wrote in
oups.com:

Hi!

Wondering if anyone has any advice. I have a wonderful, wonderful,
wonderful (Did I mention wonderful?) 11 month Lab mix.

I asked the vet what degree she thought Hemi was at. She said she
couldn't say it was mild. She said teh joint is partially subluxated
and stable. No arthritis yet. Not in danger of dislocating at this
stage. I spent $75 for Synovi G3 Glucosomine supplements. The vet
advised that the supplements should help to stave off the development
of arthritis.

I am however, getting mixed messages from different people. Will Hemi
develop arthritis for sure at some point? If she is past mild at 11
months will she be disable by 2 years.
I'm so sorry. My now gone Luke the GSD was diagnosed with mild
dyplasia when he was less than a year old. There are many options
in addition to surgery to discuss with your vet.
There are of course the glucosamine supplements you bought and
then there are other medications such as Rimadyl and the Adequan
shots.
Each has it's own set of drawbacks, pluses and minuses.
Labs are supposed to be at a higher risk of liver problems
with the Rimadyl so that will bear checking out thoroughly in
your search when making a decision. Adequan came out too late to
do my Luke much good. We opted not to do surgery on him for
a variety of reasons at the time of diagnosis instead opting
to use Rimadyl which unlike the supplements, is supposed to slow
the progression of the joint deterioration.
One good thing about Hemi though, is that you have some time to dig in and
research a lot of medical information on all of the various options before
you make your decision. Luke was born in Nov. 1995 and lived until Jan. of
this year. At all times during his life we were very careful to keep him
slender and not let him get overweight as it only puts more strain on not
only the afflicted joint, but the unafflicted ones as well that are
compensating. As Luke got older and the joint damage progressed I
noticed his nails and foot on his good sides began to turn outwards
more, proof that the compensation had been going on for quite awhile.
Another thing that happened when he got up around 8-9 years or so
was that is it became more difficult for him to climb up steps so
we put ramps up for him to make ascents a lot easier on him.
Still, this boy traveled cross country over a couple-thousand miles with
us and had a relatively good pain free life up until about a year
before he died so in my case, I'm comfortable with my
decision.
Regarding surgery on Hemi you mentioned the cost and while
it may sound high at first also consider & weigh the monthly costs
of the other non-surgical options.
If it costs say... $50.00/month then that's 600.00/year and
if the dog lives to be 10 years old we're looking at
$6,000.00 and that's not including any other vet or health
issues or visits.

In my case I haven't actually sat down and figured out 10
years of the medicines and supplements for Luke but I'd
expect it to be pretty close, most likely even higher than
the initial surgery estimates I was quoted years ago.

One other thing that's pretty important is to keep Hemi
from jumping _down_ onto things. Not easy I know, especially with
an active young dog but in the long run it may really end up
extending the life of his joints.
What will her quality of life be?
There isn't really an easy answer as there are so many variables
but good luck in making a decision that ends up being the best for the
both of you.