Its been a long while since I posted here but I figured I check in and see if anyone has some advice.

Ajax is now 5 years old and I am fairly certain he has Hip Dysplasia. BUT I figured I'd check and see if there are other conditions that share similar symptoms. Hopefully less severe conditions.

The most noticeable symptom I've seen is the "bunny hopping." For as long as I can remember he has done the bunny hopping while running.

He has no trouble running, aside from the bunny hopping, but he seems to tire out quickly. I don't think he is overweight. He is a big boy cause he is definitely on the larger size for Siberian huskies. About 25-26 inches at the shoulders and 70ish pounds. But I figured it may also be a personality thing as when we go to the dog park he is usually more interested in exploring or chewing on whatever he can find. Rather than playing and running with other dogs.

One thing that worries me is that he's never been a jumper. I'd say he has trouble jumping onto anything more than 3 feet high. For a while I thought maybe it was because he is a bigger boy but I've seen videos of other huskies and GSDs and similar sized dogs being able to jump.

Every now and then I've noticed that after he's gone to the bathroom (#2) that while walking away he will yelp and try to bite/sniff at his rear thigh. I can't remember if he's done it to only one of his rear legs or to both. BUT there have also been times he has done this because there would still be poop hanging from his butt if the dummy had chewed up a toy with strings and accidentally ate some of the string. So does he yelp and try to get to something because of pain or because he thinks he's got something stuck to him?

Its night right now but tomorrow I will watch him and see if I recognize any other symptoms. I'll attach some pics just so anyone who may want to get a glimpse of him can.

If worst comes to worst, I don't think we'd be able to afford any surgeries.

there are many things that could cause the issues that you are seeing ranging from hip dysplasia to a bad disc in his spine, to nerve damage, torn muscles and pinched nerves. It could even be severe arthritis. You need to have hip x-rays done. Hip dysplasia does not mean expensive surgery. You gotta see what you are dealing with. I have two dogs with HD. One has no pelvic sockets and the other has a square ball sitting in a normal socket. Do you currently give anything for joint health? Does your dog lay with his hips frogged out behind him? Frogging when laying down is a pretty good sign of HD. Dogs with HD do better kept very lean. I've struggled with this and my big boy. He's 27" tall and 80 pounds and I struggle to keep his weight down due to other medical issues. Swimming is a great low impact way to exercise that won't hurt them as bad as other forms of exercise. Climbing helps to build upper body strength to compensate for them not wanting to over use their rear legs. Anytime there's obvious signs of pain you need to figure out what is going on and make decisions from there. My boy with HD who has no pelvic sockets has not had any issues. I had a vet initially tell me he would need surgery eventually but he's 9 now and his hips have never been an issue with good diet, joint supplements, and altered exercise. My big boy with the square joint is a problem and surgery would be preferable but I can't afford it with all the other medical issues I've faced with him and my other dogs. There are many other non-surgery options that can be explored such as chiropractory, acupuncture, supplements, and specialized exercise. First and foremost though is figuring out what you have on your hands and then we can really go from there.

My shepherd has hip issues and i thought it was hip displaysia he started having issues like what you described. We did xrays and found minor hd and more arthritis then anything else but we think the biggest problem is the weight. We have him on dasuquin and are really watching what he eats and it seems to be helping. I was prepared for major surgery. And shadow turns 7 tomorrow.

I get the hopping but what really told me something was wrong is shadow was crossing his tracks in the back.

My boy has lumbosachral disease which is inflammation and pain in the spaces between his vertebra and one of things I caught him doing before it was diagnosed was trying to bite his hind end after going to the bathroom. I would say that a vet visit should be made to get their take on it. Good luck!