You can feel my dogs hips click/pop...she is only 2?

[Christine]

I am quite sure it is not normal... I spoke to the vet over the phone when I noticed it (has been a while) and he told me if I notice her bunny hopping to bring her in.

I do not think she does that but is there anything that can be done for her hips? What would cause hips to pop in a dog so young? Anything I can do at home to prevent it...

If this is something surgery can help how much does it generally help?

Thanks...I sware I know how to pick them when I pick them...I took her in as a pregnant stray, she had a uterine infection after the pups and had surgery, then I find out she has a heart murmur, I have changed her food had her on supplements, the murmur is gone and now I notice the hips.

[ainawgsd]

Not much causes a dog's hips to pop other than arthritis or some sort of joint disorder. If it doesn't seem to be causing her any pain right now then the best thing you can do for her is to keep her lean, make sure she gets plenty of moderate exercise (swimming is great as it is low-impact and will really help to build up those hip muscles without putting a lot of strain on the joints), and supplement her diet with glucosamine/chondroitin and vitamin E/essential fatty acids. Vitamin C, particularly Ester C, has shown some evidence of having anti-inflammatory properties and has been helpful for some dogs with hip issues.

If you are concerned about it, then you should take her to a vet for a full range of motion exam and hip x-rays (preferably under sedation as they really have to crank on the hips to get good pictures and it can be really uncomfortable even for dogs without joint issues). There's really no reliable way to tell without doing x-rays just how bad the hips are. A range of motion exam will give you some information about how well the joint is currently functioning, but a vet can't tell you the true extent of the damage without actually seeing the joint.

As for what can be done, that also depends on the degree of damage. Many dogs can live fairly normal lives with even moderate damage with supplements and the occasional help of pain medication. Whether or not surgery can help will depend on what is going on. There are some surgical options available, most of which are fairly expensive, depending on whether the damage is genetic (dysplasia) or the result of trauma (such as being hit by a car or beaten). But again, a vet can't tell you what, if any, surgery is the best option without doing x-rays first.

[JohnN]

hip dysplasia might be the problem and with this they are really sore to get up and limp while moving around from a down posistion. her hips might still be spread from the birth of the pups but they should be back to normal a little while later. most large breeds can get this diaease and it can be inherited from their parents and extra weight puts a lot of pressure on the hip joints causing them to pop out of the sockets. she might of gotten abused or hit a lot on the back end or even a lack of calcium or a bad diet might of caused her bones and joints to be weak.surgery is very expensive to fix the hips joints and there is no garante that is will fix the problem. with my big rottie who had hip dysplasia i gave her asperins for pain along with vitamin b and tried to keep haer weight sown. i use to do massages and placed warm wet towels on her hind end to soothe the joints and i kept her going for several years until she no longer could move around on her own. she was 135 lbs so i couldn't carry her but her last years were more enjoyable with these little methods.ur vet can do xrays to check the joints and then u can go from there to find treatments that will help her feel better. maybe it is just something simple that u can help her with. good luck