UA-60701407-50 Unexpected News… - Golden Daily Scoop

July 29, 2010

Unexpected News…

For the past few weeks Maggie has been limping so we just thought maybe she has been playing a little too rough with Miley and somehow twisted something. So off to the vets she went and they thought it could either be lyme disease or  her achilles tendon. Lyme test came back negative so they decided to keep her over night and do a complete x-ray exam in the morning.

Yesterday we received a call from the vet, the news was worse than we thought, her right hip is 3/4 out of the socket, she has hip dysplasia. Not only that, her right knee is in terrible shape with signs of arthritis. We were devastated and in shock to say the least. How could this happen to an 8 month old puppy? They believe she was born this way, the thought of her being in pain all this time and we didn’t know it absolutely kills me. After hours of tears and disbelief we met with the vet and discussed her options and decided we will first start with pain management, see where that takes us and get a consult with an orthopedic surgeon to discuss what can be done down the road as she is young right now.

So for the next 4 weeks she will be getting Adequan injections twice a week and the pain reliever Zubrin as needed. Then hopefully we will be able to space out the injections a little further and see how she does. A supplement called Dasuquin was suggested to us by a nurse in the office. It contains Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM so of course I scoured the internet and found some very promising information and stories. We are definitely going to try it and hope for the best. I also came across some  success stories with the vitamin, Ester C. Something to think about and discuss with our vet, I guess.

In meantime we will be making sure Maggie’s weight stays where it should be, taking her on some easy walks and best of all she can swim all she wants. Unfortunately living in the northeast that only leaves us with a little more than a month before we have to close up the pool. And as for her aspirations to be a frisbee champion…that is totally out of the question, jumping is off limits for her.

~If anyone has any information or advice I would truly appreciate anything that you can offer! Thank you!

Thought I would share some pictures of Maggie in her glory, these were taken over a month ago…

DSC03791

DSC03793

DSC03794

poor Miley is about to get torpedo’d!!!

39 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about Maggie. Poor girl! Was she from a breeder? You should probably contact him/her to let them know, many times breeders like to know about the health of their puppies to prevent issues from popping up in their lines.

    Perhaps there is a place you can take her swimming in the off-season? Where in the Northeast are you? I can think of one place in NJ off of the top of my head that is a canine rehab place that has a pool..

    Also there was an old blog named Brownie Barks.. it is no longer updated but her dog had hip dysplasia and she has some good info there.

    PS - I'M Sam, not my dog - she is Marge :) I think you might have been confused when you commented my blog.

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  2. I've been involved with the Golden Retriever Rescue and a foster home for more than 10 years. My "specialty" was caring for the dogs that had orthopedic surgery. I have no idea how many I cared for, but I can tell you that it can and does affect dogs at a young age. One of our Goldens, Sheba, was turned over to the rescue at about 6 mos old because of her hip problems, and I've seen others this age several times. It sounds like you've been given some good advice. The swimming will really help. Also just in case you've not been told, try not to let Maggie jump up on the beds, furniture or people. Finally, I know how difficult this news was to hear. I will hope that Maggie doesn't need surgery, but if she does, I can promise you that in the end, she will continue to have a happy, healthy and active life!!

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  3. That really is devastating news! Poor Maggie, I hope the treatment helps her. Even when you close the pool you might consider bringing her to dog pools (if there are any near you) because I've heard water therapy really helps with that, especially the arthritis. There are programs for dog with problems like Maggie, I believe it's called Hydro-therapy.

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  4. Sorry about Maggie. Sounds like you got good advice. I (Sasha) know personally that swimming can be very good & it helps. Sometimes I just walk in the water & search for things. Maybe there is a pool where you can take Maggie..
    Sasha,Ernie,Chica

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  5. Sorry about Maggie. Sounds like you got good advice. I (Sasha) know personally that swimming can be very good & it helps. Sometimes I just walk in the water & search for things. Maybe there is a pool where you can take Maggie..
    Sasha,Ernie,Chica

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  6. My 4 year old golden Nelson starting limping last fall on his front right leg after running. He would be fine in the am but after a run in the evening he would limp again. X-ray showed he had arthritis at 4! I immediatley did some research and found a product called Syn-Flex. 4 days after he started using it he stopped limping and has not limped since. I also put both of my dogs on a raw diet which has done wonders for their teeth, their breath and their coats. I also read that it has helped many dogs with arthritis and many other ailments. Best of luck! Hugs to Maaggie.

