Ally is a 14 month Schnoodle and she belongs to our veterinarian Dr Seina. Last month Dr Seina brought Ally in to the clinic for a thorough orthopedic examination. Ally had recently started hopping down the stairs and was very sore in her left hip after her normal morning run. After some pain killers she was feeling much happier but continued to hop down the stairs. In order to thoroughly examine all Ally's joints, a sedative was administered and x-rays were taken.

Ally's x-rays revealed a congenital abnormality of the hip joint, which may eventually require surgery. For now, however, medical management (anit-inflammatories and joint protectants) will be sufficient to slow down the development of arthritis in her future.

This is not an uncommon scenario in a lot of young developing dogs. These congenital abnormalities can affect multiple joints, but most commonly involve the knee and hips. The severity ranges from mild and manageable to severe and debilitating. Some young dogs require costly specialist corrective orthopedic surgery immediately in order to manage their pain. It is here where pet insurance is very helpful. A lot of pet insurance companies will pay 80-100% of your vet bills as long as insurance was taken out PRIOR to the problem being diagnosed. That is, it isn't considered pre-existing. This helps take the stress out of the decision making process. We strongly recommend taking out pet insurance for all your pets. Please don't hesitate to ask us for more details or find out more here.

Other related articles

• Hip dysplasia in dogs
• Cruciate ligament rupture
• Arthritis in dogs
• Lameness in dogs