Hip dysplasia - is my dog definitely in pain?

[basildonbond]

Background- nearly 20 month old Toller, diagnosed with 'moderate' hip dysplasia on his right side at 14 months old. He was x-rayed because the vet wanted to rule HD out as his initial symptoms suggested an auto-immune problem.

He had two weeks of anti-inflammatories, a course of hydrotherapy and has nutriquin with his food along with salmon oil. He was never overweight but we do now make a conscious effort to keep him slim and have had quite a few other dogwalkers suggest he's too thin but both the vet and our trainer say his weight is perfect.

To look at him now you wouldn't think there was anything wrong with him- he is very active when he's out on walks (beautifully chilled at home though), loves playing with balls and tuggies, loves swimming, adores free running with his friends through the woods and he is FAST ... We decided it would be best not to do flyball or formal agility with him although he loves jumping over logs etc, however he does heelwork to music classes with dd and obedience with me.

But, but , but I can't get the picture of his x-ray out of my head (and it was so obvious the vet didn't need to explain what I was looking at ...). And I've probably watched too much supervet where owners are always being told their dogs are in pain... Can dogs with hip dysplasia live a relatively normal life or is it a given that he will develop arthritis and need extensive surgery?

X-Rays given no indication to level of pain. Some dogs can have horrendous x-Rays, but live normal lives only needing pain killers later in life.
Other dogs have not nearly so bad x-Rays, but suffer awful pain.
Super vet patients are not representative of the vast majority of dogs with hip dysplasia who are successfully managed without extensive surgical intervention.

I was going to say I'm pretty sure it can be managed rather than definitely needing surgery...and lonecat says so, so I'll go with that.

But, don't assume that he's pain free because of his behaviour, my dog has elbow dysplasia and spinal pain...you wouldn't have a clue that he has anything wrong with him if you watched him playing or running about, I have to manage his activity for him, because sadly for him, the pain is just something he is used to.

Thanks - that's reassuring lonecat

tabulah- that's my problem - how do I know if he's in pain when he shows no signs at all? I don't want to restrict his activity if I don't need to but equally I don't want him to damage himself

I don't know...with mine it's very subtle things, usually behavioural rather than physical, but he's 2 and I'm still trying to get the right balance for him.

Our old cocker was diagnosed with hd at about 4. We found it when she had an x Ray for an unrelated problem.
With our vets guidance, We kept her weight low, gave her glucosamine and omega 3, a good diet and plenty of exercise, especially swimming. She never seemed to have any pain from her hips. The vet said her muscle tone around the area was the best she'd seen and that it would compensate for the dysphasia.
If you know your dog well, I'm sure you'll know if he appears to be in pain. Talk to your vet about managing the situation.

Thanks - he's got a six-monthly check-up in a couple of weeks so I'll have a chat to my vet then

His behaviour hasn't changed at all - he's got exactly the same sunny temperament he's always had

Keep an eye on him in the early mornings - he'll show signs before he's excited and while his muscles are still cool, watch out for stiffness/slowness

I suggest to owners of dogs with this sort of problem that they periodically give painkillers for a week. This allows you to assess whether pain is a problem when otherwise insidious deterioration may not be noticeable.