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  7. Oh poor poor Maggie. We do hope that the pain management will work and supplement will help her. Sorry we do not have any advice on this matter but we see that you already have some good advices and we are sure you will get more.
    We just hope things will get better for Maggie and that she doesn't have to go through surgery.

    Hugs,
    Sam & June

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  8. We are so sorry to see this BUT it does appear you've gotten a great number of resources to pull from

    I agree with all the information I saw

    Paws khrossed for ALL of you

    Khyra's Mom

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  9. So sorry to hear this news, but it is good that so many options are available to you.
    We hope surgery is not necessary, but if it comes to that we are sure
    Maggie will have a long healthy life.

    Sheila & Bob

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  10. So sorry to hear about Maggie's hip dysplasia! I do believe that it is a genetic defect that runs in the lines of many dogs that breeders breed. Some know it, some don't. Some disclose the information, some don't. Bruschi actually had Patella Luxation about 2 years ago, which is when his kneecap would completely slide out of its joint and he was unable to use his leg at all. He actually grew out of it and hasn't had any issues since! So keep up with the pain management and hopefully she won't need surgery! Good luck!
    Pawsitive Vibes your way!

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  11. Please don't feel bad about not knowing about the problems. I find that dogs are very good about hiding their feelings when they are hurt!

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  12. I think it's safe to say that Maggie is in great hands, both by you and your vet's, and will be taken well care of! She is a trooper, and we will be sending healing vibes your way!

    ELizabeth & Luna

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  13. Ohhhhhhhhhhh noooooo.....
    what a bad news from you!!!!
    And poor MAggie.....we're sooooooooooo sorry for her and you of course!!!
    But you must have courage and don't feel too bad about that problem....
    Our friend have a sweet golden and when he was 6 months old the Vet told to his humans he was affected y hip dysplasia....
    after a period with pain management they decided for a surgery....
    and after a period of good rehab and lots of swimming he was great!!!
    Now he's a very very happy golden boy (he's 2 years old now) and he jump...run....dance....swim without pain and any other problems!!!!
    If you need advice about the surgery he had don't exsitate contact us ok??!!!!
    We're here for you and for your sweet girl!!!!
    But pleaseeeeeeee.....don't be too sad....we know your MAggie could run again soon!!!!!!!!!!
    Take care of you all!!!!
    WE LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUU and sure you'll be in our prayers everyday!!!!
    Sweet kisses and licks and special hugs and cuddles to your girls!!!!
    MUAHHHHHHHHHHH

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  14. First, those are GREAT action shots of her!
    Second, hugs to you and her and hopefully they can manage it all! We've been giving our Zeus a vitamin regimen for years that includes Ester C, Vitamin E, Fish Oil and a Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supplement (the Vitamin Shoppe one is great). We were doing that for awhile (all human vitamins) but have switched to Merrick's vitamin supplement (which contains all of that). It helps tremendously... he had TPLO surgery 4 years ago on one knee and should've had the other one done as well, but at 9 years old now I'm afraid to put him thru that again.

