Boxer post hip operation

Boomtastic

Our 10 month old Boxer has hip dysplasia so he's going in to have his operation on Friday. You then have to keep him confined for 6 weeks.

Any tips on how the hell you keep a big dog from going mad due to lack of walks. Is it best to keep him in a crate?

Any help gratefully received.

Mirror Image

Get some mental stimulating games for your pup to help keep him occupied. Check out http://www.zooplus.co.uk

Hope your pup gets better soon

dee o gee

Mirror Image wrote: »

Get some mental stimulating games for your pup to help keep him occupied. Check out http://www.zooplus.co.uk

Hope your pup gets better soon

Thats what i was just going to suggest, mental stimulation is nearly just as tiring as physical stimulation!
It might be worth asking your vet if swimming would be ok for him, it'd put less pressure on the joints and would help to build up muscle. As far as I can remember there is a specialised dog swimming pool somewhere in Ireland, think it may be dublin but not sure, think you also need a vet referal for it aswel, its meant to work wonders on dogs with hip problems. If your taking him out onto open water though make sure he wears a doggy life jacket.

Boomtastic

Post Op Day 2.

Not sure how we are going to cope with another 40 days of this....

Picked him up from the vets on Friday night in a dreadful state. He didn't know what was going on, completely disorientated, scared and probably in pain as well. We managed to get him through the night but it's like having a baby again - uncontrollable at one end and unpredictable at the other!

The worst thing is the collar he has to wear to stop him biting the wound. It catches on everything. It has to stay on for another two weeks until the stitches come out. He hates it!

Washing machine is in constant use cleaning soiled bedding. He gets taken out to the garden on the lead for regular toilet trips but seems to prefer the floor!

The enclosure we made in the kitchen out of cupboards and stairs gates to try and keep him contained is regularly broken out of. Went out looking for alternatives today. The best thing I found were a couple of those crowd control barriers but they wouldn't fit in the car. Crate would be ideal but collar would not make it a happy place.

I'm sure it'll get easier but here's hoping.......

sabbyp

Your poor fellow, hope he has a good recovery. As has already been said, lots of mental stimulation will be good for him, stuffed kongs,etc you could even do some clicker training with him check this site out http://www.clickertraining.com/- you could do some stuff that isn't physically taxing but will excersise him mentally. Also regarding the collar - they are awful things all right - check out these - www.comfycollars.co.uk they are an alternative to those hard plastic ones would be much more comfy for him.

dee o gee

Glad to hear he got through the op ok anyways, hopefully he'l be back on his feet and feeling better soon!
Seen on another site that somebody used one of those baby suits with the legs cut off as an alternative to the collar, might give him a bit of a break from it while he's being supervised of course.
Did you ask your vet about the possibility of him swimming?

Boomtastic

dee o gee wrote: »

Did you ask your vet about the possibility of him swimming?

Going in for check-up this evening. Will ask then. I sometimes see greyhounds being exercised in the sea by the jetty opposite Clontarf Yacht Club so when the stitches come off.

He seems to be managing well on his affected side. He's walking on it which is good. We've finally managed to contain him using two large cupboards.

Eating well, but no poos for three days.......

Boomtastic

Update: Day 14

The poos are coming regularly now. Everytime I leave the kitchen where he's kept, for any length of time, I come back to a nice poo on his bed/mat/floor!!! :mad: The washing machine is going three/four times a day now. He also seems to be rolling in the poo occasionally. Our kitchen stinks - permanently!!

Vet said not to scold him but ignore him and clean it up. Hasn't improved in the last five days.

Had the stitches out so the collar is gone!

He's taken to barking at 4:30am every morning. We daren't go down to him as it will only encourage him but he doesn't seem to be learning. It's the neighbours I feel sorry for!

Vet did suggest taking him swimming. €40 per hour at some specialised place on Glynn Road (not bloody likely!), so this morning at high tide we ventured into the sea at Bull Island together. It was also a chance to clean his coat as there was poo matted into it. Not too cold but I think it's time to buy some waders.

Had to buy a carpet for the kitchen floor because the vet said wooden floors are really bad and will put his recovery back by about two months. It's only an off-cut but it does seem to be helping (even though it now stinks as well!).

When I was putting him in a kennel during the summer I told the owner we were having the operation done. He said "Oh, good on you!" in a tone that suggested I'd just told him I was going to swim the Irish Sea. I now understand why.

However, on the bright side he is definitely benefitting from the hip replacement. Getting up after lying down doesn't seem as painful as it used to be. That's why we're doing this but somehow I don't think he understands!

merryhappy

Hi, I have a Cavalier who has just been confirmed as a candidate for hip replacement just wondering where your dogs surgery was performed?

