a CD in obedience and a DD in carting and living a long life with great quality to 12 yo.
    If you are interested, I can send you some info and links to help get started - it doesn't take much more than a well fitting siwash harness.
    Meg from Raw Feeding

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    1. That sounds very similar to Knightley. Knightley's particularly bad hip is his left as well, which isn't actually inside the socket at all. It has caused arthritis all around the joint too. Whoever has heard of arthritis in a dog so young?!

      Controlled weight pulling is an interesting idea but it sounds completely against the normal advice that is given - ie don't have young dogs pull things if you want them to be sound. I guess that advice is given for dogs who are actually sound, in order to keep them sound. Different for dogs with unsound hips. I'd definitely be interested in whatever info/links you have. I just want to give my beautiful boy a good quality of life. Either post them here or mail to
      downunder (dot) assistance (dot) dog (at) gmail (dot) com

      Thanks heaps for taking the time to offer your advice.

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  7. Yes, it seems counter intuitive, but you don't want to go for extreme weights, or twisty turns, just light, gradually increasing weight and straight slow short walks on flat ground with wide gentle arcs to turn.
    My boy started with a simple board drag with milk jugs attached with gradually increased weight (water or sand) to a homemade 2 wheeled cart that he loved to pull in demos and parades.
    I recco Consie Powell's book on this site, and either the adjustable or a custom Siwash harness;
    http://dogworks.com/store/

    I'd suggest the adjustable one if he isn't done most of his growth or the Nylon Siwash Carting Harness with the Sled Adapter;
    http://dogworks.com/store/harness.html
    meg

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    1. I'll look into it. I could make one of those harnesses pretty easily, so at least I could save a chunk of that cost. He's mostly finished his growth. I've heard that swimming is one of the very best exercises as they get that resistance but without the impact. Unfortunately from what I know Canberra doesn't have a veterinary hydrotherapy pool that you can pay for by the hour. I will look into it though... anyone out there in Canberra got an indoor heated pool??! Thanks for the ideas!

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  8. Lyssa, I'm so sorry to read the bad news, and unfortunately I can't give you any useful advice, but I just need to tell you that I'm reading your blog for some time and I feel for both of you. I hope some therapyn will help, there's allways a way! Good luck

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    1. And if you need a new home for Knightly, give me a buzz for sure!

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    2. Thanks for the good luck wishes.... we'll see how things go I guess, but I know the way things are right now it is unfair to continue on with how I was training him. But I will continue with some things. But Knightley is definitely staying here!! Despite our dreams for him not working out, he is too much a part of our family to leave. It isn't his fault his hips are 'terrible', no more than my hips are my fault. So I'm just going to concentrate on making his life lovely.

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  9. Lyssa, this post wrenches my heart out. I have been following Knightly and have enjoyed reading about a dog just like Shai. I know if anything happened to Shai so he couldn't work, he would still be with me. I would start a new puppy, but Shai would be right there in every training exercise.

    I have never checked into this, but I had friend years ago who had both her saint bernard's hips replaced. I am sure it would be very expensive, but it might be worth checking into. So very very sorry to hear your terrible news.

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    1. Yep, Knightley is still going to be with us when I train my new pup, learning as much as he can with his physical limitations. It has certainly wrenched my heart out, I can tell you that much.... You can certainly get a couple of different hip surgeries done, but it would never make Knightley sound enough to 'work'. The vet talked about them a bit but said they would be in the future. In a way I am dreading the exhaustion that will come with a new puppy, but in some ways I am looking forward to it. Knightley will love having a friend! But thanks for your thoughts, it is hard to come to terms with it all.

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  10. Lyssa, I am so so sorry to read this completely unexpected news :( I haven't read for a while as life has been hectic here and I stunned to open your blog up and read that Knightly has severe HD. I am so sorry, I know just how much work you've been putting into him and he really did seem like he'd be the perfect assistance dog. I'm so sorry. I haven't yet read further than this so I'm not sure of your future plans but Knightly will be such a great influence on any future pup that you do decide to get, and you have learnt so so much from training Knightly, it will probably be totally different if you do decide to get a new pup and start again. I am so sorry, I'm sure once you've taken a few days and come to terms with the news you'll be able to come up with a great plan for the future and for Knightly. Give him a massive (but gentle!) pat from me and Oakley sends him some wags too :) xx

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    1. Hey Amy... I think everyone is stunned to hear this news, including us. There was such a small chance of it happening - especially this badly - that it has taken everyone by surprise. I know, like you said, that Knightley is going to be a fantastic big brother. I have indeed learnt a huge amount from training Knightley and will do a few things differently this time around! Until 6 odd days ago I expected that time to be in about 5 years though. :( Will give Knightley lots of pats and pass on the wags.

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