The most important thing is to get this pup in to a vet to be properly diagnosed- you want to make sure that what your pup is experiencing is in fact LP and not something else and also get a correct diagnosis of the grade, this will allow you to keep a better eye on its progression over time and see if it gets worse. Also- many times vets will recommend some kind of joint supplement like Cosequin or Dasaquin.
I have a poodle who had surgery a number of years ago- however, in addition to the LP she had torn her CCL.
One of my yorkies has grade 1 LP and the orthopedic doctor recommended Dasaquin and she has not limped once since she started it and she still jumps and plays like crazy.
It is best like others said to get stairs and try to prevent jumping as much as possible- its hard to prevent it 100% of the time- but the less they jump the better.
It would also be a good idea to start a "vet fund" now, stashing away a little bit at a time whenever you can- because you never know if surgery would become necessary for this or any other problem.
But- the most important thing right now is to get your dog into a vet to be properly diagnosed and see what the vet recommends. |