Hips

Question
QUESTION: This week my dogs stomach was acting up, and I took him to the vet. Well it turns out I have a bigger problem. My 6.5 month old pups right hip is popping out when rotated. I am to say the least devastated. I have followed everything I have read about watching his hips. No jumping off anything, and low impact exercise. The vet and I watched him run, and you can see he has a bunny hop. So the vet has suggested surgery, but not hip replacement. I am being told if it is caught in time a hip replacement may not be needed to be done. I paid ALOT of money from breeder I researched, and seems to be reputable. Does this happen OFTEN to puppies this young, and should I take any kind of recourse against the breeder. I have had a ton of issues with his stomach, and now the hips. The surgery will cost around $3500, but I would not think twice about it, as I love this dog more then anything in the world. The vet bills are getting very frustrating. Please help. Thank you

ANSWER: IMO your puppy should not be having this problem, especially not at such a young age. While hip problems in GSD's are always a concern, your breeder should've been taking care in preparing for such an eventuality. It is your breeders responsiblity to provide you with a HEALTHY puppy from tested parents and he/she should be prepared to stand behind both their dogs and their breeding. Depending on the kind of contract your breeder had you sign, you SHOULD have recourse. At the very LEAST if your breeder is reputable, they should offer you another puppy. Unfortunately most breeders require you return the original dog to them before providing you with a replacement pup. This, I consider to be emotional blackmail and a nasty way of weaseling out of backing their breeding. What I think is fair is that the breeder should allow you to keep your puppy if you choose, and treat him/her in whatever way is suitable to you. Then at whatever point you become ready for another dog, they should provide you with one. It is simply ridiculous that a puppy of this age should have such severe problems and to me it is evidence of poor breeding. I don't care how many Championship titles are in a pups pedigree, or how many athletic titles, if a breeder cannot produce a HEALTHY, conformationally sound , good tempered , well rounded dog they have FAILED miserably.
I am so sorry for your situation and do hope that things become resolved in a way that is satisfactory to you,
Meanwhile, good luck in searching for a good solution for your baby and please DO be very concerned with the diet and supplements your pup is ingesting during this time, even more so than usual
blessings,
Cindi

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QUESTION: Thank you so much Cindi. My dog is having  hard time breaking down sugars, and he has bacteria bc of this. It is causing constant diarerha which is causing him to be under weight also. I am really bothered by this, but will not give up on him either. Thanks again.

ANSWER: You're doing a great job. I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. What are you feeding? I can probably help you in that area as well. Are you giving acidophlous supplements? Plain organic yogurt will help hugely too. Please let me know if I can help you in any other way
blessings,
Cindi

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Right now Nanook is on (as per vet) A.D. Flagyl a day, 8 pills of immodium ad a day. For food he is on Chicken, Rice, and prescription diet (Hill's W/D). He refuses to eat the W/D by it self so I was told to mix it in there. Prior to all of this he was on wellness puppy with 2 teaspoons of prozyme. I have had trouble with Hard stools since I have gotten him, and I have been switched from Wellness to these low residue prescription diet everytime I go to the vet, and it is like $2.00 a can. So it is pricey, and worst of all it is not working. The vet thinks he is under weight 8 pounds. I have posted his pictures on a German Shepherd message board, and they all think he is fine, and where he needs to be, but the diarrhea is a constant problem. Any ideas on what to switch it up to. Although time is a factor, I have been thinking about going to raw as I have read that this is a  problem with GSD, and the Barf diet seems to help.

Answer
Hills is a nasty food. Change him to FLint River, Natural Balance, or Wellness. Even Royal Canin is better and I'm not thrilled with that. There are low residue foods by each one of those brands. I'll check intoit for you. Canned food has a lot of water in it and I wouldn't give him that AT ALL. I would switch permanently to the Barf diet with prozymes,plain yogurt, canned all natural pumpkin, acidopholous supplements and I BET he will clear right up. If he were my dog this is what I would do. Change him gradually to the Barf diet.  Vet's just don't know much about nutrition and natural supplements, that's the truth. They try. Science Diet they of course get a commission for selling from their offices. It's not a great food. The Flagyl is a good idea too. Man that is a LOT of immodium, pretty rough on his liver.
good luck
Cindi