Laser therapy for hip dysplasia?

[LabMama]

Hi lab parents,

My little pup (she's 3.5 yrs old) has stage 1 hip dysplasia & I've been on the hunt for different ways to reduce inflammation and keep her moving. Currently, she has cartrophen once a month which I inject at home, and I've taken her to a number of hydrotherapy classes to help strengthen her muscles.

The animal rehab clinic suggested trying something that they've had great results with, called cold laser therapy. Apparently it's a treatment that stimulates the cells into multiplying and ultimately helps reduce inflammation. But I don't know much else about it. I did some google searches and all seems positive, but I want to make the right decision.

Has anyone tried something like this for their pups?

Michelle

[3ChocMom]

I don't know what stage 1 HD is. My 9-year-old dog has HD, hers was graded as Mild by the OFA, not with a number. Is your dog lame? In pain?

Both of my adult dogs have had laser therapy for injuries. It did help to reduce the inflammation. I would also suggest, if you're not already doing this, finding a good daily joint supplement. I have Brandy on Glyco-Flex III, salmon oil and 1,000mg of Vitamin C daily for joint support. She also does hydrotherapy every other week. If your dog is lame and/or in pain, you might want to look into Adequan injections as well.

[LabMama]

Yeah, stage one is mild. I just know it'll get worse as she gets older so hoping to do all I can to minimize that where possible

That's great to hear that laser therapy had positive results! I currently give Molly glucosamine (1000 mg a day) and have changed her diet to help her lose weight (she was a little porky before and now is a healthy 65 lbs). I didn't know about Vitamin C giving joint support! I'll have to look into that too.

[3ChocMom]

If you do the Vitamin C, make sure it's the non-acidic kind. I use Ester-C. And start slow. Too much too fast can cause diarrhea. I'd start at 250mg and work your way up.

If your dog is not lame or in pain, you probably don't need to do the laser therapy. Joint supplements, a healthy lean weight and the hydrotherapy should be all that's needed to keep Molly mobile and strong. I've known about Brandy's HD since she was 2 and that's all I've done all these years. She's still going strong at 9-1/2 and has never been lame. If she ever starts having issues with mobility, I'll do whatever I have to, Adequan, laser, pain meds, etc.

[janedoe]

Laser therapy definitely helps. Our Zo has elbow dysplasia. Give it a shot.

[Jeff]

Hemi had laser therapy for a couple different things. It really does work quite well. I have had it myself when I had plantar fasciitis. However mine was severe and the best thing for it was massage.

So yes I believe laser therapy might help. However, I also have another suggestion for mild hip dysplasia, exercise. Now this is not normal exercise, walking, running, swimming, but actual specific exercises designed to increase the strength and muscle around the hip joint. This will support the hip much better.

I would discuss this with your vet and see if they can recommend a good canine physical therapist, one that works with exercise balls in recovery and physical therapy on dogs. Have them teach you how to work out your dog and then simply a half hour, 3 times a week and you will see a lot of improvement in a month or two.

My boy does these, we actually work out together he will do a set of exercises I do a set, he does a set, I do a set. He really loves doing this and so it keeps me doing it as well. Now my boy doesn't have dysplasia but instead he is heavily involved in more strenuous sports for dogs and just like any athlete that trains you prevent injury that way. The trainer that taught us this is a physical therapist for canines, and she seen so many sports injuries she decided to try and teach people the right way to exercise their dogs to prevent injury in the first place. She also uses the same exercises to strengthen the dog hip muscles to help with dysplasia. It's also a great way to burn off some energy. Again I would work with an expert on this as same with humans there are proper stretching and warm up and cool down techniques. A little bit of exercise can go a long way.

[Maxx&Emma]

My 9 y/o girl has arthritis in her hip and spine and we use laser therapy for this problem. It has helped her greatly. I would definitely recommend it for a variety of injuries and issues. The suggestion of exercise from Jeff recommended by a canine PT is also a great idea. Whatever you can do to help your dog is worth trying.

[Jax's Mom]

I have typed out our story twice and it keeps disappearing so ill keep it short. the rehab specialists told us that we could try laser therapy in the future when Jax became painful. He's young and has no damage or arthritis yet so we completed hydro therapy with great results.