As some of you probably know my GSD mix, Keno, was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia 3 years ago. We were given a bleak outlook at the time by the vet that saw him. I wanted to do a little compare and contrast of dysplasia types since yesterday we got the news that Kye has one hip that is a lot less than perfect as well.

Here are keno's initial x-rays.



After some research and a different vet the outlook for keno isn't really that bad. As you can see his right hip doesn't have much of a socket. What keeps him moving is muscle holding everything in place. From what I've read and heard from a couple vets now is that this form is much easier to manage with pain meds since for the most part things are smooth, they just aren't solid. His left hip is a different story. There is a little more socket and the malformed ball sits in deeper. There is room for more pinching and grating. Chances are if I was to spend money on surgery it would be this hip that is would go into.

Now for Kye's x-rays.



Kye has a really square left hip ball. As we learned in pre-K, square peg doesn't fit in a round hole. This is a bad deal that will probably require pain meds earlier on and is something we will have to monitor more closely. Some of you might know that I was really hoping to have a running partner in this next dog and this pretty much tells me I won't be doing marathons with him, but I try to look on the bright side. If someone else may have gotten him they might not have done the research and put in the dime to find this and that could have resulted in him being broken down down by relentless running, pulling or even kids trying to ride him (he is pony sized as far as some tikes are concerned). As out of standard as he is I knew going in he was byb dog, but this only once again reiterates how important it is to have your dog checked for these things if they are a rescue and to do your homework before buying a dog from a breeder. It's not enough that they seem knowledgeable about the breed, they have to have the paper to back it up and prove they are doing right by their dogs and breeding program. It's not just about saying the right thing and having clean quarters and pretty dogs. It's about backing it up with real tangible evidence like hip and eye checks regularly.

"If you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk." (okay, that's stolen from friends in AA and related but so many of the BYB's "talk the talk.")

I'm really sorry that you're going through this, but like you said, at least you know what to look for and how to do the best to make life endurable - and hopefully enjoyable - for all of you.

Kye and Keno are lucky pups to have found their way to you!