Arklier spoke these words of wisdom in news:39e07e72-
:

My parents have a 9 year old bull mastiff/rottweiler cross named Augie
who has developed minor arthritis due to mild hip dysplasia his right
hind leg in the last two or three years. Otherwise he is very healthy
for being a large dog that is 9 years old, but Augie's willingness to
play is greater than his physical ability. He is fine going for walks
and normal activity, but strenuous activity like running makes him pay
for it later in the form of a limp that sometimes lasts for several
hours so they try to limit his physical activity. The vet is reluctant
to operate on Augie's hip because of his age and the fact that it
doesn't interfere with his normal movement, and recommended to give
him an aspirin tablet when he starts limping. I was doing some
searches on hip dysplasia online for another reason, when I happened
to come across this page for a hip brace for dogs.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/brace/index.htm

At $80 each they're not cheap, but I was wondering if anyone had any
experience with something like this and opinions on if it might help
Augie? He loves to run and chase balls and play fetch, but it's hard
to see him hobbling around on three legs later.


I have a friend who used a brace last year on an elderly dog instead of
doing cruciate ligament surgery. The dog was not a candidate for surgery
because of age. The brace stabilized the joint and allowed it to heal and
the dog is now brace free and doing fine. I know Hips won't heal, but I
thought the brace idea may offer better quality of life. (No experience
with hip braces..sorry)