[murraysmom]

Well, Murray is showing his age now. He turned eight in June, and he's starting to have some leg/hip/knee problems. There are times when he refuses to go on his walks , so we took him to the vet to see what's going on.
X-rays showed mild displasia in his left hip. There's also noticable muscle wasting in the right leg, and a really unstable patella in that leg, which is very trembly at times.

So his walks will be shorter now, and no more rough play with his boxer friend down the street.

I feel sad that my boy is getting old.

 

[murraysmom]

I'm sorry Murray is having problems. Did the vet really recommend cutting back on walks? I would have thought they would want to continue exercise to preserve as much muscle as possible.

His walks will be shorter, but more frequent (several short walks every day rather than one long one) and yes, you're right, the vet emphasized that it's important to keep him moving. His weight has always been right where it should be, so that's a plus with what's going on.

His knee seems to be the main concern; we think he was refusing to walk because it was hurting him- so no running and spinning with his boxer puppy friend, to prevent injury to the patella.

 

[murraysmom]

It would not surprise me if most of the problem is from the luxating pettella that can be surgically corrected.

Yes, the unstable patella seems to be the main problem. As far as surgery: the vet says that while the patella is moving around pretty freely, it hasn't popped out of position yet, so he isn't recommending surgery at this time, just advising against stressing the knee.

Any comments from someone whose basset has had this surgery?

 

[murraysmom]

OK Mike, I read the articles; that clarifies a few things for me- thanks!

Yogi's Mom- yes, Murray has been taking fish oil for a couple of years to help his skin problems.

 

[murraysmom]

Gosh, eight seems awfully young for these problems. Lightning is 12 and is just now showing some weakness in his hind end, and I was upset because I thought he was too young for that! (But then again, I still think of him as a puppy.) But I guess if it's a kneecap problem, age isn't really a factor. Do you have any facilities near you that have aquatreadmills for dogs, or offer dog swimming (for physical therapy)? I would think those would be excellent for Murray. I hope he's feeling better soon!

I'll talk to the vet about the water therapy- if there's a place around here, he would know.

And I hate to think of Murray as an old man at eight, but he does seem to have aged alot in the past year- his face is almost all white now, and the leg/hip issues have slowed him down. Our doxie Minna is the same age, and she still looks and acts like a puppy!

Here he is last December in our silly Christmas photo-he's such a sweet gentle soul, he didn't mind the hat one bit. You can see how white he is in this picture compared to the avatar, which isn't all that old: