Hips Don't Lie.

I just want to take the time to announce that there is only one more Monday of school left until summer!  This year has crawled and flown by both at the same time. I feel like yesterday was October but it also feels like it was a year ago. I know it is strange but it has been a learning year for both Holland and I.  We both took on challenges we did not foresee especially with going into the second year of our careers.  I am thinking year three may be the lucky one and if not there is always a silver lining. 

So, I am a firm believer that things come in threes. One of the threes that happened recently was Bleu's hips. Well since he has two hips I suppose this was number 1 and 2. Bleu has it in his genes to have problems with his hips as he gets older. He has been on glucosamine for about a year now and I have just felt like it has gotten worse. He over exerts himself and is slow with moving around for the following three days after a long walk or a lake trip. He just looks like an old man sometimes and thats okay because he is. I wanted to know more of his condition so my primary vet did some x rays a few weeks ago to see what was going on. Just to give some background on our vet- he is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. He is an Aggie which makes him fabulous in my book and he is always so positive. I knew it was about to get serious when we walked into the vet to go over Bleu's x rays and the receptionist even said "Poor old Bleu! His hips are looking rough!" Dr. Nichols told us he classified Bleu's hips as severe hip dysplasia.  Basically, Bleu has no socket in his hips so his bones are rubbing together. This is what causes him to sashay his hips and hop like a bunny when he runs or goes up stairs.  Dr. Nichols recommended for us to see a surgeon to see if Bleu would be a good candidate for hip replacement or FHO surgery. We had our appointment today and we got some good news!

Waiting for the Doctor with dad. 

The Surgeon advised us that although Bleu would be a great candidate for a complete hip replacement in his left hip, he did not feel it was needed at this time. Possibly in a year or two if we feel his condition gets worse, we can comeback in to re-evaluate if the surgery should be done or not.He gave us some ideas on how to possibly prevent Bleu from being in pain. One thing is getting some weight off. So I guess that means no more loaves of bread for a snack? :)  We are going to cut 1/3 of his food out and supplement canned green beans since they have low caloric intake.  Another thing is just giving Bleu some pain meds when we know he has been extremely active.

I am still worried about his hips, but at least we know other options we can do to make him more comfortable. He is such a happy go lucky pup. I mean look at that picture. He is just too adorable.