Morning.
As per the title, my lovely boy, almost 5, is newly diagnosed with hip dysplasia and associated arthritis. We think worse in his left but present in both. We are still going through the scanning process to understand the severity. He had CT yesterday and we are awaiting the reports.
I did everything 'right', chose parents with low hip scores and elbow scores, with full health tests. Did the all the background stuff, double checked the health tests, met with the breeders and their dogs first. Went with a reputable, ethical breeder who breeds for health and temperament. Gave him a safe developmental environment, no stairs, no balls, no jumping etc for the first year. He's been on working dog joint supplements since weaning and good quality food. Kept his weight/body condition in check always, never overweight.
Yet here we are. I realise all of those things are mitigation/risk reduction, rather than a guarantee of freedom from disease but I'm gutted all the same. My poor boy. At least now we can get him on a management plan. Thankfully, we have good insurance, as the diagnostics so far have come to over £3.5k [ouch].
With this new knowledge, I know we have to make changes to his exercise regime, little and often rather than long vigorous walks. He loves dummy retrieval, so that's going to have to stop too, because of the wear and tear on his joints. I've ordered orthopaedic beds (he's a floor or sofa sleeper at the moment, so we'll see how he gets on). Obviously we will follow any treatment and lifestyle advice from our vets. Hydrotherapy has been mentioned along with NSAID & monoclonal antibodies.
Anyone in a similar position got any advice or tips for how they've changed things for their dog?
Sorry for the huge OP and thanks for reading.