dimondites

The following information was emailed to me by a fellow Giant Schnauzer on Dogster.com.  Yes, East and West belong to a social network. They have their own forum called “They Might be Giants.” And they have diaries. (And you are right to be frightened.)

Anyhooo, the information below was very helpful to me, and I hope to you as well.

My Giant also has mild HD - and I’ve done a lot of research on the subject. Obviously HD has a huge genetic component, and if it’s showing at 11 months of age, you can pretty much guarantee that it came from his sire or dam or both. What a shame - this is why an OFA rating [Fair or above] is mandatory for breeders! My Giant’s sire has an OFA Good but his dam isn’t rated, which tells me that she’s either never been Xrayed or has been and failed. Both not good.

Anyway, the ONLY way to tell the extent and degree of your dog’s HD is to get him Xrayed by a vet radiologist who is VERY experienced in OFA procedures and how to Xray. It’s not ‘all the same’ and any vet who said it is, is lying. The best place to find the vet in your area who does many OFA Xrays is to contact a working dog club in your arae, and ask the directors of those clubs. DVG and USA [United States Schutzhund] clubs will have someone in your area who knows the best vet. Anything short of a vet Xraying your dog, you’re not sure what is really wrong. Don’t assume anything. Get him Xrayed by teh right vet, and then submit to OFA [a small fee] for a rating. And make sure you release the results for publication online, so that others considering this breeder know about the HD. Because it IS an inherited disease.

Next, consider using a Horse product like I do - I use a terrific natural supplement, “Arthri-soothe Gold”, which is sold for equine and dogs. The reason I use the equine version is that for the money, it’s way more powerful and useful for the dog. I buy the 2 pound tub, scoop out half the dose for a horse, once a day. That is a very good amount for a 100# dog like mine and yours. This product is all natural and contains the most expensive ingredients. I pay $45.00 per 2 lbs. and it lasts about 2 months. It’s made a BIG difference! Stop using pain meds for this dog - that will kill his liver and if it’s Rimadyl, you’re risking your dog’s life with that horrendous drug. Do a web search and you’ll discover it’s not a miracle drug, it’s a dangerous drug. If you want to give your dog meds, go back to a vet who deals with Orthopedic problems and get your dog some Adequan shots - it will work to rebuild the cartiledge a bit and will offer pain relief. Use the Arthri-Soothe Gold for equines and your dog may be able to avoid a new hip operatino [each hip will cost you $5K!]. I’d also contact that breeder and demand that they pay for half the treatments - and I’d considering suing them for selling you a defective dog. Many states now have laws for that, and even if they don’t then you can still sue under a defective product theory [dogs are considered property under the law]. Your dog may live a long life with HD but you will need to stop using a dangerous drug if you are [and any NSAID for dogs is dangerous just for humans]. Consider Adequan instead - it won’t affect the liver and harm the dog. And get the Arthri-Soothe Gold - www.kvvet.com under the Equine section. The dog product is okay but not strong enough for a dog with HD.

Hope this helps - read up on this disease at www.workingdog.com too.

Best wishes,

Hayley & Zeus & Zev