Thursday my dog started having trouble with his left rear leg and would not put any weight on it. Took him to the vet, turns out he has hip dysplasia. At this point, the prescription is losing 20 lbs (he weighs 91) and short walks. We will also be putting him on antinflammatories. The vet also mentioned Duralactin – which has something to do with hyperimmunized cow’s milk …said it was homeopathic so I doubt we will be using it. I’m thinking ice packs might help, also. Any advice from people dealing with this would be appreciated.
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Afarensis: Anthropology, Evolution, and Science 
Bummer indeed. Up until several years ago I had no experience with big dogs and their propensity to hip dysplasia. Now I’ve got an aging Dobie/Rotie cross, and I’m anxiously watching him for symptoms. So far it’s just reduced range of motion with no apparent pain in normal activities, but it’s getting close, I’m afraid.
Sorry for the late reply. The important thing is to keep exercising the back leg muscles. Hip dysplasia tends to go hand in hand with reduced muscle mass. I am happy to report that Indiana (pictured above) is putting some weight on his left leg. He still walks with a bad limp, but it is progress.
When my feline child developed bladder problems, the vet prescribed a glucosimine product off lable, but was for hip problems. I cannot remember the brand name, but there was one for felines and caninies. Or you could purchase low dose for humans. Sprinkle on food. Hope it helps. Elena
Yup, Sherlock is getting a glucosamine supplement. It may be superstitious behavior on my part–the research is scanty and not real encouraging–but what the heck,
Yeah, I’ve been going back and forth on it for that reason, same for the stuff the vet recommended – which does have some spotty research that I am still trying to track down. The daily walks and ice packs seem to have helped as he is now putting some weight on his leg with only a minor limp – a definite improvement from a couple of days ago when he was putting no weight at all on it.
My dog was a 45 lb collie/chow/golden cross. When she was about 4, she tore her ACL when running her ‘crazy train’ laps in the back yard, The ACL was repaired but she favored that leg. As she got older she had a bone spur and arthritis. I had good luck w/ the Drs. Foster & Smith line of glucosamine/chrondoitin supplements-she found them more palatable than the type that could be bought at the pet store, and their online site has good articles plus dosing guides. I started her on coated baby aspirin (initially one 81 mg/tab in a blob of peanut butter.) which managed her discomfort well for years-the coating helps keep it from upsetting dog’s stomachs. Aspirin (or any NSAID) has the potential for causing gastric upset or ulcers, so watch for that if you go that route. Later she had a prescription for Rimadyl, another NSAID, which she tolerated well along w/ the aspirin. Please, if you do decide to administer the aspirin to your dog, check the dosing recommendations via a reputable source or your vet. Good luck!