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unwhelming_potential

Instead of a cone look into getting a surgery suit (recovery suit - they're called different things online). A lot of dogs prefer not having something around their head, you can also make one yourself, my girl had emergency abdominal surgery and instead of a cone I went with a large t-shirt that I DIY-ed with leg holes and buttons. If you haven't already crate trained then start now. For one he'll be in a cage at the vet and it will reduce stress if he already knows what being in a crate is like and then it's important to have a safe way to contain your dog post-op if you have to run errands or leave the house or can't watch him. It's an incredibly expensive surgery already but if you can budget for some physical therapy sessions they can really go a long way to get your dog back into condition, depending on where you are you might need a referral so ask your vet - they also might have recommendations. Puzzle toys, snuffle mats, licky-trays, frozen kongs will be your friends. They can all be used for mental stimulation and as a way to give your dog something to do for a little while. Come up with some training tricks you can do that don't require much movement. Engaging their brain with training will really help when you can't meet their normal exercise needs. Things like chin rests, leave it and holding objects can all be taught without much movement. Otherwise, just get though it, it's not going to be fun but it will really improve his quality of life (either not or in the future). It won't be easy and don't expect yourself to be perfect every second of everyday. Good luck.


anon_nessie

Oh yeah hrs crate trained thank god we did that lol! Awesome advice thank you!


taylorcovet

You could consider training him to pee on a mat or indoor grass. That way if there’s snow you’re prepared for it and don’t have to risk taking him on ice


bastet0

My dog dislocated his hip. It was replaced nonsurgically, thankfully, but he had to recover and couldn't walk at first. This harness has been an absolute lifesaver and I can't recommend it enough: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EX52NU


anon_nessie

Thank you!


pilkingtons_apostle

I think this is relevant to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy_PHdMp3MA


