(He is "helping" me with my post. He isnt supposed to be on the furniture... but Ive been making a few exceptions lately. Shhh!)
After sitting around crying all day on Friday, I decided that I wanted another vets opinion. Since my normal vet didnt do Titans xrays, I wanted to speak with her about our options. She was very honest and upfront, and did give us a little glimmer of hope.
To sum it all up, Titan's hips suck. Her words not mine. One hip is on the verge of coming out of socket, the other one doesnt fit in the socket properly. It is a very bad case of hip dysplasia for a dog so young. He has a few possible options that we are to speak with a specialist about.
Option 1: A total hip replacement: These run much more expensive than we even thought. Starting at 5k per hip. We arent sure if he would need one or both... but either way, its 5 grand and a very long recovery. This surgery would]= have to wait to be performed when he is fully grown at about 2 years. He is only 6\ months right now, so he would have a long wait.
Option 2: TPLO Surgery: Basically this is where they reposition the hip so that the ball and socket connect better. It has good results and is the less serious of the two surgeries. Still rather expensive at about 3 grand and that is without any other complications or added expenses. It would be done now before his growth is completed.
Option 3: Treat Titan with strict diet and supplements. This could give him a semi normal life as long as his hips do not wear out. Which, sadly, is very possible. If we only use diet and supplements, he could never be a police working dog, only a pet. He would eat real food such as raw meat and brown rice. This has been proven to help with joint problems, but it would not correct the problem.
(We have a couple of different things to consider with this option... see below)
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Since Titan is meant to be a working police k9 and if he cant, B still needs a dog for work. The breeder is willing to provide us another dog. I dont like this idea, because it feels like we are replacing him... just giving up. We have the option of keeping him along with a new dog... but as I have mentioned before, we have a little house with a non existent yard. It would not be fair to have Lola, and two giant german shepherds in our house. Plus with a baby on the way, it would be pure madness.
If we end up having to take the new puppy, then we would have to find Tidy boy a new home. Which really makes me sad. We luckily have close family that has been dying for a dog, and would love to take him. So it would make it a little easier.
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...
With all of these decisions, that all rely on what the specialist says, atleast we have a little hope. We dont have to put Titan down and he can have a full happy life. Which I am completely relieved about. As of now, we are waiting to get in with a specialist to take a look.
Im hoping to get good news!
If youre still reading, thank you! Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and concerns! For those that made suggestions for organizations to help and those that offered their help. We cant thank you enough! If he does require surgery, we are checking into the diferent aids available.
THANKS YALL! Ill be sure to update as soon as we know anything else.
* How far along?: 27 weeks
