Yesterday was Zeeke’s x-ray.

Well I wasn’t wrong. It’s actually worse than we thought. The vet’s message on Den’s phone said something along the lines of, “Zeeke’s problem is marked hip displasia.” He showed us the film when we went in - his hip joint looks really bad… not smooth and rounded like a proper ball and joint, but very jagged and rough. No wonder he’s in pain. The vet said his leg musculature is really good, which is probably helping him a good deal, so we’re to make sure he keeps working those muscles through controlled movement like walking. But running, darting back and forth, jumping etc is probably not good for the joints - and we know that running and playing with Zoe in the back yard is what causes pain in his hip. Den’s probably going to have to really tone-down their wrestling in the house as well, as a lot of jumping and bouncing around occurs, not to mention slipping on the hardwood floors. I have no idea how we’re going to even attempt to control his movement. He’s a dog who does everything with exploding energy. He loves to jump and run. This is just so sad.

We’re taking some time to process all this information. Right now he’s on Cosequin to help his joints out and slow the progression of the hip displasia, and Rimadyl for the pain. Neither are very cheap meds! I’m looking into buying generic brands online. The vet said the only way to fix it is a complete hip replacement surgery. He’d have to go to a specialist for that - we may check the vet schools to see if they perform HD surgeries.

We feel so aweful. So does Zeeke - he was whining all last night, had diarrhea multiple times (and still this morning), and just obviously wasn’t feeling good. Probably a reacting to the sedatives they gave him for the x-ray. Today he’s feeling better, but still has diarrhea.

It’s just so wrong. He’s so young, so full of energy… and yet his hips are that of an old dog’s. It’s so unfair.