#2Doods Visit the Vet

Cooper was due for his annual shots and Murphy was due for a one year checkup. We had both good news and not so good news.

First, Cooper. His ears are both clear! Yay!!! Hoping we can keep them healthy. His weight was good at 58.5# and he took all his shot updates like a Trooper. Okay, so there was a little stress pee at one point...LOL! He laid down and slept, one foot on Stu's leg while it was Murphy's turn.

Murphy keeps growing by leaps and bounds, topping out at 73#. Yikes! Remember, he's younger at 12 months than Cooper at 15 months. And they are both still growing! (Note to self, order next weight class flea/tick meds for Murphy next time).

In general he was healthy but we had concerns about his hips. Since he is 1/2 Rough Collie and 1/4 Golden Retriever - both known for hip dysplasia - we thought he should be examined (thus the one year checkup). He never jumps up or down anywhere/anytime, he is slow to get up from a sit and prefers to stand rather than sit, won't go into a down position on command (not even for his favorite treat on the floor, but will lay down if you force him) and we can feel his hip bones crunching &/or cracking if we press lightly on his hind quarters when asking for a sit.

The arrow points to the socket where the joint should sit. His joint is only 35% in, whereas 65% is point where they diagnose hip dysplasia.

So the bad news is he does have severe hip dysplasia. The good news is it isn't hurting him now, but he will most certainly develop arthritis over time. We are starting him on Synovi Soft Chews (double dose for 30 days) and hope it will delay the onset of the arthritis and bone deterioration.

Our vet offered us a referral to an orthopedic specialist but we passed on that for now. I doubt we would do a full hip replacement (x2) for many reasons. We will do all we can do keep him happy and playing (the playing and running are good for him).

He was pretty relaxed during all the discussions, too. LOL! (Yes, they both wear gentle leaders when on a leash and they still tug, too much. More training needed....)

We have been trying to get Murphy to use a two step stool to get in and out of the back of the Jeep but now we will be moving to an aluminum, portable, folding/telescoping ramp. He will always need this and since he is already well over 70#, lifting him in and out is hard on Stu and impossible for me.

Ciao for now!