When we lost our lab, Kelsey to cancer last year, we found it impossible to live without a lab in our house.  We phoned around to several different clubs and breeders, and, ended up buying a yellow lab pup from a breeder just outside of London.  We named him Bailey, he was the nicest and friendliest puppy.  Bailey started obedience classes at 11 weeks of age and graduated top of his class.  We were so pleased with Bailey that when he was 6 months of age, we went to the same breeder and bought another pu ppy, his half brother Griffin.  Griffin was as much fun as Bailey and the two of them got along great.  We would take the dogs to the woods every day to run them and let them swim in the river.

All of a sudden, Christmas morning, things changed.  Griffin couldn't walk on his one leg and he was limping and in a lot of pain.  After lots of tests and xrays, we found out he had grade 4 canine hip displaysia, or, CHD.  CHD is where the dogs hip sock et is not shaped properly, the hipp socket is supposed to be c shaped, to form a cup for the femoral head or top of the leg bone.  The Grade 4 meant that Griffins hips were very bad.  The only thing they could do for him was a femoral head excision, where the remove the top part of his leg bone, and use muscle to wrap around the hip to hold his leg in place.  Since both of Griffins hips were bad, they would need to do his other hip in 6 months. 

We then became worried about Bailey, with Bailey having the same father as Griffin, there could be a possibility that he could have CHD too.  CHD is genetic, that means that it is passed down from mother and father to puppies. Unfortunately, Baileys xrays came back that he had CHD too.  His were only grade 3, so, it was not as bad as Griffins.  Bailey could have a different surgery, Triple Pelvic Osteotomy, where they break his hip in 3 places, use wire and plates and make him a new hip that would hold his leg in place.

Bailey has had both of his hips done now.  He is still recovering from his 2nd hip being done. Griffin still needs to go in for his other hip in a month or so.  It is very sad seeing the dogs after the surgery and watching them recover, but, we know that when they do, they will be able to live a normal life.  They will never be able to jump for frisbees, or go on all day runs, but, we bought them for family pets , and, we know they are the best pets.  My dad is very busy working lots of overtime to pay for the surgeries on our dogs.  My mom feels badly for the dogs and has learned how to check for certifications on dogs when buying from breeders, and I..well...I just love my dogs!!

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