Helping you decide when to put a dog down with hip dysplasia
Consider all of your options before deciding to put down your dog with hip dysplasia. Fortunately, there are several treatment options available so your canine friend can live without pain and suffering. Before you make any quick decisions, discuss with your vet or qualified professional.
Deformity of the hip can happen as early as puppyhood or when your dog ages. If you notice any of the following symptoms, consult with your vet.
While hip dysplasia is a genetic disease, certain size dogs are prone to having this condition. Consult our list of dog breeds below to see if your dog may be affected by this disease.
It’s crucial to get your pooch properly diagnosed by your vet. Find out what to expect once you’re at the vet’s office with your pup.
You may immediately ask yourself this question as soon as you learn that your pup has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Find out the answer below.
We discuss several treatment options available if your canine has hip dysplasia.
You’ll be glad to know that there are alternative treatment options available. Find out what these are.
There are several things you can do to help lessen their hip pain and improve their quality of life. Take these steps before making the decision to euthanize.
Consider some of the home treatments that can help improve their joint functions and mobility.
If your vet confirms that your canine can walk, find out what type of surfaces they should be walking on. We offer a few solutions that will help reduce your dog’s joint pain and provide them support while walking.
There are several exercises for dogs with hip dysplasia that can help build their muscle mass, strengthen their hips, and allow their joints to move more without putting stress on their hips.
Consider and evaluate your dog’s quality of life before making the difficult decision on euthanasia. If she’s living a poor quality of life, your vet may bring up euthanasia as the most humane choice.
Guidance on whether to Euthanize Dog with Hip Dysplasia
Heres how a scoring system works.
Think about each of the categories below and give them a score. This is in your best-buddys interest so be honest.
Rank them on from 0 to 10, where zero is down-in-the-dumps and ten is bouncing with energy.
Hip dysplasia causes pain and discomfort. It is a basic requirement for life that pain is controlled. Dogs with hip dysplasia have lived with pain all their lives, which has hopefully been controlled by medication. But there comes a time when the med theyve taken for years no longer works.
Recognizing signs of pain is key. These can be subtle, such as
Think this through and give the dog a score. Write this score down and keep in somewhere. It can be helpful to refer back to if youre not sure how your best buddy is doing.
Remember, identifying a dog with hip dysplasia is in pain, doesnt mean euthanasia is the only answer. Veterinarians have a raft of pain relieving medications they can call upon to bring pets increased comfort.
When it hurts to get up, theres a risk the dog might soil themselves. This goes against their dignity and needs keeping a close eye on. Also, if those hips are so stiff it hurts to poop, then something needs to change.
Think about how often the dog has accidents in the home (they cant get outside quick enough) or soil their bed. Likewise, struggling to squat to go to the toilet isnt fun. Knowing this gives the dog a score.
Its quality (not quantity) of life that matters. A miserable dog thats depressed and in pain, is unlikely to be happy. A measure of happiness is how much the dog takes part in family life and whether or not they can still do things that made them happy in younger life.
For example, does the dog get up to greet you, ask to play games, get excited by meal times, and still nag to go for walks?
If youre struggling with this one, ask yourself what makes the dogs tail wag each day or do they seem anxious, depressed, and withdrawn?
One reason to euthanize dog with hip dysplasia may be poor mobility. This can be hard to judge, since they may have been lame for some time. But have things got worse recently? Has the dog started to stumble and fall? Do they no longer go for walks because they collapse and are too large for you to carry home?
Mobility varies day to day, so no snap judgements on this one. Perhaps watch them for a week, and see if they have more good days than bad…which brings us onto our last category.
Everyone has bad days, but when those bad days outnumber the good…then something needs to change. A mistake many owners make is to wait until there are no good days to decide for euthanasia, which runs the risk that after the pets passing they feel guilty that they didnt act soon enough.
Be honest about the bigger picture, and dont let the odd good day amongst a sea of bad days, stop you from making a hard decision.
Do I have to put my dog down if they get hip dysplasia?
No, you do not have to put your dog down if they have hip dysplasia, as long as you treat the issue, and support and manage the condition.
But, if your dog is very poorly, depressed and their quality of life is massively reduced, then it may be time to talk about euthanizing your dog with the veterinarian.
When is it time to euthanize my pet?
Many dogs can be affected by a condition called hip dysplasia. This can often be offset with age or inherited through different breeds, and can be very painful for some dogs, as their legs lose mobility and their range of motion.
Having a dog with hip dysplasia can be heartbreaking. Watching your furry best friend get older is never fun.
All of a sudden, you can look at your dog and realize they do not want to fetch as much, do not like as much attention, and have started to go gray around the mouth and face.
But, dogs are too pure for this world, and their time on earth is often limited. As your dog gets older, they may start to lose mobility in their legs, and develop hip dysplasia, or normal bodily functions.
So, how do you know when enough is enough, and when is the right time to put down a dog with hip dysplasia?
This is why we are here. We can help guide you in this difficult decision, and help you understand what hip dysplasia is, how it affects our furry friends, and when it is best to put down your canine companion.