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Grade 4 Hip Dysplasia

Well, Roxie has grade 4 hip dysplasia. Basically it means she has no hips. The hip is supposed to be a ball and socket setup. Picture a socket shaped like a teacup. That is what a good socket should look like. Roxie’s is more like a dinner plate. It doesn’t do such a good job of keeping her leg bone in place.

Anyways, we’re going to see what we can do for her. Our vet is calling a bunch of places for us to find out what can be done and, of course, how expensive it’s going to be. Hip replacement is an option but it’s quite expensive and there are no guarantees.

She’s on pain meds for the time being. That is making it sort of interesting because she’s pain free and running around like a little puppy. We’re hoping that a couple weeks or months of pain meds will allow her to build more muscle in her rear. That should help stabilize her joints a bit more. Either way she needs more strength in her legs if we do get to the point of surgery.

4 thoughts on “Grade 4 Hip Dysplasia”

  1. Pingback: Ivany » Blog Archive » Roxie Update

  2. Hi Jeff,

    I have been looking at your photo gallery of Roxie. I just lost my Abby, she was 12 years old. Abby’s mother was a pure bred black lab and her father was a brown and white St. Bernard. After her loss I started looking on the internet trying to get some information about this mix. I guess my hope is to one day have another just like her. I have had many different types of pets in my life but none that have or will ever compare.

    When I saw the photo of Roxie’s mother I was shocked, she could be Abby’s sister. I know I am probably grasping at straws but I was wondering if you have more information about Roxie’s mother. I am guessing you live in Canada so there is probably no possible way that Roxie’s mother came from Edgewater, Colorado. Even if there is no connection at least this assures me that I will need to keep looking for this combination to ever hope of getting another like my beloved Abby.

    Thank you.
    Debbie
    P.S. I wish you well with Roxie’s hip dysplasia, Abby also suffered with this.

    1. Hi Debbie,

      Sorry, Roxie, her Mom and Dad all came from farms in Eastern Ontario. Roxie’s Mom is half Yellow Labrador and half St. Bernard and her Dad was a “mostly Labrador” mix.

      It’s been over 5 years since I wrote this post and Roxie is doing great. She has very little trouble getting around except on really cold, damp days. Then you can tell that she has hip problems. I think by now it’s more an issue with arthritis vs the hip dysplasia. We try to keep her weight around 115-120lbs and relatively low activity. This seems to help a fair bit. Although, this can sometimes lead to her becoming a huge ball of energy like she was when she was a small puppy. Sometimes we just have to let her run (bunny hop) it out. :)

      Sorry for your loss and I hope you are able to find what you’re looking for.

      Jeff

      1. Just wanted to tell you that we too have a Bouvier with grade IV hip dysplasia and the vet told us not to expect to have her more than a couple of years. That was three years ago and she’s able to walk with us and our other dog twice a day. Sometimes she’s reluctant, but she’s doing OK.

        Oh, and she’s blind too.

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