[Pitbull Palace]

Well After all these Vets telling me Crush has GROWING Pains, its been 4 Months of Xrays and $$$$ and IM POSITIVE that he has a Joint disease, and they don't know what else to do except recomend a Bone & Joint Specialist...This is what Ive come up with from reading:

Osteochondritis dissecans, commonly known as OCD-
OCD usually occurs during periods of rapid growth. Therefore, it has been suggested that nutrition that creates rapid growth may lead to the increase in incidence of the disease.
There are currently two ways to treat OCD, conservative medical treatment or surgical removal of the lesion. Conservative treatment may be indicated for dogs that have early mild symptoms of OCD or where a specific lesion cannot be identified on radiographs. Conservative treatment consists of strict rest for 4 to 8 weeks. Leash walking is permitted but no running or playing is allowed. Anti-inflammatories and painkillers such as carprofen (Rimadyl) may be indicated. In addition, the use of glucosamine/chondroitin products has been suggested, yet there are no current studies that confirm their beneficial use in this particular disease. Conservative treatment may be difficult in young, active puppies who may still need to undergo surgery, if the symptoms do not improve.

Surgery is indicated in animals that show severe symptoms, in cases where large lesions are identified on radiographs or when conservative treatments fail. The surgery is very straightforward. The affected joint is opened and the offending flap, defect, or joint mouse is removed. The prognosis is generally good when the shoulder joint is affected. With other joints, degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) is more common. When the elbow is affected, the OCD may contribute to the development of other abnormalities in that joint.

~~~~~~~~~So what would you do with your 14 Month old Dog? Crush's Problem is BOTH rear Nee's...and they have the Best results from surgery for Shoulders....IDK if i should keep him comfortforable on anti inflamitories for as long as possible, or if i should Spend $6000 and see if it helps for a while before it More than Likeley comes Back. He's young and i feel awful, then Again he's so young I cant go threw Thousands and thousands all his life if surgery really doesnt work the first time for hind quarters as ive read so many times Unless its a Hip replacement which doesnt seem to be affected on him.. Its so bad on him that when he is walking around (wich isnt offen) that his whole Movment is wrong. Its really getting worse as far as him not bending his legs at all and walking with both rear feet almost together touching, and Back arched like a Cat stretching....
Damn Im upset, poor boy is such a Lover and a temperment of a Angel.

 

[Blue_Nose_Bella]

Go back to the breeder for answers. Where did you get him from? Byb or reputable? I would get a second opinion from another vet. If it is joint issues i would start him on chondroiton, glucosamine, and or msm. I personally wouldn't go through with surgery unless i knew for sure ot would fix his problem. Poor thing.......he's to young! Was he normal as a pup? Is he neutered?

 

[Pitbull Palace]

Started around 10 months, was fine till then. Ive gone to 2 Vets for Xrays. Ive had him on Fish oil and the other since it started, and now Previcox TOO. Ive tried Rest for Weeks, then i tried Excersize..Nothing changes anything.
He came from a Reputable Breeder who works for a vetrenary Clinic. The Parents are Fine except One had a Tear (saposedly from Playing) and the litter mates Im told are all Fine. Its the 3rd Litter Im told without Problems. Thats all i can say...Im at a Loss...

 

[angelbaby]

UGH how sad. What has the breeder offered? most reputable breeders will have some sort of guarantee against genetic issues like this. Just because there dogs are fine or seem fine { have they health tested and had hips and joints tested?} they can still throw dogs with issues,even if they passed all tests. Before I ever go to surgery I evaluate everything on what there quality of life will be? will this return you said more likely it will return again} ?. And look at the risks involved and expenses are you able to cover them? We had an issue with our lab years ago before I got into this breed. His stomache flipped or something I cant remember the exact issue. But the surgery was very pricey and it was more then likely going to happen again and after surgery he would have had to be on a very bland food { medical diet from the vet} . We made the decission to not do the surgery and let him live his last days being spoiled, he lived about a year after that before we felt he just wasnt living a comfortable life anymore. Its a hard choice to make especially when the costs are so high for you as much as Id like to say id spend millions to save my dogs we all have limitations. I would really talk to the breeder again see if they can help expense wise or replace { I know you cant ever replace your boy , but for a dog that young to have issues the breeder should be held accountable. Honestly I dont know If I would even want anything off there yard again after all that}.
This diagnosis here though have you brought this possibility up with a vet and if so what have they said? The worst thing we can do is self diagnose things like this lol, I know Im surrounded by medical books here and any time something is wrong I try doing just that lol { according to my diagnosis on a few things I should have been dead by now LOL} alot of symptoms have alot of different possibilities.

 

[Pitbull Palace]

The breeder has a HUGE contract, remeber last yr i was angry that she wouldnt let me wait until a yr to fix him. I wanted to wait FOR THIS EXACT REASON. Plus I didnt want a extra Tall male and fixing them early has proven to screw up growth platelets and cause the standard to be lost by a inch or two along with Rapid Growth that turns into this Somtimes. The Contract also states They are not reponcible for anything after so many weeks of age. As far as the surgery like you said, the rear end does not prove to fix the problem permanetly....elbows and nee's are not a good outcome. If it was HIP probs they have ways to replace them completely, but this is a cartlige problem that continues to breakdown......I brought this up to the Vet and they said they where HOPING it wasnt going to come to this but that this is what they now beleive were dealing with. As far as $$$$ I would have to take a Loan for all these cost's. If it was a sure Fix u bet I would, but not if he is going to be screwed again in 3-5 yrs. What a sweet animal, im sickened thinking about having to make a desistion to put him down within 5-8 yrs. LESS if it continues to get worse, he's starting to look like he has muscular distrafy in the back end, all frail and no muscle from sitting around for 4 months. His front legs do all the work as he hardly touches the rears to the ground @ all.

 

[angelbaby]

Is this a genetic issue? if it is you DO HAVE RIGHTS and can sue the breeder if they refuse to deal with this. UNLESS it clearly states that they do not cover genetic issues. If it isnt specifically stated there I would press them to help out here If not put them on blast. Save someone from buying a dog from them and have this heartache happen. I know you said they are reputable but I find it hard to believe if they are turning there back to you on this. So sorry your having to go through this . I agree with you though if your going to face this again in the future regardless if you do the surgery it is alot of money to have to put up over and over. I know alot of people would say do it whatever it takes to help the dog but honestly you have a family to support and other dogs and taking out a loan and going in debt over a surgery that wont fix the problem for good is alot to take on. Its your choice an I dont envy you one bit here. If anything atleast im sure you will offer him a great home with lots of love for the time he has with you.

 

[Blue_Nose_Bella]

Christian....are his front legs affected at all by this? I saw a GSD recently with a back set of legs that were wheels! I would look into those if it's only his back legs and you skip the surgery. He would be a handicapped boy but still be able to have a semi normal life. I also would get him on some supplements for joint health.

CHECK this out!
Happy Dogs In Wheelchairs

http://www.dogwheelchairscenter.com/products-page/

 

[Pitbull Palace]

Their contracts states " any Genetic ect.... ect.... ect......as far as the reputable Breeder Part..idk who's who anymore....these pricks are a dime a dozen now days...big web pages and all, once you get there they live in a crack house lmao..well thats not the case with crsh im just pissed....they where a familly that has 1 litter a yr, she works for a vet but im so fryed from thinking my moods shot. Thx for all the input..ill check back with everyone tomorrow, im exhausted and the puppy getts up at 1am to go out . So i gotta get a couple hrs of sleep. TY for talkin, that probably helped more than anything else peeps.