Apologies for being a little late this month. Unfortunately we’ve had some problems with our younger lab that has really knocked us back.

Hip Dysplasia

And when I wrote “Labrador Hip dysplasia is a generic disease and one that frightens most Lab owners to death” I must admit that I had my fingers crossed that I would never have to deal with the problem.

Unfortunately, we recently noticed that our youngest Lab, Pippa Fourpaws (she is around ten months old), wasn’t carrying herself quite right.

A visit to the vets and two x-rays later our worst fears seemed to be confirmed; the vet was convinced that Pippa Fourpaws was suffering from Hip Dysplasia and the x-ray of her hip looked horrible.

The vet advised us that Pippa Fourpaws would need surgery to completely replace the hip as the condition was so bad that medication would not be sufficient. Naturally, at this point, a tidal wave of emotions was going through our minds.

Pippa Fourpaws

The vet who made the prognosis referred us to a specialist canine surgeon who was confident that the surgery would be a success and who estimated the costs to be between £3000-£4000. That was much more than the insurance company would pay.

Now, I realise that it sounds awful and very callous to be even thinking about money in a crisis such as this but with vets working on a ‘pay up front’ basis and insurance companies taking months to settle a claim it is a sad fact that, when it comes to expensive vet bills, most of us do have to think about the family budget.

In the end, like most Lab owners I suspect, we decided that we would somehow get the cash together but we were also encouraged by a friend to get a second opinion on Pippa’s condition from another vet.

This we did and the prognosis this time was very different. Yes, Pippa Fourpaws does have a problem with her hip but no, it isn’t Hip Dysplasia and doesn’t require surgery. As you can imagine the sense of relief was incredible.

Fast track to today and Pippa is her usual maniac self, bouncing and jumping all other the place without a care in the world!

The moral of the story? Although we trust our vets implicitly, just like doctors, now and again their opinions and advice may be different.

In cases were drastic treatment is advised it may be prudent to get a second opinion before putting yourself and your Lab through the trauma of surgery.

Recent Updates To The Website

(NB: If have opted to receive the non-HTML version of the newsletter you may need to copy and paste the link into your browser)

How To Stop Dog Barking And Lead The Quiet Life

A Dog Crate And Training Your Labrador Dogs

The Dudley Lab

Dogs And Chocolate - What The Pet Owner Needs To Know

Have You Got Your Free Ebook?

Readers Labradors

And Finally

Craig and Lynn Ellyard

Contact us by email