- Thread starter
- #21
Baymule
Herd Master
You and Teresa are the best. Love y'all so much!I love you Lady but felt enough of a connection to BJ to feel the brother.
Femoral Head Ostectomy and Hip Dysplasia in Sentry
- Thread starter Baymule
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
Baymule
Herd Master
@Ridgetop has been a great help to me. She and her husband have been on a cruise. She had mentioned that Anatolians are sensitive to anesthesia. I was in all out panic and needed to know more details so I sent her a text. She got my text and called me from Mexico! She has propped me up and walked me through this. She sent me X-rays from Bubba, he passed his OFA tests with flying colors, for comparison. We have texted and called back and forth with each other.
@Ridgetop will you please post the X-ray pictures of Bubba here? Or, with your permission, I'll post them from my computer.
@Ridgetop will you please post the X-ray pictures of Bubba here? Or, with your permission, I'll post them from my computer.
Duckfarmerpa1
Herd Master
This forum really is like a big family!
- Thread starter
- #24
Baymule
Herd Master
Yes it is. Most of us have NO ONE in our family or circle of friends who understands our obsession with our animals and gardens. This forum is full of people who share a common thread of total insanity. LOL LOL What is really great is when we actually get to meet one another face to face.
Bruce
Herd Master
First: 
Second: I agree with all of the above
We paid $2K a year ago for Rascal's radioactive iodine treatment for her thyroid tumor. And of course that was AFTER all the money for testing and diagnosis. Figured we could either pay for expensive medicine every month or hope she lives the 2 years to the breakeven point with that and the iodine. Her thyroid test is normal now but she ended up with high blood pressure so she has liquid medicine for that every morning on her food. IIRC she is 13 now.
Second: I agree with all of the above
How exactly does the femur stay in place with no connection to the pelvis?
Wow! That's close to nothing!! I was going to guess a $1,500 a leg minimum!
We paid $2K a year ago for Rascal's radioactive iodine treatment for her thyroid tumor. And of course that was AFTER all the money for testing and diagnosis. Figured we could either pay for expensive medicine every month or hope she lives the 2 years to the breakeven point with that and the iodine. Her thyroid test is normal now but she ended up with high blood pressure so she has liquid medicine for that every morning on her food. IIRC she is 13 now.
No lie, it was almost that much to treat for 2 days then euthanize and cremate our old cat 1.5 years ago. Doesn't even touch the costs of diagnosing and treating her diabetes for 3 years before her kidneys started failing. She was 16.
- Thread starter
- #26
Baymule
Herd Master
Normally surgeries run close to a thousand dollars. When Parker was covered inside with cancer, the bill was $800 and we got him back in a bag. We took a lot of financial hits last year, BJ asked the vet to go easy on us if he could, and he did. But even at a thousand bucks, that would have been a very good price.
The femur is held in place by the ligaments, muscles and sinews. At least, that is how I understand it.
The femur is held in place by the ligaments, muscles and sinews. At least, that is how I understand it.
2 years ago our German Shepherd lost his sight - his body rejected his retinas for some reason. By the time we caught that he was having vision problems, there was not much if any vision left. The vet tech swears that he was totally blind when we took him in. They put him on high steroids and another medicine and within 4 months he had vision back. 6 months of slowly reducing the steroid prescription to him off the steroids and now he is back to normal. I don't know if he lost any of his vision, but he has plenty to jump up and catch the ball in the air. Now you can't tell he ever had a problem. The vet is amazed at how well he has recovered.
That ordeal cost us over $3,000. But it was worth every penny.
Good luck to Sentry for a wonderful recovery and great life. You guys are awesome for giving him this chance.
That ordeal cost us over $3,000. But it was worth every penny.
Good luck to Sentry for a wonderful recovery and great life. You guys are awesome for giving him this chance.
