So Finley is 5 now and we had been walking about 27 miles a week for the past 18 months and he enjoys it. About 4 months ago after he gets home and lays for a bit he limps badly from his right hip. Took him to the vet and they tried Antinol as a supplement and that never took care of it so the vet took Xrays of his hip. I did not really like the procedure because they had to sedate him for that. So the vet said his hip joint is not perfectly smooth and he has a tiny bit of arthritis on his spine but the arthritis is not very bad. So now they put him on Galliprant which is medication for arthritis and inflammation and arthritis but it really has not helped. It's a fairly safe medication as compared to some of the stronger ones. So after a few months we tried a stronger one but he reacted to it and it did not help anyway so we went back to Galliprant and Antinol. The Antinol is safe always.

I don't really know where to go from here? We cut walking down to 15 miles a week. He never limps on his walks, ever. Its only when he comes home and settles in and then gets back up. We take one day a week off and I noticed he limps more on those days. The limping always starts in the early afternoon. At the vet we also tried laser treatment but that really did not do much. All I have left to try is acupuncture because they do offer that.

I read today that Huskys can be prone to hip dysplasia as it gets passed down to them in their genetics. Finley was a rescue puppy and by accident we found out that he came from a backyard breeder so who really knows. I would not trade him for anything though. I just feel badly for him and want to do the best for him because it's painful to see him limp so badly every afternoon.

Is anyone else dealing with this issue? Im hoping the acupuncture will help and I want to be positive but if the hip ball and socket is rough and not smooth I don't see how it can help?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Sorry to hear you're going through this.

For the past year or so, we have been dealing with a hip/ muscle (?) issue with our Aussie. She's 9-10 years old. Noticed she had trouble getting up after laying down for a while. Her rear end would also "collapse" if you pushed down on her or if too much weight transferred to her back end during a running turn etc.

Vet did x-rays etc. Nothing obvious. Very slight arthritis. Put her on Carprofen and Gabapentin (tried something else I can't remember). We tried the Cosequin tabs from Costco for a few months. Nothing made much of a difference. Vet thinks it's a ligament issue. Costs $3500 to find out since there is no way to tell without surgery. We're not there yet.

When we got the husky puppies, we kept a close watch on them and her to make sure things would be ok. Honestly, she seems more active now. Still can't get around like she used to, but not in any obvious pain (so hard to tell since dogs are amazing at masking pain).

We've chalked it up to old age.

One thing we did that may or may not have actually done anything but seemed to, was feed her Chicken Feet. We raw feed (partially) our dogs. Heard chicken feet were good for them so we got some. They seem to like them.

Best wishes.

here are the X-rays for my two with hip dysplasia.

More Hip Dysplasia

I happen to have two different types of dysplasia in my crew. The square peg, round hole. And the round peg, no hole essentially. Frankly though, right now, my older female with the arthritis has more limping trouble than either of my dogs with HD. She is 9. One of my HD dogs is 7 and the other is around 5. None of mine are currently on any medication from the vet's office for it. Kenzi gets a baby aspirin when we get back from a long walk if I think she will need it. She is my arthritic dog and she will stove up as the day goes on after a long hike which will bring on limping. My HD dogs don't tend to have many problems except my big boy, Kye, who is the square peg in a round hole HD who will limp during a long walk toward the end but doesn't have lasting limp issues. From my experience the arthritis is probably giving more issue at the early ages than the HD. Seeing your X-rays would tell more of a story though. One the X-rays I linked to you can see bright spots on the images and those are where mine are getting the majority of their rubbing. Putting the dogs under for X-rays is common. My large dog Kye wouldn't lay on his back with his legs spread naturally so they had to sedate him as well. My other dog, Keno, pretty much will let you do anything to him and he didn't require sedation.

I haven't done acupuncture. More than likely what you will get from it is a lessening of any swelling in the area that will be forming from excessive rubbing and a deadening of nerves that are registering pain. It can be a great thing and very effective. I know humans who have done it for things like Bursitis and have had great success. I figure it's worth a try if you have someone who knows what they are doing.

