[Samson’s Guardian]

My new best friend Samson is a 4 1/2 month old rotty. I got him from Craigslist at 6 weeks old and 6.6 lbs., so that was my mistake and I should have known better. I can’t change the past, so I’m looking at what’s next. My sister says that we don’t find our dogs, they find us. Maybe she’s right.

Anyway, we noticed about a month and a half ago that he looked to be having trouble getting up, but we kept thinking it was the slippery wood flooring. Well last Friday he didn’t want to get up and when he did he would squeak in pain.

I got him into the vet today because I feared he might have hip displaysia and my fears would be confirmed. Both hips are pretty jacked according to the vet and I have no idea what kind of quality of life this guy is going to live, but I’m going to do my best to give him a good one.

I don’t want this to be a sympathy or an attack on me thread. I’m looking for ideas on how to best help him. I would appreciate any recommendations on hollistic supplements diets that actually work and aren’t snake oil.

I already have an appointment in November for him to see an orthopedic surgeon for an evaluation and further recommendations. Below is his hip x-ray from yesterday. Vet says they are both bad and he doesn’t think there will be any appreciable improvements as he grows. Not what I wanted to hear. 😢

Please let me know your thoughts and opinions on his X-Ray? Thank you.

 

[big black dogs]

I'm sorry that you have joined the forums under these circumstances. For sure Sampson is a cutie!!
My first Rottweiler Bruno, was diagnosed very young with HD. He was also a HUGE, oversized Rottweiler...which did not help. He was started on Glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM right away...and we also gave him wild salmon oil along with vitamin E. We fed him Adult Large Breed food...and kept him off of puppy food so he would grow slowly and gain weight slowly.

We really watched his amounts of running and playing. We did short and more frequent walks. If he ran and played or went after a squirrel...he payed for it later. Bruno's hips looked worse than your pups. He did fine as he grew with limited exercise...and at about 3 years of age we started Adaquen shots. The vet at the time let me do them at home. This helps to build up cartilage. By about 6 years of age...he was having a real hard time and even pain relief was not helping. We had him euthanized. 😢 This was probably 30 years ago...and there were not that many choices on what to do.

Now days things are better with total hip replacement, or even a cheaper choices FHO...where they take the ball of the hip out and it produces scar tissue..and the dog does fine.

One thing I would recommend is that you do not neuter him till at least 18 months of age. He needs those hormones to develop. The more he develops the better for him.
When you do have him neutered have them do hip x-rays at the same time to see how things look. You may be surprised that they don't look as bad.

The most important thing now is to keep him lean, and growing slow, and steady.

 

[Lola Mom]

I've had breeders tell me not to do the OFA evaluation before the age of 2, since the pups are still developing. Watch his weight and don't allow excessive running, going up or down stairs, jumping on/off furniture, etc. The supplements are a plus. You may be in for a pleasant surprise in the future.

 

[Doggytread]

Cute pup!

The hips of your dog won't be mature until 18-24 months, so during those months to take it easy on them physically and limit extreme activity. Those bones are held in the hip sockets with cartilage.

Many Rottweilers are allergic to chicken, so I would steer clear of chicken based foods. My dog has been raw fed since I got him at 8 weeks, and started out on whole, raw turkey with beef liver and supplements. Raw turkey has lots of bioavailable, natural glucosamine.

Couple things you can do in the meantime. Add a bit of organic certified kelp meal to whatever you're feeding; this is 25% minerals by volume and full of anti-inflammatories and polysaccarides. Add some fish oil to whatever you're feeding, as well as a bit of turmeric powder, which are also both anti-inflammatory substances. If you're feeding kibble, add in a glucosamine supplement.

There is a food allergy test called Five Strands that will be helpful in identifying potential food allergies / food inflammation.

As a rule of thumb, I avoid chemical de-wormers, flea medications, whatnot. Tito get's 1 teaspoon of dried, minced garlic in his ration each day, and this keeps flea pressure down. Fir Meadows D-Wormer every six months, augmented with bloodwork and stool samples to test parasite load and at the vet.

And, finally, you probably want to incorporate some CBD. 2mg per pound of body weight per day of CBD from whole plant hemp extract. If you find a food that agrees with your pup and supplement it, your dog will probably rebound quickly. Feel free to reach out directly, if you'd like to chat more.

 

[Samson’s Guardian]

Thanks for the replies.

He has been given raw ground beef, raw eggs, raw chicken legs, and chicken gizzards on occasion. He has done great with all of that. I just added a joint supplement and a salmon oil topper and two days into it he started chomping on his rump non-stop for the past couple of days, so I stopped giving it to him to see if it was that.

The joint supplement has turmeric in it.

He runs around the yard and plays with my 6 year old female, but I monitor them closely. She is gentle with him and gives up her belly, but she’s big and could easily hurt his legs if she rolled into them.

 

[Samson’s Guardian]

So I went to Edinger’s Surgical Options in Madison Wisconsin today to get their opinion on Samson’s x-rays and hip condition.

Needless to say they didn’t tell me anything that I wanted to hear. Manage weight, manage activity, manage pain.

If pain is too bad and warrants surgery as an option FHO is $4200+ per side. Total hip replacement is $1100 pre-op. $14,000+ surgery, and $640 post-op.

Samson has shown no signs of pain since October 21st. I will monitor him as I have been and give him the best life I can give him. Thanks to all for the advice that has been given.

 

[Lola Mom]

Oh, poor Samson. I'm sure you'll give him the best care possible. Give him a hug for me.

 

[Samson’s Guardian]

Just a little update on my boy. He’s 8 months now and 104 lbs. he is not fat, but the extra weight is really giving him problems. His right hip will just give out and sometimes he falls.

The orthopedic surgeon I took him to a few months ago recommended I wait until he’s a year and reassess. However, I don’t see this improving.

At the recommendation from my vet, I started him on Desuquin last week. I don’t know what else to do, I guess that’s all for now.

 

[big black dogs]

I'm so sorry to hear that your pup is not doing well. He is a big boy....really try to keep him lean. Every extra ounce that he carries means that his hips have to work harder to support him. He's a very handsome fellow...but one of my big pet peeves is LONG NAILS!!! You need to get those nails under control. It will make it hard for him to walk with foot placement when his nails are so long.

Have you ever heard of FHO surgery? It's when the vet takes out the ball of the hip and the hip creates it's own socket with scar tissue. Much cheaper that a THR and a quicker healing process. Regular vets can do it....no need for a orthopedic surgeon. Here is a link with info...but do a google search for more info.

What Is FHO Surgery In Dogs? | Stockton Vets

FHO surgery is an effective surgery for treating hip issues and abnormalities in dogs. Today, our Stockton vets describe what’s involved in FHO surgery and recovery.

www.fremontvetclinic.com

Let us you know how your pup continues to do. My first Rottie had terrible hips...I know what you are going through.