Simpleterrier
True BYH Addict
Interesting I don't know what I woulda done. Vets here are way more. 600 a hip I might have but a 1000 probably not. The reality is u have to draw the line somewhere but where. It depends on the people and the situation. I had a great Dane put down 3 yrs ago. Had something twisted in her intestines. Vet said 3000. I had to say no. She wasn't a year old. Sad hard to do but a fact u have to face.
Hope sentry does well and heals good
Hope sentry does well and heals good
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Can't say it enough - Sentry is sooo lucky to have you and BJ! Your vet is terrific to keep the cost so low for you too. Just to stitch the 6" tear on Angel before we left cost us $1600.00!
I really appreciate Bay doing this posting and telling the story of Sentry's diagnosis, surgery and recovery. Hip dysplasia is hereditary. With such a severe problem, it is probable that one or both parents are carriers. Watching Sentry's progress will be very instructive for all of us. Anatolians have a high pain tolerance so hopefully, Sentry will recover pain free. Just removing the arthritic ball joint that was grinding on the deformed socket will reduce most of the pain. Even if his rear is slightly unsteady, the lack of pain will encourage him to move around which will strengthen the ligaments and muscles.
I had a similar surgery done to the base of my right thumb where arthritis was so painful I could not move my thumb to hold the keys to the car! Unfortunately I don't build up any scar tissue so the cushiony base to cover the end of the thumb bone never developed as the surgeon assured me it would. On the other hand, I don't have pain and have the use of my thumb and hand so bruising at the end of the bone where it protrudes is a minimal problem!
I am attaching Bubba's x-ray which was taken when he was 3 years old. OFA will only certify hips and elbows from x-rays taken after a dog is 24 months old or older. There is too much change between puppyhood and maturity for a permanent classification before 2 years of age. Hips may look good as pups but show problems at maturity. This is why this problem did not show up until Sentry reached a certain size and weight at which point his deformed hip joints could no longer support him.
Bubba received a "Very Good" classification from OFA. You can see how the ball fits snugly into the socket. We also did Bubba's elbows at the same time, and I am attaching that x-ray as well in case anyone has had a problem with a dog with elbow problems. My sister in law had a beloved Rottweiler Lab mix that they adopted from the pound and had to do surgery on his hips and elbows both. Elbow deformities are more rare, but are beginning to show up particularly in larger breeds.
We have OFA x-rayed many dogs back when we were showing, whether we decided to breed or not. We did these since we have to have Bubba collected for Erick Conard, his breeder, as part of our purchase agreement. Both his parents, all his grandparents, and any dogs Erick or most reputable breeders use in their breeding programs have all had OFA classifications done and passed with either very good to excellent classifications. Especially in large breed dogs, hip dysplasia can range from causing arthritis in very old dogs to Sentry's mind numbing diagnosis in puppyhood. I am not as good and kind as Bay and BJ. I hope no one hates me for admitting that I would have euthanized Sentry on seeing the x-rays and hearing the diagnosis. On the other hand, I don't think he would have been able to negotiate our steep terrain after the surgeries either. Depending on the breed there are a lot of genetic problems for which to test before breeding. I will not buy a dog without an OFA verification on both parents in order to avoid this heartbreak. Dogs get too many other unavoidable health problems to break our hearts. Remember when a lot of us recommend asking for these blood tests, x-rays, and records when buying breeding stock or working dogs, these are the problems we are trying to help everyone avoid.
I am anxious to see how Sentry comes along with this surgery and recovery through watching his progress through Bay's postings. I am rooting for him and them in this journey. According to Bay Sentry still will have to have another surgery on the other hip once he recovers on this one.
I am excited to see how he continues to develop. With the assistance of Paris and Trip, there is no reason Sentry cannot perform well as an LGD. He has the instincts and Bay's training to be a good one. At 9 months old his early LGD experience will keep him on track to continue being a good flock guardian. Even if he decides he wants to visit inside more often than he used to, having our LDGs inside for a couple hours at a time means good family time.
Hugs to Bay, BJ, and Sentry, and much thanks to Bay for posting this thread.