YOURFACE!

Hey Boomtastic! Thanks for starting this thread! Our beautiful GSD has just been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia She is currently on glucosamine and painkillers and we should know in 6 months whether or not she will be a candidate for a hip replacement. Do you have pet insurance? If so, and your vet prescribes it, the Hydro Therapy will be covered!

Which surgeon did the operation? I believe there is only 1 in the country right now?

Any updates on how your doggie is doing I would really appreciate as I have a feeling this will all be ahead of us! Thanks!!

Boomtastic

There wasn't anything on-line for me to read beforehand hence why I started this. If we had of known all the grief that it would bring we may have reconsidered. But what's done is done and our regular vet says we'll be over the worst by Christmas. :eek:

The Vet's in Baldoyle, Dublin 13. It's called Marie Louise Vet Hospital or something. I think he only does referrals from other vets though - you can't walk in off the street. He seems very good but very busy and not too bothered about returning calls/chasing through insurance etc. Can be frustrating at times.

Yes, he was covered by insurance - phew! It cost €2200 for the op. Plus all the extras are starting to add up after the op. The vet seems to think they may be reluctant to pay for the hydro thereby hence the jaunt down Bull Island.

They only replace one hip at a time and see how they get on. I'll be damned if we do this again......

YOURFACE!

Ah the poor guy, he must not know whats going on. I'm sure he is as exhausted as you are! Thank goodness you got pet insurance, its quite a hefty bill alright! What sort of extras did you need to get? Is it drugs / special food etc?

The surgeon our vet was talking about is down in Cork? We don't mind traveling down at all. I am interested in hearing from people who have experience with this guy? I have no idea what his name is - sorry

Hold tight Boomtastic, it will all be worth it in the end!!

tazwaz

The surgeon our vet was talking about is down in Cork? We don't mind traveling down at all. I am interested in hearing from people who have experience with this guy? I have no idea what his name is - sorry


the vet in cork is more than likely shane at www.gilabbeyvet.com, he is in a league of his own. had my dog with him for a possible hip replacement and i found him to be brilliant. whatever i say about him wont do him justice.. had a good few appointments with him and met people that had travelled from wexford, carlow, dublin and galway esp for his expertise.

merryhappy

My vet highly reccommended Shane Guerin in Cork but also gave me the option of going to the one on Baldoyle, after reading the posts on here I think we'll be heading to Cork.. Did you find it hard to get an appointment?
Ideally I'd like toget Holly on before in December as I have a month off for christmas so I will b there to look after her.

Btw op my dog has been going to hydro therapy for about a month now n we had no problem getting allianz to fork up for it..

tazwaz

merryhappy wrote: »

My vet highly reccommended Shane Guerin in Cork but also gave me the option of going to the one on Baldoyle, after reading the posts on here I think we'll be heading to Cork.. Did you find it hard to get an appointment?
Ideally I'd like toget Holly on before in December as I have a month off for christmas so I will b there to look after her.

Btw op my dog has been going to hydro therapy for about a month now n we had no problem getting allianz to fork up for it..

our vet sent the x rays to shane and we had an appointment within 2 weeks. he does the op once a month so if i were you i'd ring him asap so you get your dog in for december.

YOURFACE!

tazwaz wrote: »

The surgeon our vet was talking about is down in Cork? We don't mind traveling down at all. I am interested in hearing from people who have experience with this guy? I have no idea what his name is - sorry


the vet in cork is more than likely shane at www.gilabbeyvet.com, he is in a league of his own. had my dog with him for a possible hip replacement and i found him to be brilliant. whatever i say about him wont do him justice.. had a good few appointments with him and met people that had travelled from wexford, carlow, dublin and galway esp for his expertise.

Thanks so much for this Tazwaz! He really sounds great and I think we will be going to him if Kula needs the op!

billydg

There is a hydrotherapy place beside the vets in blanchardstown too.
I think it is called Blanch Hydrotherapy Certer.
Not sure how much it is per session but probably warmer than Bull Island :pac:

Boomtastic

Three weeks since his operation.

What a change a week makes - phew! I hope I'm not speaking too soon but....

He's stopped crapping and weeing inside. The vet's advice not to give him any attention if he does poo or wee inside has paid off. It took a week but it was all an attention-seeking scam!

He's also stopped barking at 4:30am. He now waits til about 6:30 when he obviously wants to go outside to do his business.

