...ahhhh; don't blame you for "declining". NOT a fan of Science Diet at all.

I only declined because I love Fromm. Cooper has head Science Diet in the past and has done very well on it.

OMG Karen. So sorry to hear that. But, he can be cured which is good. He will be fine in your hands since your such a good mommy to both of your boys.

=)

Sorry to hear about Cooper. All of mine have some degree of LP. Cali has had grade 4 both knees for years. Just recently after my DD took her for a long walk did she start limping. Her knees are both permanently out. Her vet said just do a watch and see since she has other issues that it's better not to put her under if we don't have to. I gave her some medcam for a few days and really limited her jumping even up the 2 stairs we have to the outside and she is much better. Pixie had grade 3 in left and grade 2-3 in right. She walked off the bed to get away from Nikki, instead of using the ramp and couldn't stand up. After 3 vets and a ortho surgeons opinion I went ahead with the surgery 2 years ago. Sometimes I wish I had waited but she did fine with the surgery. Just in the past few days I noticed her limping slightly on her right leg once in awhile but I am keeping an eye on her for now. Nikki has grade 3-4 in right leg and he is about 17-18 years old and has never had a problem with it. So it seems to depend on how the individual dog does with it and how it progresses. I hope Cooper stays symptom free.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I know you have your hands full and I'm so sorry about everything going on. It sure sounds like your pack is doing quite well though and I hope Cooper stays symptom free as well.

So sorry about Cooper. Sending Hugs.

When my Shih Tzu was 7 years old we found out that he had deformed hips after he fell down some hardwood steps. Dydplasia. We went to a specialist who said that he did not need surgery right then and it would be fine to do it whenever the condition started to bother him. I put him on a higher grade food and supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin along with Omega 3's. The little guy did so well that he never had an issue until he was around 13 when we noticed him acting a little stiff occasionally. He had arthritis and so he was occasionally on an anti inflammatory. The little man did great and lived to be 15 years old without surgery and he was still walking very well until just before his last days.

High quality diet along with supplements can go a long way toward keeping the connective tissues in place and so helping to keep a defective joint stable. Of course lifestyle is important also. I always walked my little guy a couple of times a day but never let him over do. Of course with the knees you really need to keep your baby from jumping or putting stress on the front joints.

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that a supplement will help him. He's in good hands and I know you'll do whatever needs to be done over time.

I'll definitely get him started on the supplements soon. Sounds like you take great care of your little guy. He must have been very lucky to have you. I'll do my best to keep him from jumping. My main concern is him chasing his ball in the backyard. He likes me to throw it all day long. I don't even know if that's hard on his back knees but he seems pretty rough at times chasing it. But he's never complained.

Karen, Toby has Grade 3-4 in his left rear leg and Grade 2 in his right rear leg. He was a bit overweight when his LP started acting up big time. I got his weight down, put him on Cosequin and he runs and jumps like crazy! I am a HUGE believer in Cosequin. It has made all the difference in the world. I can't say he has a lot of strength in his left rear leg but this little stinker does whatever the he** he wants to. There is no stopping him. He too uses steps to get in and out of bed but he jumps on and off the couch all the time but it is not really high off the floor.

My vote is for Cosequin (Toby has been on it 1 1/2 years now) and keep their weight down.

Thank you so much Dianne.

Where do you get your Cosequin... ?? What Brand?

You do have a pool in your backyard? That is fabulous for the pups. I would specially now summer is here - throw that toy in the water.

If you can teach the trick Sit/Beg/Stand/Beg/Sit. This will strengthen the back muscles and the thigh/leg muscles. Teach on firm surface first. Sit to Beg then teach to Sit Beg Stand. Try for the dogs to hold each position for 15 seconds.

There are other exercises/ie tricks or so you can teach that are fun to do for the dog and strengthens up the muscles.

I hope Cooper stays well . And I too use a joint supplement for all my dogs.

Wow! Just now seeing this thread.... my 2 cents worth: Heart sounds and grades of LP are pretty much relative depending on each vet. My advice would be to get a second opinion, preferably from a vet that isn't too gun-ho on doing surgery for this condition.

I remember when this surgical repair started becoming popular, prior to that LP was a managed condition, keep the dog from jumping and over-extending. Dogs that continue to jump and overextend themselves even after the surgery can relapse, so behavior modification will be necessary either way. I asked my vet why then do they even offer this surgery? His response was that owners like to do what they can afford to do for their pets, so if they want to do it, we will accomodate them.

Surgery is usually done only when a dog reaches stage 4, or if a dog is showing recurring symptoms or chronic pain.

Glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate products may help. The body makes it own, but as the dog (or person) ages, production slows, which can make symptoms more obvious. Replacing this with a supplement can help in some.

I had Peek A Boo on it for a while, but his tummy was sensitive to it and he would vomit if I gave him a full dose. I cut the dose back to almost 1/4 twice a day, which he could keep down, and I figured some was better than none. I don't recall seeing much improvement, so I stopped it all together about 2 years ago. He can still run faster than me to the kitchen to get a treat, or to sneak a large mouthful of kitty food before I catch up to him.

As you said Cooper has a sensitive tummy, I would recommend starting him out on a lower dose, and work it up gradually to allow his body to adjust to it, over a week or two. (after getting a second opinion):D

Wylie has had a grade 2 for years now - his knees will pop all over when his vets palpates them. But he's never shown a single symptom...so we've been lucky. I don't know why some dogs show symptoms and others seem able to live w/ it just fine. I do give Cosequin.

Love to the Cooper man!