Might be adopting lab with hip dysplasia. Advice welcome!

[Babadookinthewardrobe]

Hello wise Mumsnetters.

I’ve longed for dog for years, a Labrador in particular. I love labs. I have experience of dog sitting them for friends and family for years but have never been in a position to give a dog the life that it needs. Until now. I now have the time at home and the environment to give a dog a lovely life.

I have found a gorgeous year old lab in a rescue centre. He’s had a tough start in life bless him. I am going to meet him tomorrow. I’m excited! He suffers from hip displaysia. That doesn’t really put me off. I know a lab with the same living a happy life.

I’d love to hear any advice from those whose dogs suffer from hip displaysia please. Is it always painful for them? Does it mean they have to be on drugs all their lives? Does it shorten their lives significantly? I am Googling too, but any advice would be welcome as he looks like just what I need, and me him. Thank you.

If you want a rescue dog to go walking with then I would not rescue this lab as depending on the severity of the hip problem it could create early onset arthritis - that will be very painful for the dog and limit what he can do.

Hip dysplasia in a lab is a particular issue as many labs are greedy and prone to weight gain. That may mean the hip dysplasia creates bad arthritis at an early age.

Also, unless the rescue is paying bills associated with the condition, it could be very expensive as you won't be able to get pet insurance and an operation to fix a dislocated hip or to replace the hip will be 5-10,000 and you run the risk of also having to pay for monthly painkillers etc. Monthly bill for painkillers could be £100 plus special diet etc

I had a friend with pet insurance with a large breed with the condition and they went thousands into debt because they went over annual limits and eventually after a fourth surgery and 2 years of hell for the dog it was PTS.

I am awake as I have a hip that is subluxing at the moment so understand the condition first hand but the poor dogs can't tell you how much pain they are in.

If you do decide to meet the dog you will no doubt fall in love but please really ask yourself if you can afford to take him on and if your home is a good fit for him.

My 8 year old golden retriever has hip dysplasia. It hasn’t caused any problems although when he was around 4 years he went through a short spell of not wanting to jump up onto the bed. He doesn’t seem to be in pain.

He’s a lovely boy and I’m glad to have him, hip dysplasia and all. I’ll give him the great life he deserves and hope for the best.

We had a collie with hip dysplasia and he was just like any other dog but he couldn’t cope with slippy flooring ( tiles, laminate, wood) and he couldn’t do stairs. He got a bit wobbly as he got older and the pain seemed to increase but he lived to a ripe old age and walked miles until he died of something unrelated. The view was taken that if his bones were shit he’d need to be fit so that his muscles could support him - that wasn’t the advice of our vet who basically said not to do too much exercise, but he did far more than most dogs.

That said, it’s not a position I’d willingly put myself in again.

I have friends going through this with their lab.
He’s 9 now, he had an op when still young and has had Yumove for years.
He’s struggling to walk now and has been put on medication.
He’s a beautiful boy and they love him but the subsequent arthritis is a problem now.
And expensive.

One of my mums labs has elbow dysplasia in two legs and needed surgery on both to correct it
It cost thousands per leg thankfully she had great insurance

he had the surgery at under a year old (3 now) one leg at a time, his legs are better but there's so much he can't do.
He does lots of swimming with a local dog physio some was paid by the insurance I think 10 sessions but he still goes quite often.

He cant be allowed to jump up on anything, steps to the back door have been changed to a ramp, playing with other dogs is monitored so he dosent do too much or get hurt, his weight is monitored closely, weighing his daily food out and no extra treats
Multiple daily pillsto help pain management and youmove plus some others I can't remember
So many local walks he can't go on either as the ground is too uneven or unsteady

Hes an amazing dog though, he's bonded very strongly with dd1 if we visit he cuddles up to her immediately.
Hes so sweet tempered

The main thing will be insurance and will they cover a pre existing condition or do you have the funds of he needs expensive vet treatment

The first thing I would ask is can you afford him. I know that sounds terrible but I have a Lab who was diagnosed at 2 years old. He too is a rescue.

He has quite a few other health issues as well.

For the now arthritis he is on Librella monthly injections, and although they are excellent, they are expensive. Normally you would have to visit the vet monthly for the jab (cost there too), but now they are okay with me doing it at home.

And he is on special joint food (also quite pricey).

Also consider that they will most likely exclude the condition on pet insurance.

With that out the way, my life would not be the same without him. He is the loveliest natured dog. And I don't know what will have happened to him had I not taken him.

I take my cues from him. If he doesn't want to go out for a walk, we don't go. I have been given grief here for being 'lazy' and not walking him multiple times per day, but I brush that off as it's very clear some people don't get it.

So weigh up the pros and cons and take it from there. I can almost guarantee you need to do this before you meet him.

Good luck and let us know what you decided.

We had a rescue German shepherd who had moderate hip dysplasia diagnosed at 9 months. Eventually lost him aged 13 having had a full and active life. He walked for miles (no high impact work though) He also did obedience work and loved swimming. He was medicated from age 4 though, so almost 10 years of expensive meds.

I would do it all again though.

We have a rescue lab with elbow dysplasia. To be honest it is really asking how long is a piece of string.

Even if you buy a puppy that is hip scored you can't guarantee there won't be issues with something, so my advice is work out what you can afford to cover plus how you will feel if you only have the dog a few years. Nothing in life is guaranteed but you can make a call on your ability to manage the risks.