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  15. So sorry to hear about the dysplasia ;-(. I have a border collie that was diagnosed with dysplasia before a year old, I have kept her on adequain, I give her cosequin instead of the dosequin, but...pretty much like that and some other little supplements, fish oil, some vitamin C, a supplement with green lipped mussels, and I also give her a little garlic sometimes and ginger with her food to help with inflammation. I took her to a rehab specialist who showed me a lot of exercises to help build up the muscles without a lot of weight bearing so that it helps support that area and help slow down the arthritis and give her more quality of life, we started those a few years ago and it really helps.
    I can not say enough for chiro adjustments and acupuncture treatments, I just take Breeze in when I can tell she is starting to hurt more and it helps soooo much, and is a more low tech thing. I imagine that helped us avoid getting to the point we would ever need surgery so well worth the money. My breeder also offered to have me bring her back in exchange for a pup and her dads person wanted her, and was pretty mean for awhile about wanting me to just exchange her for a new pup, which, RIGHT, sure I was going to do that. I felt like I needed to keep her to make sure that someone would protect her and do whats best for her her entire life, so her she stays!!! I do use the Back on Track Jacket and that has been helping and when she seems sore or does too much then I do ice and stretching. I always make sure to warm her up and cool her down after exercise. The great thing is that it has made me very knowledgeable about how to keep a dog healthy ;-). I would suggest you get actual OFA xrays done and click the box where it says they can post bad results, in case someone else is considering that breeder and checks so they can see there are dysplastic dogs coming from that line. My dog came from a dual sire litter but her half brothers and sister from the same litter are all being bred and I figure let the buyer beware, the breeder is confortable with that, but sure seems like that says it is running in those lines somewhere... that would make me think twice knowing what I know. Also if you can get any money back I had to fight for half my purchase price back and it goes no where near what I have spent but I figure it made a statement. Sorry to be so long winded but I am really sorry this happened to you and your dog, it sucks.
    Other thing I have had to deal with is the dads person mostly and some of the other people involved with the kennel implying I had something to do with the dog getting dysplasia and teling everyone that I am just a baby and nothing is wrong with my dog and implying I caused something. I did all the right things and I was very careful, but I think that is their way of trying to protect their lines and devert the blame. I really had to fight to get my refund but boy at that point I was determined they had to shoulder some of the consequences for breeding dogs with problems, they should stand behind their puppies.
    I had looked at surgery but am saving that for if we need it in the future, but I have heard some great things if that ever becomes necessary for Maggie or for my Breeze.

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  16. We are so sorry to hear about Maggie's dysplasia. We are praying and sending lots of healing vibes.

    Love,
    Teddy Bear

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  17. Woof! Woof! I am so sorry to hear this news. Isn't Maggie too young to have dysplasia? Sending you my Golden Healing Thoughts. Swimming does help ... Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

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  18. What a nightmare and horrid news. I have heard of goldens getting hip displasia at very young ages, but haven't known of anydoggie - poor Maggie and sooo sorry for you guys. That is such sad news. There are a lot of people with good advice; wish I had some experience with this - perhaps best news is that there are pool rehab places for dogs that Maggie could swim in? That would be so good for her. So sorry - will keep my eye out for info.
    Pats to Maggie and Miley tooxoxoxoxo
    Love, Sammie

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  19. Oh Maggie!
    I'm so sorry, I'll be praying for you! xxx

    It is truly bad luck, and I'm sure the vet will help you.
    Swimming is very fun, and I'm sure you'll love to have that as a treatment.

    Good Luck, I'll keep in touch...

    Love Miley xxx

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  20. I put a post on my blog so if any of my followers have experience in matters such as these, we will know.

    I'll comment any progress...

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  21. So sorry to hear the news, but best wishes Maggie for good solutions.


    P.S. - We loved the water diving pictures.

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  22. Such sad news for one so young, but looks like some bloggers have some good ideas for you. We wish Maggie all the best.

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  23. I'm really sorry to hear about your news of Maggie...how heartbreaking! My prayers are with you that they will be able to help her with this...
    Sending lotsaluv to you all
    MAXMOM IN SA

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  24. We read about Maggie at Khyra's and thought we would stop by and send her some good sibe vibes. We don't have any additional advice for you but we do hope you can find a way to manage the pain for such a young and beautiful girl.

    Woos ~ The OP Pack

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  25. Dogs are very stoic when it comes to pain and some of them will literally die from it before you know there is a problem.

