# Advice for dealing with hip dysplasia



## Dan (Sep 5, 2012)

This morning my 3 and a half year old vizsla Alfie, who up until now hasn't had any major health problems, was struggling to stand up and seemed to be in pain. We took him to the vets who did some x-rays and said that he has signs of hip dysplasia in his left hip. They suggested anti inflammatory and pain medication as well as physiotherapy (the vet mentioned hydrotherapy but Alfie doesn't like the water-would be interested to know if people thought that this was still worth pursuing even with his aversion to water?). She also suggested a hip replacement and said that with him being in very good health asides from the hip problem he would be a good candidate. I was wondering whether anyone whose had a dog with hip dysplasia could recommend anything to make him more comfortable at home e.g. a specially designed bed. Any thoughts on physiotherapy and the hip replacement would also be much appreciated.


----------



## Vida (Dec 26, 2011)

What a shame,poor dog.
Swimming is fantastic excersise that I give my dogs most days.
H2O in Wellington ,somerset are fab people who can surely lure your v into the delights of swimming,even if he is reluctant.
They have sloping access to their pool and buoyancy jackets so he relaxes into it.
I'm sure it would benefit his supporting muscles.
They may not be in your area?


----------



## Dan (Sep 5, 2012)

Thank you for replying Vida, we live in the North East but we have family down south and I start university in Exeter in a few weeks so we may be able to arrange an appointment for him. I will have a look to see if there are any hydrotherapy centers near us. We have already been told that we will have to go to Birmingham if we want the hip replacement surgery.


----------



## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Hi Dan, and welcome to the forum.

I am very sorry to hear that your vizsla has hip dysplasia at such a young age. Firstly I would suggest that you PM one our members Emily 1970 - her young dog Riley has just had a double hip replacement. Here is a link to one of her posts so you could email her.

http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,4782.0.html

Secondly, I had a friend whose lab had bad hip dysplasia and she used to take him to Oxford from Berkshire twice a week to use a hydrotherapy pool - she said he was a different dog after swimming. I am sure they are well used to teaching dogs that are water shy to enjoy the pool. It would be worth looking into. These days there are quite a few hydrotherapy pools dotted around the UK.

Thirdly, I would think very seriously about the hip replacement especially if you have insurance, they are usually very successful. Your dog is very young and to keep it on medication (which will have long term effects) for the rest of his life is not a long term answer to the problem, in my opinion. 

You will love Exeter - great area. We lived in Devon for many years before moving to Berkshire.

Good Luck with Alfie.


----------



## Dan (Sep 5, 2012)

Thank you hotmischief I will PM Emily as you suggested. After speaking to the vet when we picked Alfie up it would now appear that the HD is present in both hips but not to an extent where the vet thinks he needs a replacement at this time. We are going to try hydrotherapy and physiotherapy, and he has been given some anti inflammatory medication and some glucosamines. The vet seems to think that we have caught it quite early.


----------

