Need advice about pet bed/hip dysplasia

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Sarithe
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:34 am
Location: Mississippi

Need advice about pet bed/hip dysplasia

Post by Sarithe »

I need advice about a good pet bed for my dog Jacob. I am not sure which forum this goes in but this seems close enough to the topic.

My dog Jacob is a 5 year (in june) hound mix and was dignosed last friday with a mild case of hip dysplasia. The vet wanted to start out with a treatment of diet and exercise (due to his weight). She thought that would help him. I have started to give him a little more exercise but need to cut it back because he is very sore. The poor guy is uncomfortable and wants to sleep with me (and normally I allow it but the bed is high and he is very stiff and sore in his back hind end area and I don't want to cause more stress to that). I am trying to make a plan to adjust my and his life style and the furniture so that he is comforable, no stress added to the joints (or him) and he feels part of the family still.

I will be replacing my bed with a bed to the floor but I also want to change his bed. Right now, I have him of a foam dog bed but it is not very thick. I have been reading about memory foams. The problem is I am not sure which one is the best. Cost is an issue as I am trying to make all these changes as soon as possible but I was wonder if anyone can recommend a bed for him.

He is a very big dog (around 125 pounds or so). The vet said that he does have a mild case of hip dysplasia which he hasn't shown up until a few weeks ago. Plus, she said that he may be getting arthristis.

Plus, I think I over exercised him and not sure how I should start out with him. I am in process of changing him to Iams large breed pet food. I am mixing it in with the old and he hasn't fully gone onto the new food. Any advice would be helpful and appreciated. I can tell he is really uncomfortable tonight because he normally likes his space to stretch out and he was practically laying ontop of me earlier. I am slowly trying to get him used to walks. He has started panicking when we get further and further away from the house. He likes to stay where he is familiar so for right now we are playing in the backyard with his duck (toy).
dontpugme
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:01 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Need advice about pet bed/hip dysplasia

Post by dontpugme »

I can't advise too much on the hip displasia, but kudos to you. There aren't many people willing to change their lifestyle for a dog. :)

As for the food, I understand money can be an issue, but Iams is IMO one of the worst dog foods out there. The ingredients may slightly contribute to his problems.

Ingredients:
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Glucosamine), Ground Whole Grain Barley, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Caramel, Dicalcium Phosphate, Flax Meal, Choline Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Chicken Cartilage (Natural source of Glucosamine), Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, DL-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, Citric Acid, Rosemary Extract.
Chicken first is normally good, but if the food is inexpensive, that "chicken" could very well be water. Anything corn should be avoided, as it can make him irritable and exacerbate any pain. Also stay away from any by products or by product meals. Normally, the fewer ingredients, the better or the more ingredients you actually can read the better.

This is the ingredient list for a bag of Taste of the Wild dog food (a very good kibble for its price) for comparison.
Salmon, fish broth, water, egg, peas, natural flavor, potato starch, calcium carbonate, sweet potatoes, potatoes, ocean fish, smoked salmon, guar gum, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium chloride, yucca schidigera extract, dicalcium phosphate, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, iron proteinate (a source of chelated iron), zinc proteinate (a source of chelated zinc), vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate (a source of chelated copper), manganese proteinate (a source of chelated manganese), riboflavin supplement, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement.
Since the good quality dog foods are usually more expensive, I try to take advantage of coupons, member rewards, taking store surveys, and checking often for sales. You could also try switching to a raw diet. Raw food is very good for the joints.
--dontpugme
Erica
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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Need advice about pet bed/hip dysplasia

Post by Erica »

Another thing to consider is how much of the food the dog needs to eat - when we switched from pedigree (yuck) to Taste of the Wild, our older dogs' required amount went down by almost half. :)

Some of the members here may be able to recommend natural supplements to help with the pain. Glucosamine/chondroitin supplements have really helped our arthritic, gimpy dog move more normally.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
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Sarithe
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:34 am
Location: Mississippi

Re: Need advice about pet bed/hip dysplasia

Post by Sarithe »

Hi thanks for telling about that brand. I haven't heard of it before. My vet just suggested Iams (in the blue bag) or something she sells called OM. I had never heard of that before either. I will check that brand out and see if anyone around here carries it.

Plus, I would go to the ends of the earth for Jacob. We lost my other dog Sassy last September. She needed a surgery and ended up getting pneumonia. We fought it for a week but in the end her age (13) worked against her but she tried so hard. He is all I have left. I took in another dog Riley because she lost her home due to a divorce so she is working her way into the family.
dontpugme
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:01 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Need advice about pet bed/hip dysplasia

Post by dontpugme »

I don't think Taste of the Wild is sold at Petsmart or Petco...not at mine anyway. I have a few natural dog food stores around, but we normally stick to Petsmart because we get coupons, online surveys, and the member card. The decent ones Petsmart has are Wellness and Innova. Petco has a few more like Natural Balance. At my Petsmart and Petco, the food is arranged by quality. The heavily advertised junk is all together in the back, and as you move forward, the food gets a little better. Stay away from buying kibble at like Walmart or Publix or Target. If money is an issue, I would stick with Petsmart and watch for sales and surveys for 15% off and coupons for Wellness or Innova.

Many vets are paid to recommend certain brands and display them in waiting rooms. My vet is paid to have Science Diet in his office.
--dontpugme
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