{"id":11586,"date":"2012-06-30T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2012-06-30T11:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.baileybegood.com\/home\/?p=11586"},"modified":"2012-07-01T11:09:15","modified_gmt":"2012-07-01T15:09:15","slug":"medical-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baileybegood.com\/home\/2012\/06\/30\/medical-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Problems :("},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been having problems with my back legs, and recently I’ve cried a few times because of them. So mommy took me to the doctor yesterday.
\n
\nYeah, I wasn’t too excited to go, but I was <\/em>happy to go in the car. <\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nI don’t seem to mind the car ride that much anymore.
\nI used to get really nervous and throw up. Can you believe that?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nTaylor came with us to the doctor’s office.
\nI liked having her with us. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nLooks like I wasn’t the only doggie not wanting to
\ngo inside. It’s nice to know other doggies get scared too.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nThe people who work at the doctor’s office are allowed
\nto bring their doggies to work with them. That’s so cool!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nI weighed 76.8. Last time I was at the doctor’s office was
\nin January of this year — that was five months ago.
\nI was 18\u00bd months old and I weighed 69.4 lbs. So I
\ngained about 8 lbs in 5 months. The doctor suggested
\nthat I go on a diet. He says that it would help my joints.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nWaiting for the doctor made me nervous.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nWhen he opened the door I got really scared.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nJust like he checked my legs back in November<\/a>,
\nhe did the same thing at this visit. Except this time
\nit was more uncomfortable. I wasn’t happy with him
\nmoving my legs all around. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nIt hurt more when the doctor tried to stretch out my right leg.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nHe said there was restricted movement.
\nI cried when he tried stretching it out.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nThe left one wasn’t as bad, but he did notice some restriction.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nI wasn’t very happy at all. \ud83d\ude41<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nThey had to sedate me in order to take my x-rays.
\nThe doctor said that the findings were consistent with
\ncanine hip dysplasia, a developmental orthopedic abnormality
\ncommon in many different breeds and mixed breed doggies.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nHe said at this time there are some arthritic changes present
\nin my right hip joint, but that they are not severe. He did say though,
\nthat over time he expects these changes will continue to occur
\nand that I will likely have progressive lameness as I age. \ud83d\ude41 \ud83d\ude41
\nBut I’m just 2 years old!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nAfter they woke me up, I was able
\nto go home with my mommy & Taylor. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nThis was me on the car ride home!
\nIt was like I was in slow motion! <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nMommy held me the whole ride home. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nI was still so tired when we got home. Taylor held me
\nand didn’t let me go. I think she was very worried about me.
\nMommy even massaged my hips for me — it felt really good!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nNala was worried too. I knew she loved me. She stayed
\nnext to me and sniffed me all over. I didn’t mind.
\nShe even kissed my ears. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Medical
\nSo that’s the trouble with my back legs. It isn’t great news,
\nbut I guess it could be worse. Mommy says she’s putting me on
\nDasuquin, a joint supplement, and Rimadyl once daily if I need it.<\/em>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

The doctor also said that my activity should be controlled, and that I need to lose a little weight. He also suggested massage therapy, cold laser therapy, and acupuncture to help with my hip pain. As soon as daddy gets our pool ready, they’re gonna get me a life jacket and see if I would want to go in. I might just try that.<\/p>\n

The doctor also said that surgery is another option that works best for long term prognosis. But that costs lots of money, and my family cannot afford that right now. Sadly, surgery works best when doggies are young and big problems haven’t set in yet. But we’re gonna do the Dasuquin and Rimadyl for now, including massaging me at home… and see how that works. Plus my losing a little weight should make a big difference. <\/p>\n

Mommy would love to hear from other doggie families that have experienced hip dysplasia. Please comment and let me know — we could use all the advice we could get! Thank you, friends! <3\n\nSome helpful resources…<\/strong><\/p>\n