# 7 mo puppy's hips are clicking



## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Waters215 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> My 7 mo puppy's hips are clicking. You can't hear it, I can just feel it if I happen to have my hand on her hips when she gets off the sofa. I have an appointment w the vet. I guess I am just wondering if anyone has any experience w this. How concerned should I be? I'm freaking out. I contacted the breeder and have heard nothing. Both parent's hips were certified. I know that's not a guarantee. I'm just giving you all the information. She has been fed Orijen large breed puppy from day one.
> 
> What does everyone think? I'm a CVT, i'm just imagining the worst. I will of course do everything for her no matter what.
> ...


Its hard to know. I think you are doing the right thing by going to see a vet. If there's ever anything going on with my dogs, I always feel better letting the experts weigh in. Also, out of curiosity, what does CVT stand for? 

If you get hip films done, its often helpful to have an orthopedic specialist verify them. You could also get OFA prelims. 

Hip dysplasia can present with creptius, that "clicking/popping/crunching" sound you are noticing. Sometimes it can be a luxating patella from the knee joint, and the popping sound you are feeling is just referred up to the hips. You can try extending your dogs leg and holding on to the knee joint and see if you notice any popping there. Or it may just be simple popping from the hip or knee joints, like what happens if you crack your knuckles or stretch your back. 

In the meantime, I would look out for any evidence that your pup might be in pain. Dogs are very good at masking this. You can sometimes notice a limp by a drop in a dog's head when they are walking (this is more common with forequarter lameness), or a shifting in their back legs that seems awkward, walking with the hind limbs too close together, or difficulty in standing from a laying position. Sometimes these things are transient, and don't appear all the time, so if you notice that your dog is walking with an odd gait and can catch it on video, that might be helpful for the vet. Often though, signs of pain might be as subtle as a blick, a head turn, or a lip lick. 

I'm hoping its just normal joint popping! I think you're doing the right thing by taking your dog in, if for nothing else but peace of mind. Keep us posted!


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## Waters215 (Mar 22, 2016)

CVT - Vertified vet Tech. In short, certified animal nurse. So you'd think I could answer my own question, but i'm just super worried. Seeing if anyone has had this problem. I've actually never seen this before. This young, no other clinical signs. 

Thanks for the reply. Her gait it normal - no head bob, hips aren't dropping out. Ive flexed her, etc., and nothing. (I'm a horse person also and I'm hyper aware of lameness and she has zero). She has also zero signs of pain. 

I'm pretty confident it isn't luxating patella, but Ill see what the vet says.

thanks again. i will let you know.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Waters215 said:


> CVT - Vertified vet Tech. In short, certified animal nurse. So you'd think I could answer my own question, but i'm just super worried. Seeing if anyone has had this problem. I've actually never seen this before. This young, no other clinical signs.
> 
> Thanks for the reply. Her gait it normal - no head bob, hips aren't dropping out. Ive flexed her, etc., and nothing. (I'm a horse person also and I'm hyper aware of lameness and she has zero). She has also zero signs of pain.
> 
> ...


Oops! Sorry, you probably knew everything I said in my post already, hah. I'll bet you are concerned! I work in healthcare too (for humans), and I'm always thinking the worst. I found some lumps on Piper's head that had to be aspirated, and I was panicking waiting for the cytology report--that it was going to be something terrible (my last Golden had IBD and then got lymphoma at an exceedingly early age). 

I haven't personally had issues with hip dysplasia in a Golden yet, so I don't have any personal experience, but I'll bet others here might. My golden boy who lived until 14 developed arthritis and his joints popped--but he was really old when that started. 

Sending good thoughts your way!


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

There was someone who posted at least a year ago that had a seven month old with HD. Had the clicking you are talking about. It has since had both hips done. I wouldn't worry until you know something for sure but would have them Xrayed. Her dog had no pain. Only clicking noise.


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