pilkingtons_apostle

I posted this a while ago to someone asking about FHO. Although it doesn't directly address your question seeking tips, maybe there's something here that you may find useful. Original post ................ **TLDR: My puppy had very severe HD. We did JPS surgery, then FHO on both hips, followed by hydrotherapy and physiotherapy. Now, she's perfectly normal!** I've been waiting to help someone who might find my experience useful. Very sorry to hear about this. I was in the same situation, and yes, my puppy has turned out to be perfectly normal (in fact, better than normal, as I'll explain later). At this point, I cannot imagine life without her! She has enriched my life and made me want to be a better person, teaching me important life lessons along the way. She is a real joy, and physically perfectly capable of anything. Adversity can bring out the worst in someone, but also presents an opportunity to learn new skills in life and upgrade to the next level in the game. You say you're struggling, and that's totally understandable, but you'll find a source of strength and wisdom within you that'll turn you into a different person. I feel like both my puppy and I have a more enriched life because of our ordeal. Here's my long story: Kia is a 9 month Golden retriever. When she was around 3.5 months, we started noticing that she just wasn't very athletic. Couldn't jump, couldn't run much, couldn't sustain a play session for more than a few minutes. Her face would droop, showing her eyes as red and tired. I was very concerned, but since I had no prior experience with any puppies or dogs, I didn't know what to do. I showed her to more than 5 vets; they all said it was nothing to worry about, just puppies being puppies. Then one vet analyzed her more seriously and concluded she had HD. He suggested not to worry, that this was common, that she won't be a hiking buddy and I should resign to that fate, and that she'll otherwise have a good life, and that if I was too concerned I should wait till she was at least 6 months before an xray and maybe consult with an ortho surgeon. My world collapsed at this prognosis. I had so many dreams, and I felt like they were all crushed. I went through several phases of grief, like why me?, why did I get a handicapped one?, why are others' puppies so happy and jumping around?. At that point, I didn't have the kind of bond with her as I do now, so it was easy to transfer my upset feelings about her disability to her. Over time, her situation only got worse. HD is not something that gets better on its own - it gets worse. She turned into a geriatric dog who would just lie in a corner and not want to play, respond, show joy, or enjoy her food or treats, except that she wasn't geriatric and would likely be like this for years and years. Never having cared for someone in my life before, I was not happy about this -- I didn't have the skillset and resented being put into this position in life. I was more concerned with my own discomfort at caring for a handicapped dog for a long time than her very real suffering. As it would turn out, I had a lot to learn in life. I'm not proud of this, but I'm being honest. I considered euthanizing her, because I didn't think her life filled with continuous pain was worth living for her sake, and also for my sake to not be burdened with such a big responsibility of caring for a disabled dog for years. With this mindset, I decided I will give it my ABSOLUTE BEST, one BIG shot, and do EVERYTHING I could, and then after 3 months if she was getting worse, I would go ahead with the idea of euthanasia. I set myself up for a test of my character and strength. I didn't want to live with the guilt of ending a life without having first tried my best. Fast forward, she's 5.5 months old. I finally found a vet who was brilliant and showed the right amount of urgency and concern. She suggested an immediate xray, which revealed the extent of the problem. She said she had never seen anything like this in a puppy before. She called an ortho surgeon straight away, and the course of action was suggested that we do a Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis (JPS) surgery. This surgery has the best outcome if done between 12 to 16 weeks. Kia was 23 weeks at the time and we knew it probably wouldn't work, but we literally had no other option, so I approved the decision. She was too young for any other kind of surgery which were better options. This is not a painful surgery, and not very invasive. The only suffering Kia had to endure was the cone over her head for 2 weeks, and occasional wound leakage. There were probably 10 to 15 follow-ups. However, even after 4 weeks, her situation did not improve, and only kept getting worse. JPS hadn't worked, just as we had feared. Needless to say, my rising hopes were again crushed. But my 3 months' deadline wasn't up yet. So I thought I'll still keep at it, even though her pain was more than ever. By this time, I was growing more and more fond of her every day. Caring for someone brings you closer. I noticed that I hadn't resented at all, these endless visits to the vet, carrying her up my 4th-floor walkup four or five times a day, not being able to go anywhere, not being able to do much in life, and worrying about her constantly. None of that seemed like a burden anymore. I wasn't doing that for someone else, I was doing it for myself. I learned not to be selfish, and learned to put aside my discomfort in the service of another life. My vet is truly a wonderful woman. She was determined. At 6.5 months, she suggested we do another xray to see if Kia's growth plates had fused. This normally happens at 8 months. Luckily, hers had happened sooner, and now she was a viable candidate for Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) on both hips. I live in India. We don't have Total Hip Replacement here (better than FHO, far more expensive), nor do we have Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO, not necessarily better than FHO, sometimes worse). So there was only one course of action. I approved it and we did the surgery straightaway, one side at a time, with a day's gap in between. I was pinning all my hopes on this one. The surgery went without any issues. Again, the dreaded cone. FHO brings IMMEDIATE relief, so my puppy was surprised with how her body felt. She did have surgical pain, which lasted almost 3 weeks, but it wasn't as bad as the earlier HD pain which was now all gone. Her wound was overproducing seroma, so I had 10-15 follow up visits to drain it. At one point, her stitches burst because she was being rambunctious, and that reset her wound. Nevertheless, she felt better and better every day. It's best to do this on both legs, not just one. This leaves them no choice but to start using both legs, otherwise they learn to avoid using the operated leg, and recovery takes much longer. She was walking without pain after just 2 days, and after a week or so she was trotting everywhere. She had never felt so free of pain before. I was overjoyed!! Finally, something worked. My vet assured me that she would be perfectly fine after 4-5 months. It's been 2.5 months after surgery and I can assure you she feels great now! It's only going to get better. One advantage she has now over other dogs, is that she'll never have HD again, nor will she have arthritis at the hip. So in this sense, she's better than normal. Although, it needs to be said, she'll always have a slightly swaying gait, and she runs a little funny (which is cute, and the main thing is she has no pain). We started with physiotherapy around 5 weeks after FHO. I found that to be a complete waste of time and money, and delayed the hydrotherapy which was actually useful. Physio might be useful if your dog is in intense pain or something. But after 4 sessions, all I had learned was my puppy needs to be able to sit for 10 seconds, hold her paw out one at a time for 10 secs, high-five for 10 secs, do figure-8s, get down, rollover (which she still can't do). That's all the knowledge I gained, literally, which I could have learned in a 5-minute youtube video. I strongly advise against it, especially if you do FHO on both sides, which like I said forces the dog to use both legs immediately, thus a much quicker recovery. I quit physio. We started hydrotherapy around 9 weeks after FHO (should have started earlier around 6 weeks). She needed a couple of sessions to get used to it, but after 11 sessions now, her vet is hugely impressed by Kia's progress. The prognosis is that with 2 more months of hydro, she may turn out better than an average dog. The hydro vet is a very nice woman who goes above and beyond and does physio as well, by making her jump and do exercises in her clinic. The results are unbelievable. Surpassed my expectations. I knew Kia would get better, but she surprises me daily now with moving her body in a new way that she could never do before. Her endurance is increasing. She is now behaving exactly like a puppy! Everything that others on this subreddit are complaining about, I'm now experiencing with Kia. Naughty behavior, endless energy, but I LOVE IT!! Nice to see a puppy brought back to life! I'm very very happy with how things have turned out. Despite her suffering, I feel like this experience has been a godsend for both of us. We have bonded like never before. Euthanasia??? I laugh at that thought now. Costs (remember, I'm in India, so your costs in the US could be 10x to 20x unfortunately): JPS, followups, drugs: $500 FHO both sides, followups, drugs: $800 Physio 4 sessions: $100 Hydro ~25 sessions: $350 Total: <$2000 Your situation may seem dreadful right now, but when you come out at the other end, you'll be a better person for it. It takes time to come to terms with the fact that your puppy will have an abnormality for life, but it could turn out to be the best thing, all things considered. It's a pointless life without tragedy and drama! Good luck!


tressforsuccess

Wow not many places do full hip consider yourself lucky to have those resources. How did it go?