How I have treated mine is with diet and supplementation and a change of exercise. We don't run much anymore. I will jog them around a mile and that is it. We cut back on biking as well. We exchanged those activities with swimming which is lower impact and climbing, which puts the majority of their work on their front legs and helps to strengthen those front legs for later when they may start to really favor the rear. What do you currently feed? High quality diet is where I saw the most gains. We do a little bit of TOTW kibble but the majority of my dog's food is Raw or Freeze dried raw. They get an InClover jump treat as a hip joint supplement that has ginger in it which is good for all kinds of things. They also get fish oil and vitamin E. This little bit has worked well for mine.

Another member who battles arthritis has a more complex regimen and has had to adjust it a couple times due to having issues with it working. It might be of value to you since Finley has already shown signs of more extreme medications not working. Her course of action is also a natural approach you can try without throwing money at your vet.

Dakota's Having Trouble Standing

dvflyer wrote:

For the past year or so, we have been dealing with a hip/ muscle (?) issue with our Aussie.  She's 9-10 years old.  Noticed she had trouble getting up after laying down for a while.  Her rear end would also "collapse" if you pushed down on her or if too much weight transferred to her back end during a running turn etc.

We had an Aussie with hip dysplasia. He was the more active dog out of the two we had at the time.

Cut back on running with him, but still did a lot of walking to get his exercise in. We used to do some hiking on trails which we stopped. Also, swimming tends to be good exercise that is easier on the joints, so if he likes water, getting him some swimming time might be helpful. We also started him on some supplements and some mild pain medication that also helped with inflamation. I really question the effect of the supplements (most of that stuff turns out to be bogus under any scrutiny), but the pain meds had a HUGE effect. I forget what it was, but it was the equivalent of a human taking a couple advil a day.

The other thing we focused on was quality of life changes. Comfier raised bed so he could lay down in ways that didn't bother it as much, and could get up easier. We reduced the angle of some ramps that the dogs used. Things like that.

When the issue started to take effect, it hit hard and fast and he went downhill fast. After making some changes and getting him on the low level pain meds he actually became more active than he was before. In fact after a year you really only noticed it if he had a particularly active day.

Now, he was a pretty mild case, but he went from being lethargic and looking like he was in constant pain to being pretty active and healthy again after just some minor changes.

Thanks everyone. I can probably get a copy of the X-rays, I would assume?

As far as the acupuncture goes one of the actual vets is trained in it for animals so that is good. That will be the next thing we try. I will try to get a copy of those X-rays.

As far as diet, well it's nothing special. It's the Kirkland food from Costco. It does get a 4 start but Im not sure how much that means and it is kibble. I mix a tablespoon or two of non fat plain yogurt into the food each day. That's not a bad thing, right?

Hi Tom and Sharon, I am sorry y'all are going thru this. I am not there, and hoping my two wont have these troubles. Some things tho that I can share with y'all as ideas you can look into. I also give Inclover, like Jenn does https://inclover.com/shop/jump-15-oz-bag/ a friend of mine is currently dealing with the issue as well, with her 1.5 year old standard poodle, so it can hit at any age. The suggestion of raw chicken feet is an excellent one, if you feed them give one a day and cut about a 1/2 cup of kibble. You want a lean dog with hip issues. The chicken feet have natural chrontidine and glucosamine (spellings lol?). You also want to provide lubrication, as Jenn also mentioned with the fish oil and vite E, many people use Bonnie and Clyde https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Omega-Fish-Dogs-Supplement/dp/B01LVXTUT1 it is properly formulated, so you do not have to figure out the Vite E it is already in the product. Another item you can look up is Golden Paste, many recipes out there for that, but it too can provide help in reducing swelling. And swimming is a great way to provide exercise, since it is low impact with their bones and joints. Keep us updated, and I wish y'all best of luck that you can get Finley feeling better.

tsfrance wrote:

Thanks everyone. I can probably get a copy of the X-rays, I would assume?

Yep. My vet gave me a dvd that had my images on it but if your vet does email they may also be willing to email you the images. they open up as a .jpg

Kirkland is decent and on par with TOTW. I wouldn't switch food per se, just look at adding some supplements like the fish oil and chicken feet. If you decide you want to go raw we have a lot of info on that. It can be daunting but it will go a long way to joint health and overall health.

