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(this article appeared in the
Summer 2006 issue of the LRC NEWS)
Rosie ran her first ever agility trial at the 2005 Labrador National
Specialty. So what? So did lots of dogs. Some even ‘Q’d and Rosie
didn’t. Big deal, you might think.
It is a big deal. Rosie is a five-year-old black Lab purchased to be
a performance dog, but by the time she was three and half months
old, she couldn’t walk. She played with her pack mates lying down.
She ran dragging first one hind leg and then another. People
remarked on what a ‘good’ puppy she was because she didn’t jump up,
counter surf, or act like a maniac. Rosie couldn’t do those things.
She was physically unable.
Rosie had every part of her body x-rayed and manipulated by her
general practice vet, her orthopedic vet, and a chiropractor from
the time she was about 4 months old until her OFA films were taken.
Her regular vet poo-pooed her owner for being too concerned about
her troubles. Her orthopedic vet said, “She’s too small to be
considered for breeding.” Not one vet Rosie saw was willing to
diagnose Rosie’s true troubles.
Rosie was just over two years old when she had her OFA x-rays. On
the morning her owner was going to show her at the 2002 National
Specialty in breed, she hadn’t heard back from OFA, and decided to
stop by the vet on the way to the show to see if they had heard
anything. Apologetic eyes met hers.
“Yes. We heard. She has severe hip dysplasia with arthritic
changes.”
Borrowing the copies of the films to share with friends, her owner
went to the show in tears. Feeling in her heart that Rosie was
doomed, Rosie’s owner showed her one last time and never let on to
Rosie that this was the end of her road.
But…there are buts to every story. Friends who knew Rosie and her
owner said “Don’t give up on this dog! You’re already way ahead of
the game. Keep her moving. Don’t relegate her to the sofa. She’s too
young and vital!” Rosie’s owner’s husband said, “Rosie doesn’t know
she’s broken, so let’s not tell her.”
To keep her properly aligned, Rosie was already seeing a vet
chiropractor once a month. She was on glucosamine and other
supplements to support her joints and muscles. Because Rosie had
seen the chiropractor every month from puppy hood, because she was
road worked, swam a few times a week, and was well muscled, she was
otherwise athletic and in good shape. She swam like a polliwog,
jogged with sound dogs, walked for miles with her people, and sailed
on her owner’s sailboat, balancing better than the human sailors.
Rosie had already been to all the puppy classes, the agility
classes, and the breed handling classes. She was on her feet,
performing as best she could. Rosie’s admirers were right. No sofa
for this dog! Rosie’s heart and courage were keeping her in every
game she played.
Rosie kept up her activities…agility classes, obedience classes,
matches, show n’ go’s, she even earned her CGC and an LRC Working
Certificate. When her agility instructor told her owner that she was
one of the best trained agility Labs in the area and she better
think about competing with the dog, Rosie had a new goal: The 2005
National Specialty Agility Trial.
Rosie’s fan club was ringside to cheer her on. In the pouring rain
Rosie ran jumpers with weaves. She ran her little heart out, nailing
the weave poles better than she had ever done it in practice. This
was the dog who other people might have given up on because of the
OFA results. She ran her first agility trial and didn’t ‘Q’. She
stayed on her feet better than her handler, did everything her
handler asked of her and more, and finished each course knowing she
was the star of the moment.
There is hope after a diagnosis of hip dysplasia. Don’t lose heart.
Don’t jump to surgery before exploring other options. Your dog
doesn’t know she’s ‘broken’, so don’t tell her and she’ll do what
she can to please you.
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