Hip question?
I've been noticing these past few days that Miyu's hip pops, mainly on the left side. She is almost 8 months old, and is pretty active with full force wrestling against Tikaani. Is she old enough for this popping to be cause of concern for HD, or do you guys think that there is a sliver of a chance that it could be from something else? After work today, I'm going to schedule a vet appointment for her just to check it out.
Comments
Do you see it pop or just hear a "pop" like sound?
Does she stretch her leg and kick it out?
At her age, I wouldn't be too concerned just yet (unless it is a frequent daily occurence). However, if it makes you uncomfortable...for your sanity it wouldn't hurt to go get her "checked out".
She has done a "mule kick" once or twice, which is usually followed by her sitting down and lazily scratching her side with the same foot. I at first thought these kicks were from her knees, but they feel a lot tighter than both of Tikaani's knees (who has LP).
Jesse
If she doesn't seem to be in any pain, just keep an eye on it. Wait it out and see how she develops. *I almost feel like you should give her supplements for it though. I mean...it's possible for her to have HD but not be reactive/responsive towards it now since she is still puppy.
Have you talked to your vet yet? You should probably at least call and do a phone conference with your vet to find out what s/he recommends.*
Also, you know you can get x-rays without any anesthesia, right? I never put my dogs under for x-rays. If she is gonna be under it anyways for the spaying, then yeah...might as well get it done. Otherwise, I believe it to be unnecessary. FYI.
Also, what I've been told by my vet is that most cases of HD is near correctible when caught within the 1st year of a puppy's life. So, even though I neutered my Shiba, I asked for HD-like x-rays. I also did the same for my Shikoku when she went under for her rear dew-claw removal. Both showed relatively healthy and well-seated hip joints.
Jesse
I've been giving everyone Glucosamine once I started Tikaani on it.
Here's an interesting thought that a trainer had brought up, that Miyu's popping could be caused by her approaching heat. That the body can sometimes lose it's tightness, which I can kind of see since my body craps out during hormone changes as well. Anyone else heard of a heat causing the body to be "loose"?
EDIT: Made an appointment with this vet for tomorrow at 9. I'm amazed that they are open on a Sunday (and a holiday at that), and the receptionist sounded very nice and friendly. And she said that if it felt serious enough, they would do an x-ray without sedation during the appointment just to get a better look.
But as for the new vet... I am impressed that they are open on a Sunday. I would love to find a vet open for more than a couple of hours on a Saturday, much less a Sunday! (With Nola's accident-prone-ness, having a vet open on weekends could come in handy!)
Hopefully all will go well tomorrow and Miyu will get a clean bill of health.
Also, out of curiosity, why do you feel it is important for her to go through one heat cycle before spaying? (I am not being judgmental, I promise, I am honestly curious.) Is it to ensure that she is hormonally mature? Or does going through a heat cycle help with closing growth plates? Sorry to kind of bombard you, but I know the debate over early spay versus later spay, but it is great to get reasoning from people that you know and trust to put their pets health first.
Jenn, the vet clinic I've been going to uses digital x-rays and they've come out clearly. These x-rays are the very same ones that get sent into OFA for prelims and/or finals. I've never been allowed to go into the back area so I'm not sure how they do it. The dogs seem just fine. Lynx especially...I sent her in WITH a muzzle and was very surprised when the vet staff brought her out WITHOUT a muzzle! So it couldn't have been that bad of an experience at all -shrugs-.
* @Calia
All the best to Miyu!*
Calia - I hope Miyu is okay and nothing too serious. Keep us posted on how the vet check goes.
Sending happy thoughts your way.
From what I've been hearing and reading, there seem to be a lot of benefits to letting them have at least one heat. The biggest argument I saw for getting her spayed before 6 months was chances of breast cancer. Supposedly if spayed before first heat the chances of breast cancer is 1%, after first heat 8% and after second heat about 25%. 8% is still pretty good odds, so I figure having one isn't going to hurt.