He's now eating properly for the first time in months. He was painfully thin looking but now finishes what you put in front of him and looks great. (Plus his hair has grown back).

He's just walking with a slight limp. It's unbelievable the progress he's made in three weeks. He was in real pain before the operation but he can now get up now without so much as a whimper.

We are letting him off the lead in the garden outside which we are not supposed to do. He goes and lies on his sofa in the garden and sleeps. So far we've managed to avoid our cats and him crossing paths but I know it's only a matter of time before they meet and he tries to catch them.

So there is light at the end of the tunnel and fingers crossed for the next few weeks.

I'm still reluctant to have the other hip done though. Here's hoping he won't have to.

andreac

Great to hear theres an improvement.

One thing you mentioned was letting him off the lead in the garden and you arent supposed to, if you were told not to do this then i definately wouldnt as you could end up causing pain or damage to the dog. If you were instructed to keep the dog on lead for a certain amount of time i would stick with this as you could hinder the recovery process by letting him free run of the garden so soon.

Paul91

andreac wrote: »

Great to hear theres an improvement.

One thing you mentioned was letting him off the lead in the garden and you arent supposed to, if you were told not to do this then i definately wouldnt as you could end up causing pain or damage to the dog. If you were instructed to keep the dog on lead for a certain amount of time i would stick with this as you could hinder the recovery process by letting him free run of the garden so soon.

have to agree with this, dogs will do daft things, like our boxer/lab cross whom the day after his snip thought it would be a great idea to jump onto his kennel roof then onto the shed roof (which was next to it but the kennel has since been moved) and after one run through to check the drop to the "outside" over the wall (which is about 3m on our garden side but only a 2m on the street side) into the street - luckily his stitch's where ok

Boomtastic

I think the vet's concerned he may start running or turn suddenly. Things that might make the leg pop out of the hip socket. That's why we're more worried about the cats - he always has a go at them. Otherwise he normally just goes to his sofa and sleeps. He's very laid back when he's happy! :rolleyes:

andreac

Which is all the more reason not to let him off the lead until hes completely recovered.

YOURFACE!

Hey Boomtastic, that's brilliant to hear that he's really on the mend! I hope the cats don't torment him too much. I would agree to keep him on the lead as recommended by your vet, I would hate to see any damage done especially as he is making so much progress.

elaine_nolan

Hi Boomtastic...

We have an 11 month old Saint Bernard with Hip dysplacia. He will need a total hip replacement. How is your dog doing? Im am worried about this operation although i am not sure when he will get it. what age is your dog?
our dog is insured and goes to Hydrotherapy... he goes to the Blanchardstown Canine Hydrotherapy, next to the vet. It is great and the girl is brilliant. The difference in him since he started it is unreal. I would not recommend the one on the glynn road we tried and tested it and moved. Probably just personal experiences that we had that made it bad but since we moved we saw a massive improvement.
How long before they do the second hip? there is nothing on the net about recovery which is why i joined this and it is great to get some personal info. Did you need to lift him at first to try and get him out to the loo? can he be left alone or do you need to be there for the first few weeks?

Would be great to hear from you and hear how your fella is doing, hope he is great and able to chase cats!

Thanks
:P

Magenta

I can't believe dogs this young are getting hip dysplasia, best wishes to the OP and to you Elaine.

andreac

Magenta wrote: »

I can't believe dogs this young are getting hip dysplasia, best wishes to the OP and to you Elaine.

Thats why its so important for people to buy pups where the parents have been health tested and hip scored.

YOURFACE!

andreac wrote: »

Thats why its so important for people to buy pups where the parents have been health tested and hip scored.

Very true, but if you go down the rescue route, like we did youve know way of knowing what the parents were like We will know next month if Kula needs her op but since being diagnosed, she has been on Previcox and Arthi Aid and is a brand new dog

andreac

Ah yes of course, that cant be helped. But anyone going out to source a pedigree pup should ensure that both parents are health tested and hip scored if the breed is prone to it.

crazy600

Great to get to hear from other people with this problem.

Did anyone go for the Triple Pelvic Osteotomy? or where all these surgerys hip replacement?
My cross breed puppy ust turned 8mths has been diagnoised with hip displasia and this surgery is an option before she is 10months old.

andreac

crazy600 wrote: »

Great to get to hear from other people with this problem.

Did anyone go for the Triple Pelvic Osteotomy? or where all these surgerys hip replacement?
My cross breed puppy ust turned 8mths has been diagnoised with hip displasia and this surgery is an option before she is 10months old.

Havent any experience on this, but i hope you have pet insurance;)