MiyasMomma wrote:

Hi Tom and Sharon, I am sorry y'all are going thru this. I am not there, and hoping my two wont have these troubles. Some things tho that I can share with y'all as ideas you can look into. I also give Inclover, like Jenn does https://inclover.com/shop/jump-15-oz-bag/ a friend of mine is currently dealing with the issue as well, with her 1.5 year old standard poodle, so it can hit at any age. The suggestion of raw chicken feet is an excellent one, if you feed them give one a day and cut about a 1/2 cup of kibble. You want a lean dog with hip issues. The chicken feet have natural chrontidine and glucosamine (spellings lol?). You also want to provide lubrication, as Jenn also mentioned with the fish oil and vite E, many people use Bonnie and Clyde https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Omega-Fish-Dogs-Supplement/dp/B01LVXTUT1 it is properly formulated, so you do not have to figure out the Vite E it is already in the product. Another item you can look up is Golden Paste, many recipes out there for that, but it too can provide help in reducing swelling. And swimming is a great way to provide exercise, since it is low impact with their bones and joints. Keep us updated, and I wish y'all best of luck that you can get Finley feeling better.

Thank you. The vet in the office that does the acupuncture also deals in a herb but I do not remember the name of it. Where do you get chicken feet?

Have you ever heard of Antinol? I get them from the vet but Im not sure if they need a prescription or not. They are very expensive although my vet matches the best online price of them which is $30 for a pack of 30. I give Finley 2 a day. Im just curious as too if anyone else here has used them? It's a oily fish oil mainly with a few other things in it gel capsule. The ingredients are:Ingredients:

Product Facts (Per Softgel):
PCSO-524 (marine-sourced fatty acid blend) - 50 mg

Other Ingredients:
d-alpha tocopherol (vitamin E), gelatin, glycerin, olive oil

Thanks.

I've heard of it. Not used it. Doesn't seem any different than doing a good fish oil supplement with a side of green lipped muscles, which I think is what it actually is just in a fancy pill form. You can get green lipped muscles in many forms for much cheaper.

chicken feet can usually be had in the supermarket area where they keep the rest of chicken at. Not the frozen section. Walmart here has just started carrying them, but before most any of the Kroger brand supermarkets have them.

Hi tsfrance!

Below are some supplements/natural remedies that I would suggest you try?...

• Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements like Triacta are designed to grow healthy cartilage, and maintain collagen and connective tissues. This helps lubricate and repair the current body.
  
• Green lipped mussels are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids which helps reduce inflammation. They also help the triacta style products work faster.
  
• Golden paste and curcumin act like a natural Tylenol offering more anti inflammatory source as a powerful antioxidant that binds to free radicals.  While i've never tried the golden paste, it's a really well known and highly recommended all natural anti-inflammatory that is often recommended online.  Google it
  
• CBD Oil improves overall anxiety, energy, stamina, cardiovascular health, brain health, and mobility.  It can also act as a natural anti-inflammatory.  It is easily digestible and assimilated to give your husky the relief it needs.  While expensive to use long term, I have yet to hear a dog owner who has never had a positive experience with this product.
  

That's about all I can recommend in terms of natural remedies.  Some like the golden paste are super easy and relatively cheap to maintain and make, others like CBD cost more, but have more immediate results.  Either way...I wish you guys a quick recovery and journey to finding what works best to keep this long-term condition at a manageable level!

Cheers!

So after much treatment and just seeing his condition get worse we made an appmt. with a orthopedic specialist. Finley was scheduled to have acupuncture with our normal vet but when we got there she said it would most likely not help at this point so she gave us a few referrals to choose from. So we sent over the Xrays and then had the consultation and it's not the hip at all. The hip is pretty much fine. It's a condition of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament and she says it's very common in large dogs. He may have torn it while playing or it sometimes just happens. Not treating it will cause havoc on him and his other legs over time. I feel good about her as she says she has done over a thousand of them and the success rate is 95 percent and the hard part is after he gets home. First 2 weeks is pretty much no activity at all. Nothing you can do about arthritis but this will slow it down quite a bit. If all goes well he should be back to normal walking in 8 weeks.

We are a bit nervous but there is really no other option. If he was a 30 pound dog rest and inactivity would probably fix it but for large dogs that does not work.

Monday morning at 8. All good thoughts appreciated!

Positive thoughts sent to y'all <3

Good Luck and of course positive thoughts to you all. I hope Finley will be back to his old self very soon!

Considering the alternative, hip displacia, I think Finley will do great! Just maybe keep him busy with bones or something to chew on since he can't do very much physically for a little while, might take away the edge and be less bored. Keep us updated with his progress!