I remember hearing that a spay is harder, on both surgeon and dog, once they have had a heat due to the uterus stretching. But I've read that you can get just the ovaries removed, which is supposed to have less complications than getting everything removed. So if I can convince a vet to remove just the ovaries, it should reduce any complications (such as bladder incontinence).
So basically I'm just being over worried fur-mom as the vet sees nothing wrong with her. he said that she has very good range of motion and her knees feel firm. The vet was very nice and answered all my silly questions. So at the very least, we found a new vet in all of this. Funny thing is, what really sold Tom was all the solar panels on their roof.
EDIT to add this study:
http://www.vetcontact.com/en/art.php?a=81&t=
"Okkens, A.C., H.S. Kooistra, and R.F. Nickel. (1997). Comparison of long-term effects of ovariectomy versus ovariohysterectomy in bitches. In: Proceedings of Reproduction in dogs, cats, and exotic carnivores proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Canine and Feline Reproduction, Veldhoven, The Netherlands, P.W. Concannon, G.C. England, A. Rijnberk, J.P. Verstegen, and C. Doberska (editors), Journal of Reproduction & Fertility: Cambridge, U.K., Vol. 51, p. 227-231. ISBN: 0906545315.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 J8222 Suppl.
Abstract: Although ovariectomy is less invasive and less time-consuming than ovariohysterectomy, most surgical textbooks recommend ovariohysterectomy for routine neutering of bitches. This advice is probably based on concerns about the development of uterine disease after ovariectomy. However, there is no evidence that conditions such as cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH)-endometritis develop in the ovariectomized bitch, unless progestagens are administered. The purpose of this study was therefore to compare the long-term effects of ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy, including the incidence of urinary incontinence. Questionnaires were sent to 264 owners of bitches, in which ovariectomy (126) or ovariohysterectomy (138) had been performed as a routine neutering procedure 8-11 years earlier. Complete data were available for 69 bitches of the ovariectomy group and for 66 bitches from the ovariohysterectomy group. There were no indications that endometritis had developed in bitches of the ovariectomy group. None of the bitches was sexually attractive to male dogs after neutering. The occurrence of a clear to white vaginal discharge was reported in two bitches of each group, but none of these four bitches appeared to be ill during the periods when the discharge was present. Furthermore, with the exception of urinary incontinence, no problems were reported that could be related to the surgical neutering. Six of the ovariectomized bitches and nine of the ovariohysterectomized bitches eventually developed urinary incontinence. Of these 15 bitches (11%), 12 weighed more than 20 kg. Bouvier des Flandres bitches were at a higher risk of developing urinary incontinence than were those of the other breeds. The possibility that the urinary incontinence was due at least in part to other conditions must be considered, since eight of the bitches were 9 years or older before urinary incontinence occurred and seven of the incontinent bitches also had polyuria or polydipsia. There were no significant differences in the incidence of urogenital problems listed above between the bitches of the ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy group. It is hypothesized that a uterine disease such as CEH-endometritis cannot develop after complete ovariectomy, unless progestagens are administered. The results of this study indicate that ovariectomy does not increase the risk of CEH-endometritis or other complications in comparison with ovariohysterectomy. It is concluded that there is no indication for removing the uterus during routine neutering in healthy bitches. On the contrary, ovariectomy should be considered the procedure of choice."
Then, of the dogs we have owned who did have HD, I never saw popping! So, I guess that says something too.
I'm glad she is ok.
Oh, about the heat comment by the trainer, that's a good point. Estrus does make the joints on a dog looser. Same with lactation - Masha pulled her ACL when she was nursing her first heat, she did it jumping down from the couch!
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Anyway, glad to hear her hips look ok.
I am glad that Miyu is fine. And I am so glad that you like the new vet. Finding a vet that listens and takes the time with you is pretty rare these days. I know when I found my new vet I was ecstatic!