I really appreciate Bay doing this posting and telling the story of Sentry's diagnosis, surgery and recovery. Hip dysplasia is hereditary. With such a severe problem, it is probable that one or both parents are carriers. Watching Sentry's progress will be very instructive for all of us. Anatolians have a high pain tolerance so hopefully, Sentry will recover pain free. Just removing the arthritic ball joint that was grinding on the deformed socket will reduce most of the pain. Even if his rear is slightly unsteady, the lack of pain will encourage him to move around which will strengthen the ligaments and muscles.
I had a similar surgery done to the base of my right thumb where arthritis was so painful I could not move my thumb to hold the keys to the car! Unfortunately I don't build up any scar tissue so the cushiony base to cover the end of the thumb bone never developed as the surgeon assured me it would. On the other hand, I don't have pain and have the use of my thumb and hand so bruising at the end of the bone where it protrudes is a minimal problem!
I am attaching Bubba's x-ray which was taken when he was 3 years old. OFA will only certify hips and elbows from x-rays taken after a dog is 24 months old or older. There is too much change between puppyhood and maturity for a permanent classification before 2 years of age. Hips may look good as pups but show problems at maturity. This is why this problem did not show up until Sentry reached a certain size and weight at which point his deformed hip joints could no longer support him.
Bubba received a "Very Good" classification from OFA. You can see how the ball fits snugly into the socket. We also did Bubba's elbows at the same time, and I am attaching that x-ray as well in case anyone has had a problem with a dog with elbow problems. My sister in law had a beloved Rottweiler Lab mix that they adopted from the pound and had to do surgery on his hips and elbows both. Elbow deformities are more rare, but are beginning to show up particularly in larger breeds. We have OFA x-rayed many dogs back when we were showing, whether we decided to breed or not. We did these since we have to have Bubba collected for Erick Conard, his breeder, as part of our purchase agreement. Both his parents, all his grandparents, and any dogs Erick or most reputable breeders use in their breeding programs have all had OFA classifications done and passed with either very good to excellent classifications. Especially in large breed dogs, hip dysplasia can range from causing arthritis in very old dogs to Sentry's mind numbing diagnosis in puppyhood. I am not as good and kind as Bay and BJ. I hope no one hates me for admitting that I would have euthanized Sentry on seeing the x-rays and hearing the diagnosis. On the other hand, I don't think he would have been able to negotiate our steep terrain after the surgeries either. Depending on the breed there are a lot of genetic problems for which to test before breeding. I will not buy a dog without an OFA verification on both parents in order to avoid this heartbreak. Dogs get too many other unavoidable health problems to break our hearts. Remember when a lot of us recommend asking for these blood tests, x-rays, and records when buying breeding stock or working dogs, these are the problems we are trying to help everyone avoid.
I am anxious to see how Sentry comes along with this surgery and recovery through watching his progress through Bay's postings. I am rooting for him and them in this journey. According to Bay Sentry still will have to have another surgery on the other hip once he recovers on this one.
I am excited to see how he continues to develop. With the assistance of Paris and Trip, there is no reason Sentry cannot perform well as an LGD. He has the instincts and Bay's training to be a good one. At 9 months old his early LGD experience will keep him on track to continue being a good flock guardian. Even if he decides he wants to visit inside more often than he used to, having our LDGs inside for a couple hours at a time means good family time.
Hugs to Bay, BJ, and Sentry, and much thanks to Bay for posting this thread.
Duckfarmerpa1
Herd Master
When my son Ben was 9, we had a little Maltese. He got an abcessed tooth that grew through his jaw. We had surgery. They quoted me $500 before. After it was $980.... They had to take out bone and build a new jaw and wires, etc. BUT, they didn’t get the infection out! Within a month Buddy’s jaw was open again. This time the vet said the inf3ction had spread to his heart. He passed away two weeks later. All that suffering we put that tiny dog through and he died anyways. That vet will never see my animals again!