Thanks for the well wishes.  He is out of surgery and doing well.  He comes home tomorrow and then 8 weeks of being careful with him and slowly getting back to normal.  The vet said that his knee ligament was torn and had been torn for awhile.  I guess it happens a lot in large dogs (87 pounds) and they actually flip the bone around, add a plate and screw it down.  

So for 9 months my normal vet was treating him for his hip when his hip is fine.  Will be looking for a new vet.

That is great that he's out and doing well. Now to keep him doing well. That's cute what they do for pets (really more for the owners) on their message board there.

Now all she has to do is simply figure out how to keep him calm and quiet for 8 weeks!! Yeh, sure!!

Wow, I'm glad it was properly diagnosed this time and he is on his way to recovery! I know vets can't be 100% right all the time but dang, imagine if it was never properly diagnosed! Positive thoughts and energy to you all that Finley makes a full and speedy recovery

That's great that it was diagnosed and you were able to get him into surgery!

Best wishes.

glad he was diagnosed properly. send positive healing energy your way, get well soon Finley.

Thanks everyone. He is home now and last night was our first night. He seemed very anxious so it was quite a night. I slept on the couch and he slept on the floor on a comforter right next to me and it was pretty good until 2am and then he did a lot of whining and crying so I got on the floor with him and petted him and after a bit that put him to sleep. As far as being anxious goes he is much better today. He has a fentanyl patch which comes off tomorrow evening for pain and he also has mild sedatives. But today he has been resting. It's difficult to get him out 2-3 times a day for his business but last night late he finally went pee and I was glad for that.

Would it be wrong to post a photo of his leg after surgery? I don't want to upset anyone by doing something that is not acceptable here. Thanks.

Check out my post on Sierra and her knees.  I really believe the PT we did and the braces helped so much in her recovery!

Good luck, but be ready for the other knee to go. I think if we would have had the brace for the first knee we would have saved the other knee.

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t16336-sierr-s-acl-surgery-and-her-recovery-and-now-the-other-knee

also this stuff is great for our aging pups:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041OOQ1K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

never had a complaint on any gross pics i have posted, just have a warning.

jbealer wrote:

Check out my post on Sierra and her knees.  I really believe the PT we did and the braces helped so much in her recovery!

Good luck, but be ready for the other knee to go. I think if we would have had the brace for the first knee we would have saved the other knee.

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t16336-sierr-s-acl-surgery-and-her-recovery-and-now-the-other-knee

also this stuff is great for our aging pups:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041OOQ1K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

never had a complaint on any gross pics i have posted, just have a warning.

Thank you for sending me the link to your old topic. I was wondering if not getting any sleep the first night was normal but now I see it is. His sedative is affecting him much more today so he has been pretty good.

The vet did tell us that his other knee was possible in time. I don't think he did this while we walk because we are desert people and our walks are on flat ground but when he plays with our other dog they do play like nuts and Ive seen him take a tumble once or twice so I'm thinking it happened in a play session. Going through it twice must have been really really hard on everyone.

Hope he is recovering well!!

That is a little scary about your first vet misdiagnosing!
( Our vet has done a few strange things as well...I.e. Rumo could not walk for an entire day after he was sedated...so I don’t fully trust our vet either)

Our 6 yo has similar symptoms...limping after getting up from rest. He has improved a lot with
- supplement of glucosamine/chondroitin/msm/omega 3 & 6
- valet parking ( we pull up alongside grassy curb, no more leaping out onto the concrete garage floor)
- using wide shallow front steps, instead of the steep short garage steps
- full-out runs only on grass

But he is going to need X-rays, I think...I will be sure to ask about the ligament thing!
Thanks for sharing....

I've been watching Sasha the past few months and like @Shepsky13 and Rumo I've been noticing
- a pretty constant limp on left front foot.
- occasional tripping as she getting up after laying down for a while
- occasional tripping over her own feet as she's going up / down stairs

I've talked about this with my vet who 'prescribed' a glucosamine regimine and a doggy NSAID for those days where it's really obvious when she's in pain.

I agree that this is scary but then she was an adult when I brought her home 6+ years ago so she's 9ish now. Looks like it might be time to schedule another vet visit.

@tsfrance the after effects of sedation can be scary, dealing with that as well as the ongoing pain as he heals is going to be 'interesting.' Y'all take care now!

Sedation after effects. 24 hours usually...