pet’s breed: german shorthair
pet’s age: 6yrs
pet’s sex: male
previous treatment:

at first our vet believed he had hip dysplasia however he has not said but i
believe he hashemivertebrae he has him on steriods which he has cut down to 2 a
week is there any other meds that will work on this short of surgery he is
severe and losing use of his hind legs
thanks
Paul

ANSWER:

Dear,

Your vet should be sure if your dog has hip dysplasia or haven’t. It can be easily diagnosed by x-ray or echosonographic examination. Same with hemivertebrae.
First Your vet should distinguish this two states diagnostically, and then treat.
Treatment for hip dysplasia:
If your dog is overweight, I recommend weight loss to decrease the load across the hip joints.
Nonsteroidal anti – inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are the most recommended analgesics in the treatment of dysplasia. Here included are Acetylsalicylic acid, phenylbutasone and meclofenamic acid.
Glucosamine and chondroitine have chondroprotective effect and keep the cartilage from further damage.
Passive physiotherapy is recommended.

Truly

Damjan

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