Trouble with Hamish

[CockerCanuck]

I posted the medical details on in the Health Forum. I recently learned my nice little 8 month old Chesapeake Bay Retriever has hip dysplasia on one side. This despite both his parents being certified clear. The breeder readily agreed to refund my purchase price and claims never have had to do so before and I have no reason to doubt that is true. Sometimes these things just happen.

I was gutted when I learned the news because he is such a nice fellow and has been really doing well with his training. Also, just like with people I like some dogs better than others, and I really like this dogs nature. He is calm, confident and happy. I don't think he is really smart but it is more than made up for in his desire to please and solid work ethic. As much as I like him I have never been overly sentimental about dogs. So I was prepared to consider putting him down or re-homing him as a pet. The problem is he is VERY POPULAR with my wife (and she has not liked all my gundogs). She tells me if there is any "re-homing" going on it is not Hamish who will be packing bags.

I started doing more research and asking others around me with gundogs for their experience and advice. We are looking into some surgical options and will consider that. However, there is also the option to just carry on and see how he does. I was surprised to learn how many dogs with bad hips there are out there working and even trialing. Most however were not symptomatic when this young. The most common experience I hear of is that the condition is only discovered when the dog is x-rayed with a view to breeding. One fellow I know has a male CBR who is still successfully running trials at 10 but can't be bred because both his hips are very bad.

For now I am just treating him as though he has no problem. I am not doing anything very physically demanding with him but I am continuing to train and take him for his twice daily runs with the other dogs. When outside and active you would not know there is a thing wrong with him. He only shows lameness in the house when calm and relaxed and particularly after lying down for a while. My feeling is there is no real cure for this but, if he is going to make it, it will be because he has good muscle and tendon development to compensate for the bad joint. This seems to me to make sense given the other dogs I know of which are working with this condition were all diagnosed much later in life so they were never mollycoddled or restricted in exercise when young.

My Vet says there is a lot of development still expected in his body over the next six months and it is just impossible to say which way that will go for him. The hip structure itself won't get better but he could improve and develop his other physical structure to cope with the bad hip. He could also get much worse and be in significant pain.

I do have some feelers out for a new pup but right now I am just a "wait and see mode". It was really heartbreaking when I first learned the news but I am getting over the original shock. He is the same happy easy going boy he was before the diagnosis. Hopefully, we will find a way through this and he will be hunting ducks next fall. If he is not in pain and otherwise healthy my eldest son has expressed interest in taking him as a pet for his young family. He is very kind and gentle with my three year old grandson. If need be we may have to put him down but my current thinking is to give it time and see where we go.

I am open to any and all advice or experience others have had with this condition.

[Naj]

Sorry to here that, CC, but I think you’re handling it well. Can’t help on the HD other than many years ago a trialling friend had a lab with HD, had an operation on it and went on to compete and work. I guess it all depends on how it develops.

Naj

[Stacia]

You can't put a young dog down just because he has hip dysplasia in one hip! If he was in great pain, maybe. However, the muscle to that leg can strengthen and help the hip. I had a GSP who had a hip replacement and was fine afterwards. I remember meeting a Collie on the hills, dashing around and he had had a hip replacement, you would never have known.

[Naj]

... I did mean he was right in keeping the dog, not in putting it down.

Naj

[trekmoor]

If the dog was in obvious pain I'd have it put to sleep. If the H.D. didn't seem to give the dog much trouble I'd keep him or find a good home for him.
My first Brittany lived and worked hard until she was 9 -10 years old when she developed cancer and then I had her P.T.S. I had her hips X-RAYED almost by chance as part of a vet hospital "study." She had a horrendous hip score ..... of 56 ! It didn't trouble her at all, she worked her whole life and won field trials and won the Brittany class at Crufts too. If she hadn't been x-rayed I'd never have known she had H.D.

Wullie

[CockerCanuck]

To be clear here are my are my intentions. I will keep him here another six months to a year to allow his condition to stabilize with his final growth. During that time I will train and exercise him as I normally would. I will then try and dispassionately assess his condition.

1. If he is able to work even with some accommodation I will keep him. Keep in mind his primary job is in water and he should be able to still swim well.

2. If he is unable to work but comfortable I will re-home him as a pet, with my son or someone else. I don't think that will be difficult he has a lovely disposition and a happy well behaved house dog which is why my wife loves him so.

3. If he is in pain I will put him down as it would not be fair to him or to pass that problem on to anyone else. It could even be potentially dangerous to place a large dog in pain with children.

[newf]

CC, unfortunate news. I empathize with you. Many years ago, I had the regrettable decision of putting my three year old lab down. At the time, he was hit by a car and came out of it lame. After a visit to the vet, the diagnosis confirmed bad hips and of course the accident had highlighted and ascerbated the problem.

The suggestion was to correct with a rubber socket, if memory serves me right. At the time, short on money and doubtful of receiving back a healthy dog for duck hunting, I had him put down. Needless to say it broke my heart but my thought at the time was to start again with a new pup from a reptable breeder. The poor dog I put down was from backyard breeding.

CC, it seems you have it all laid out and I'm sure your decision will be to do whatever is best for you and the dog.

[trekmoor]

CC, the way in which you intend to proceed with the dog seems very sensible to me.

Wullie

[Naj]

CC, the way in which you intend to proceed with the dog seems very sensible to me.

Wullie

I agree.

[Springfield Pointers]

I have seen dogs with "bad hips" have full, productive working lives.