I apologize for not updating recently, but Zumaya recently underwent Hip Dysplasia Surgery, and the past week has been a blur.  I never expected his recovery to be this rough, but slowly we are making progress.  Below is some information about Hip Dysplasia.  Luckily Zumaya only had one hip affected, sometimes dogs with get both hips done at the same time.  I could not imagine that!

FHO surgery is usually recommended, where the head of the femur is shaved down and the muscle builds back up and works as a false joint.  We took Zumaya in about a month ago because he was laying down 5 minutes into our walks and limping after playing at the dog park rountinely.  Below is almost exactly what we saw when they brought the X-Rays in.



Does your dog have/or has had Hip Dysplasia?  What was their recovery like?  Please email any tips or stories!  I need all the encouragement I can get!
alisontoerner@clearchannel.com


Canine hip dysplasia is a developmental condition that afflicts millions of dogs worldwide, particularly larger breed dogs. It is usually seen in young, growing puppies. Dogs with hip dysplasia suffer from malformation and degeneration of the hip joints.

What is hip dysplasia?

The hip joint is a ball-and-socket type joint where the head of the femur (the thighbone) fits into the socket of the pelvis (the hip). Puppies with an inherited predisposition to develop hip dysplasia are born with normal hips, but as they grow, abnormal development of the skeleton and musculature means that the ball no longer fits correctly in the socket of the joint. This leads to an underlying problem of hip laxity, where the head of the femur easily becomes dislocated from the hip joint. Dogs with hip dysplasia have inflamed joints with damaged cartilage (the “cushion” of the joint) which can manifest as pain and lameness in one or both of the hind limbs.

The severity of the condition tends to decrease at 12-15 months of age as the dog matures and hip joints remodel and become more stable. Once the hip remodels, the laxity of the joint becomes less of a problem and affected dogs usually improve. Unfortunately, as these dogs reach middle-age, they tend to relapse, as arthritis of the joints commonly develops.

 

What are the signs of hip dysplasia?

Sometimes there are no early signs of hip dysplasia in dogs. The signs of hip dysplasia will depend on whether one or both of the joints are affected, and how severely they are affected. Clinical signs of hip dysplasia tend to be first seen at 4-10 months of age, especially in larger breed dogs that have undergone rapid growth rate. However, some dogs may not show any signs when they are puppies and it is only in old age when they develop signs of arthritis.

What to look out for:

• Intermittent or persistent lameness (usually worse after exercise)
• Abnormal or swaying gait
• Difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position
• Reduced activity
• Reluctance to run, jump, or climb stairs
• “Bunny-hopping” (the dog moves both hind limbs simultaneously while running)
• Poor muscle development over the hindquarters
• Unwillingness to move the affected joint (e.g. will not sit on command)

These signs can be seen in puppies with dysplastic hips and older dogs that are developing osteoarthritis. If your dog is exhibiting any of the above symptoms, do not hesitate to consult a veterinarian.

Volunteer Day
I was lucky enough to have the day off on friday and use my "Spirit Day". Work gives us a day that we can go and volunteer somewhere for the day, and it was only obvious that I would choose to go to the Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton.

Below are some pictures from our day!  Two friends joined me from work as well, Erin and Gina.



For a good portion of the day we walked many dogs.  Each dog got a chance to stretch their legs and go for a good walk on the nature trail nearby.




Later on in the afternoon we tried to take the PetMobile down to the Extreme Makeover Home Edition site in West Chester.  Unfortunately dogs were not allowed around the site, so we had to leave :(  

Each of us fell in love with at least one dog that day.  The dogs pictured above (left to right) are Louis, Parker, and Oreo.  We each had a special bond with these dogs by the end of the day and saying goodbye was very hard.  If you are looking into adopting a dog, I recommend checking out any one of these GREAT and VERY LOVING dogs.

Click on the name below to learn more about:
Parker   Oreo


(Erin, Gina, and Louis)


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Greatest American Dog Premiere
Ok, I wasn't that impressed.  I will give it one more try, but I couldn't handle all the drama.  Yes it is a reality tv show, but I really thought it had potential.  Be such a big dog lover, it just left me disappointed.

Watch for yourself...Thursdays on CBS at 8pm.


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Free Kibble!!
Click Here to donate free kibble to Animal Shelters by playing Bow Wow Trivia.

Tonight on CBS is the premiere of Greatest American Dog at 8pm.  Twelve teams compete for $250,000 in challenges that put the owners' ability to train their dogs to the test.


Here are a short video of what is to come!