Ours had issues early on, but physio and swimming have helped enormously. We also followed through with the keep him fit, keep the weight down and don't do snacks thing to keep him as mobile as possible and build the muscle up. We have a repeat prescription for Metacam when it flares up, and have just been advised by the vet we can give him paracetamol when he is a bit ouchy. He has had a good and full life and lots of walks. At 11 he is beginning to struggle to do his normal doggy things and can't get up very easily which is just as much a back leg thing as his front leg.

We love him dearly despite his issues and wouldn't swap him for the world.

Our black lab developed elbow dysplasia at about 6 months. Vet said he would need an operation so we got a second opinion, from an Irish vet who started out in practice with Noel FitzPatrick actually, but they parted ways when this vet disagreed with how quick Noel was to operate, he though sometimes needlessly.

Anyway he said no need to operate, would be pointless on a puppy anyway as they would compromise their recovery jumping about etc, said to rest him when he limped and walk him when he didn't. Has worked brilliantly for our dog, you wouldnt know there was anything wrong with him now, bombs about like a loon, although of course it may come back. But if it does and his life quality drastically reduces we know he has had at least 6 years of the best life ever.

We give him YuMove.

I’d be careful tbh. We’ve only ever rescued and have had three dogs that have gone in to develop arthritis at various stages. Treatment varied in when it began and what it was (including things like acupuncture, hydrotherapy - not just drugs) and it cost an absolute fortune over the years. Fortunately all were fully insured prior to developing it so the cost to me was restricted to premiums. Which of course you won’t be able to do. Is the rescue providing any back up?

My concern would be cost - if this is a pre-existing condition then you'll be funding everything yourself, including arthritis treatment into old age. It's not cheap.

The thing with hip dysplasia is some dogs are fine and lead basically normal lives - some are in agony by age two and need surgery and lifelong management. You won't know which category yours falls into until they're there, basically.

You've wanted a dog for years and imo it would be very sad for you to take on a rescue with mobility/life limiting physical issues. I've known many labs with hip dysplasia who struggled to walk far and are in varying degrees of pain. He's a one year old in rescue so it's highly likely he will have social and behavioural issues as well. Please reconsider, and think about getting a dog without issues. Personally I would raise a well bred puppy.

And you will be looking at thousands of pounds in treatment because his condition will not be insurable.

There are insurances that cover pre existing conditions (I have a policy for my dog) so it's not impossible.

I’ll second what the others have said above. I had a lab with elbow dysplasia when she was younger, which, in itself, wasn’t too much of an issue.

However, she had advanced OA of the joint by 8 years old. Managed to keep her comfortable for a while but the cost of the medication was very high. She was PTS at 9.

Don't. It may cost you a fortune in vets fees.

I would avoid this one, sorry.
This will be on the dog's Veterinary record and will not be included on the vast majority of insurance options. Some companies do offer to cover a condition that has not needed vet treatment for 3 years, but that would be a massive risk for the next few years.
Labs with joint issues are a huge issue as they are heavy dogs. Any dog with joint issues need to be kept at their absolute minimum healthy weight, which lab owners struggle with as they are greedy dogs.
You would be taking on someone else's problem here. The dog has obviously shown symptoms previously for the rescue to know there is an issue. This maybe why the dog was surrendered in the first place and the fact that this is showing symptoms at an early age would be a huge red flag for me.

It depends as you can see from the above posts.

If you are happy to have an elderly dog that may just potter around the garden and have very short frequent walks. Then the dog can have a great life with you.

If you want a dog that goes on long walks with you and is out and about this is not the dog for you.

Thank you everyone for your answers. It’s very difficult, I’m trying not to let my heart rule
my head. The poor boy is languishing in kennels as I think this issue is putting other families off. It’s not the reason we was surrendered - someone bought him off gumtree as a wee puppy and deliberately injured him the gits and he’s been in rescue ever since.
I could take on some additional costs but not thousands and thousands if I can’t get cover. And I wouldn’t want him suffering pain, but then he could be medicated, but the expense aargh. I keep going round in circles.

I’m going to meet him this morning and chat the the rescue and see what’s what and what advice they can give about managing it or even support with costs. However I do risk losing my heart when I see his little face. It’s a dilemma. There is an option to foster with a view to adoption to see how it goes and get him out of kennels as it’s doing him no good.

Thanks again, I’ll report back x

You can't adopt every dog languishing in kennels. You need to think carefully if you can afford high vet bills. If you can't this will make you feel even worse and cause you a lot of stress. I really wouldn't.

Thank you. You are right. I’m going to discuss with kennel in a lot more detail about support they could provide particularly re vet costs. A lot of good advice and food for thought here.

Quite honestly I would chat to the rescue first about if they offer assistance, then meet him after.

I strongly advise against going to see him. Once you've met him you will cave in. Especially as you've wanted a dog for years. I know how that feels. He has not had a good start in life and you would be inheriting all that that entails, the known risks are high enough but there will be other as yet unknown factors.

My last dog was the sweetest little boy and we fell in love with him before we met him. He was languishing in Battersea dogs home. We had a lot of joy with him but also so much grief due to unchangeable behavioural issues. Thousands spent.

There are good reasons why he has not been taken on already. He's a one year old lab, one of the most popular breeds. He should have been snapped up by now.