Missy: Victory over Hip Dysplasia

If you're like me, you thought hip dysplasia was a degenerative disease of older, bigger dogs. But when we got Missy, we learned that it is also a congenital (born with it) disease of some unlucky mutts, as well as purebreds.

If you have an obedience instructor who uses the Koehler methods, this is the book you'll want to buy.

The good news is that regular exercise has resulted in Missy enjoying a near normal doghood. She can run and jump for short periods of time, and is happy and in no pain. When we first got her, she was not well exercised and her hips were not much wider than her tail bone. At that time she could barely walk for 15 minutes without experiencing noticeable pain and discomfort. This did not, however, stop her from wanting to run and play.

Our vet said swimming might help her build her strength without putting stress on her hips, but she didn't like the water and came close to hurting herself trying to get out of it. So we stuck to walking. Her hip muscles bulked up quickly, and she looks almost normal now.

Regular obedience training classes have helped lend some interest to her walks. We train her at Progressive Dog Training in Oahu, where we've learned to teach her heeling, sitting, staying, off-leash training, etc. She's now moved up to the open class, where she fetches, goes over jumps—yes, jumps!—and broadjumps, and generally has a great time visiting with the other people and dogs.