Boerboel with streched ligaments

Question
Dear Laura,
I am at my wits end.  I have been to the vet with my boerboel since January this year, when we had her x-rayed due to her hip displasia.  She was only five months then.  The vet was not postive.  He said that its pretty bad but the one good thing is he cannot dislocaite the joint.  She was then put on this combination of medication twice a day; Eco-Arth (for degenerative joint disease)5ml, Calc Fluor 2tablets, Calc Phos 2tablet and a mixture of Rhustox/sym from the Homeopath 2globules.  She turns 1yr on the 15 Aug, and the vet informed us today that she has stretched ligaments as well and he fears that she will rupture one, her knees are very swollen and it pains when she sits, he has now put her on Fortiflex 525 2tablets once a day along with her usual.  He doesnt hold much hope for her and I really dont want to loose her.  I am desperate and will try basically anything.  We live in Namibia and were hoping that you guys overseas might have come across something like this before. Thanks alot.

Answer
Desiree,

For this question I asked one of my doctors at work.  There is surgery that can correct the problem, but the type of surgery depends on what the x-rays look like.  Hip Dysplasia is very common over here since we have so many of the bulldog type dogs.  The surgery tends to be very expensive, but sometimes it's the only option.  I did some google research on the subject, here's a link:
http://www.workingdogs.com/vchipdysplasia.htm

As far as treatment goes, you're veterinarian needs to take good quality x-rays and evaluate which are the problem areas and which surgery would correct the problem. If he/she is not able to then you should have a second opinion.  Sounds like your vet may not have a lot of experience with the issue, if there is another vet in your area I think you should take the x-rays for review. Typically the surgery is done by a specialist, but I don't know what the situation is where you are.

It's so unfortunate that your dog is so young and having this problem, but it does happen more often over here due to puppy-millers and poor breeding practices.  

There is a lot of information out there and opinions on these surgeries but in my experience they have worked very well and the pets recovered.

For the time being your pet should have restricted movement to help keep the ligaments from breaking and you should talk to your vet about the FHO (femoral head ostectomy) or TPO(Triple Pelvic Osteotomy)surgeries mentioned in the link.

Also, under the guidance of your vet, you can try glucosamine which helps the joints.

Good luck and take care!

Laura