marysue@hpfcla.UUCP (09/24/85)
Any vets or vet students out there? I just found out my 2-year-old female German Shepherd has "osteochondrosis"--I think that is what the guy said. One of her shoulders did not calcify properly, and now she has a flap of cartilage that causes occasional minor lameness. If left untreated, it could tear and cause major damage. It usually is found in young (7-10 mo.) dogs, and usually males. Anyway, my alternatives are surgery--for which the prognosis is excellent-- and three months of enforced rest (NO RUNNING or JUMPING). Then if the rest doesn't do it, surgery is recommended. First of all, imagine the psychological consequences of a keeping a young, very active animal immobilized for three months. She would lose a lot of muscle tone and spirit; and then to have to go through surgery also--it would be harder for her to recover. Wouldn't it be better to have the surgery right away, and only have to recover from that? I'm rambling. What I want to know is, what are possible consequences of the surgery, apart from the risk of anesthesia? I will find out the results of the arthogram later today. If anyone out there has experience with this problem, please share it with me. I don't know my total csnet path. Mary Sue Rowan hpfcla!marysue
marysue@hpfcla.UUCP (09/25/85)
Well, the results of the arthrogram were not as bad as feared. She
does have a small lesion on the articular surface of the left humerus.
The prescription was 6 weeks of restricted activity. I was going
to pen her up in a 16 x 20 run, but it seemed so cruel.
I called a vet that uses nutritional treatments (the first vet admitted
knowing very little about nutrition) and he suggested megadoses of
vitamin C and alfalfa. He also said NOT to change her life too much
--i.e., don't pen her up-- but to limit the ball-chasing and hiking
for a while.
I think that is the course I will take initially. If there is no
improvement, then I will consider the rest treatment, or perhaps some
acupuncture.
Any comments?
Mary Sue Rowan
hpfcla!marysuebfoss@desteng.UUCP (Brad Foss) (10/02/85)
> > > Any vets or vet students out there? I just found out my 2-year-old > female German Shepherd has "osteochondrosis"--I think that is what the > guy said. One of her shoulders did not calcify properly, and now she > has a flap of cartilage that causes occasional minor lameness. If > left untreated, it could tear and cause major damage. It usually is > found in young (7-10 mo.) dogs, and usually males. Anyway, my alternatives > are surgery--for which the prognosis is excellent-- and three months > of enforced rest (NO RUNNING or JUMPING). Then if the rest doesn't do > it, surgery is recommended. > > Mary Sue Rowan > hpfcla!marysue This is not meant as a flame, so I will start with my experiences with my dogs (Golden Retrievers) It is amazing how a dog can put up with all kinds of surgery. I hope that you can help the problem with nutrition, but don't be afraid of surgery if it can take care of the problem, and the dog can lead a more normal life. Now the informational flame. Mary, if this does not apply to you, please don't take it to heart. I only mean to inform the un-informed. Bone disorders (osteochondrosis,hip displasia,...) are predominately carried on through the genes, and the only way to get rid of the problem is through carefull breeding. Too many people feel that they have a great dog, and "Hey, there's a good looking dog", so lets make puppies. Everybody likes puppies, and everybody sees this as a way to make money. The fact is that the work that needs to be done for puppies means that on an hourly basis, any money made is less than the minimum wage. As for the result, the puppies carry unknown bad traits that will be seen later when they are bred. The German Shepard breed is a strong example of the problem. They have a reputation as an excellent guard dog, so who needs "papers"? Besides being a "snob sheet", to show the show dogs in a dogs lineage, the pedigree also lists the dogs as being "OFA cleared". Other information could include eye checks for junior cataracts (in Golden Retrievers). So before you decide to buy a dog, check with the local club for the breed that your interested in, go to dog shows, and inspect the pedigree. If you don't want to pay a lot for a dog, don't want a show dog, but want a specific breed, check with the local club for that breed, and find out about their "Rescue Service". Many clubs try to rescue their breed of dogs from the pound, and find good homes for them. Our club has had to have beautiful dogs "put down", because there were no homes for them. All you have to pay for is for their neutering, and any medical expences that may have been incurred. I hope this has helped somebody, and Mary, good luck with your Shepard. I'm sure that she will be fine. Brad Foss