    Have you consulted her breeder? Hip dysplasia is generally genetic so it means either one or both of her parents should not be allowed to breed.

    Best of wishes,

    XOXO
    Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Ruairi (and their Mom, Lynn)

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  26. Maggie I'm very sorry you are sick. You are very lucky to have a family that LOVES you soooo much! You are in our thoughts.

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  27. Wooos! We came over from Khyra's blog to send our well wishes. We have been through this before, but with an older doggie. I see woo have some great advice already, the dosequin or cosequin (which we used) worked wonders. Consider also learning how to do therapeutic massage, Mom does that all of the time. There are actually tutorials on the web so you do not have to hire a professional.
    ~husky kisses~
    -Kira The BeaWootiful

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  28. I have used acupunture and massage very succesfully to treat one of my old arthritic dogs (RIP). He could not tolerate alot of the traditional pain medications. If you have someone near you who practices it is worth an try.

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  29. O hai! I sorry Maggie is havin trubles. I hope she is all better soon. :)

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  30. Hi! Khyra sent us over. We don't have any advice to give, but we will be purring our hearts out for little Maggie. So sad to have these issues at such a young age.

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  31. Oh nos! Duncan has arthritis and here's what he gets:

    Dasiquin
    HA supplement
    Vitamin E/Fish oil
    2,000 mg Ester C

    We get the Dasiquin from allivet.com, it's the cheapest price and they deliver in like 2 days, basic shipping.

    The Ester C makes a HUGE difference, but start off slow, about 500mg for a week, then 1,000, another week etc. Since starting Ester C, Dunc doesn't have to have his warm laser therapy anymore.

    Giant kisses to you and your pawrents! It's upsetting, but can be overcome!

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  32. So sorry to hear about Maggie. We will be praying and sending healing vibes your way.

    Best wishes,
    Thor and family

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  33. We were sorry to hear about Maggie. We are sending lots of healing vibes to her.

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  34. Hi there, we just came from Samantha's blog and wanted to paw a hi and send our pawsitive and healing vibes and wishes for Maggie.

    Cheers,
    Maxx

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  35. I am a friend of Khyra and I wanted to tell you I am sorry that you got this devistating news.
    I see lots of helpful suggestions from all these wonderful peoples.
    All I can do is tell you ,that I will send puppy prayers and expect a miracle, cause they do happen
    love
    tweedles

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  36. We totally feel your pain! We had a similar experience with our girl, Jill. We noticed she was having problems when she was just a year old. We thought she'd played too hard, etc. Just before she turned 2 we found out she had full blown hip dysplasia. We tried pain control, etc., but opted for surgery. Being that she was so young, we couldn't see keeping her on medication for the rest of her life. She had a total hip replacement when she was 2 years and one month old. She just turned 5 this past Dec., and she's never been better. We have the good fortune of having a pool in our backyard, so she had (and continues to have) lots of swim time which does great for her.

    I wish you the best of luck, and please feel free to email me if you have questions. I know surgery might be a tough option, but it was the best one for us, and although it was very expensive ($6,000) it was worth every penny to see her be able to run, swim, jump, play and even surf pain free.

    Warmest wishes,
    Sue & the gang

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  37. Mom's been travelling so much, she missed this! We will send hugs your way. Remember her youth will help her out - she will be okay because she has you to take care of her. That is one of the best benefits to being a well loved dog!

    Sam

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  38. oh my goodness! That is such terrible news :(

    Don't forget, we've moved to http://dogisgodinreverse.com

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  39. I'm so sorry for this happening to you

    many years ago (in the mid 90's) we had a hald golden half rottie who was diagnosed with severe HD at about 8 months of age. Surgery wasn't possible for recent university grads nor did our vets push it. We kept dear Laurice fit, and lean and didn't allow her to be excessively crazy adn she thrived .. we didn't even need pain meds generally
    She died due to cancer at the age of 11 ..
    Laurice was very happy to do do therapy visits and humane education - and very good at both

    so there is hope she can have a full productive life

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