3 year old golden retriever with hip dysplasia

[jesusinme91]

Hi!

My dog(3 year old male golden retriever, 37kg/81lb) started limping 4 days ago. Yesterday he looked pretty uncomfortable, so I took him to the vet, got an x-ray done and found out he has an extensive hip damage. I also included an x-ray from when he was a puppy for comparison.

• X-Rays:
• https://ibb.co/jRrzh1y
• https://ibb.co/HKPVgYw
• https://ibb.co/bPkG28h

Doctor prescribed:

Inflacam 2,5 mg, Movoflex supplement and Tralieve 80mg, if no improvement after 72 hours with Inflacam. Also got a shot of painkiller/anti-inflammatory.

He also suggested to make an appointment after 10 days with the surgeon to evaluate hip replacement option, which I am going to do.

Today the dog is still limping, but there has been definite improvement and he started using all 4 legs when walking.

My questions:

Is there anything else that can be done to make him comfortable?

Are there any other supplements that work well to alleviate the problem?

Is hip replacement our best bet?

Hip replacement seems like an invasive and complex procedure. Could anyone recommend any clinics/Doctors who specialise in this area and are known for doing exceptional work? I am currently in Portugal, but this dog can fly anywhere in the world.

If this was your dog and money was no object, how would you treat your dog? Is there anything else you would/could do?

Thank you for for your help in advance.

 

[leoser]

@jesusinme91 Get an opinion from the surgeon & the vet. Look into hip support slings & ask the vet about giving him any supplements that are easily accessible (glucosamine, collagen for joints & turmeric for inflammation). Hip replacement is a lengthy and expensive surgery. But hip dysplasia is not a curable condition, and if your dog is already severely limping there’s likely no non invasive treatment that would completely eliminate any pain your dog is in.
Personally — he’s a young & otherwise healthy dog, I would do the surgery.

 

[jesusinme91]

@leoser Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Yes, I have already booked the appointment with the surgeon. I am open minded about having it done in this particular clinic, because it looks like a decent place. However, I have my concerns, in general, about having anything serious done in Portugal.

Also, I have difficulty differentiating surgeons who specialize in this area from the ones who do this occasionally, so I am looking for recommendations for clinics/Doctors where the best possible outcome is the most likely. I'm prepared to travel for this reason.

In addition, there seems to be a variety of implants available and, although I found some studies comparing these, not much info is available on which are the most reliable.

 

[scorpiosix]

@jesusinme91 So sorry to hear about your pup’s diagnosis. Our shepherd/lab was diagnosed last year. His right hip was worse then his left but both were pretty severe. He had his left hip replaced in June 2023 and his right in March 2024. There were complications with the second surgery and he ended up needing emergency revision surgery a week after. This recovery is a lot slower and he was knuckling for several weeks. We’re doing physio and hydrotherapy currently and hopefully he’ll eventually be back to full form! Feel free to message me if you have any questions. We’re also documenting his recovery on Instagram at djangos.recovery

For supplements we give triacta, glucosamine, bone broth, and omeg3.

 

[harvestfield2000]

@jesusinme91 Whilst you're weighing up the different options, you could start giving Antinol joint supplements. They work wonders for our dog's stiff and painful joints.