ripley

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think I'm leaning pretty strongly toward driving. Koi you make a lot of good points about the pet airways procedures. It could be fine, but there's no way to know for sure. Also, Indy has pretty significant fear/anxiety issues and he's only been with me about seven months now. He's gotten a lot better in that time, but I worry that the move in general is going to set him back. The one time I kenneled him (just over night), I don't think he peed or drank anything for the entire 24 hours. The two flights, kennel over night, then being picked up by my parents (who he's only met once, several months ago), and driven another 6 hours is probably just too much for him. And to top it all off, since my house doesn't close until several days after the flight time (they only go a few times a month), he would be in a strange house without me for the first few days. He actually likes the car. It's mainly the hotels and strange people I'm concerned about with the drive. However, when you compare that to what he would face in the flight situation, it doesn't sound as bad.

I will be moving across country in mid February from Pennsylvania to California. My plan originally was to drive with both dogs. However, I have learned of a relatively new company called Pet Airways and am considering using them to fly the dogs out to CA instead. According to their website, the dogs ride inside the cabin. It's temperature and pressure controlled, plus they are checked on by people every 15 minutes. The dogs would have to stay overnight in the middle of the trip, so the whole process would take about 24 hours. The company only flies to LA, so they would have to be picked up by my parents and driven another 350 miles in addition to the plane trip. Both my guys are pretty sensitive (especially Indy), so I'm not sure if this is a good idea for them (I would never even consider putting them in cargo on a regular airline, especially at this time of year). However, I know Indy would also be very stressed out staying in strange hotels, etc. for the 7 or 8 days it would take to do the drive. I am reluctant to trust a company with my pups when I know nothing about them. So I'm wondering if anyone on here has experience with them or heard anything. I looked them up on the BBB. They are not registered with BBB and have an "F" rating. However, this rating is based on them not responding to the one complaint that the BBB received about them. Here is their website: http://petairways.com/

Good luck Maggie! I hope everything goes well.

What is her mood like when she's twirling? Is there any chance she's anxious or worried about something? In people, anxiety usually underlies compulsive behaviors. I'm not sure if this is the same with dogs, but I have observed it with Indy. Indy often spins on walks out in the neighborhood. He hadn't had many experiences with the world before I got him a couple months ago and I think all the sights and sounds overwhelm him (his tail and posture indicate that he is frightened). He doesn't spin nearly as often when we walk on the quiet, secluded trails in the park. I do try to interrupt the behavior because I think it becomes self-perpetuating. One thing that has been helpful with Indy is for someone else to hold his leash while I walk out in front of him. This seems to help him feel more confident and get him walking in a straight line. When I'm by myself, sometimes I just need to stop and help him settle a bit before continuing.

I have heard that the time of the spay/neuter can make a difference. However, Yoshi was not neutered until he came into the shelter sometime around 2.5 to 3 years of age, so that doesn't fit with him. It's possible he was born with some sort of anatomical problem. I doubt I will ever know for sure. I did try the testosterone shots, by the way. They helped a little for Yoshi, but had undesirable behavioral side effects (e.g., constant marking outside, mounting other dogs and sometimes people), so I stopped. If the Proin is working for you, I would stick with it. I get it online from Petsupplies4less for much cheaper than my vet offers.

Yoshi also has problems with incontinence (and has since I adopted him at age 3). You are lucky that the Proin resolves the symptoms for Nick. With Yoshi it helps, but he also has to wear a belly wrap (it's a bit of a pain, but we've gotten used to it and it doesn't seem to bother Yoshi at all). I've heard various theories about what may cause the incontinence and have been told it's most likely hormone related. One thing you want to be sure to rule out is diabetes insipidus. The other symptoms of this disease include excessive drinking and an inability to concentrate urine.

Thanks for the advice and recommendations everyone! I talked with a vet nearby (Dr. Book at Londonderry Animal Hospital) who does the Penn Hip procedure. He was very nice and knowledgeable. He agreed that getting the Penn Hip doesn't make sense since I am not planning to breed Indy. However, he said he could take a look at the current x-ray and let me know if additional x-rays would add anything. He also said we could do the x-rays without putting Indy under anesthesia again (he can use a sedative if needed) since we aren't going to use them for an official certification. He thinks he will be able to tell some things from the physical exam as well and also offered to send the x-rays off to a radiologist for another opinion, if needed. Since Indy isn't actually showing any symptoms at the moment, I think this is a good first step. I can always go to a specialist down the road, if things change. By the way, I am familiar with Canine Companions. I take agility classes there with Coleen and also send Yoshi to their day camp once a week. It's a fantastic place. I haven't tried the swimming yet, but perhaps I will after Indy has recovered from his surgery. He's still quite skittish in new situations, so I'm not sure if he would be up for that yet.

I used to live in California, so I know how nasty those foxtails can be, but this is by far the worst story I've heard. I'm so sorry for your loss. Lucky sounds like a very special girl.

Thanks for all the information and advice everyone! It's a relief to hear that I can continue to let Indy run and have fun. The thought of trying to restrict such a young, active boy was awful. Of course I will still try to discourage jumping for the frisbee and get more opinions before deciding on agility. Going to a specialist sounds like a good idea. I'm in Elizabethtown, PA near both Harrisburg and Lancaster. Also, I'm not that far from the MD border, so that would be a possibility too. I drove to Towsen a couple years ago for Yoshi to meet with a cardiologist for an echocardiogram (he's fine by the way... he has a very low heart rate and the specialist concluded that his heart is fine and that he's just very athletic). If you can recommend someone, that would be great.

Thanks Julie. What you say makes sense. I certainly don't want to keep him from exercising, I'm just not sure how much and what type of activity is too much for him. Like you say, there are a lot of repetitive movements and jumping with agility. Are there any agility folks out there who have an opinion on this issue? I've been researching the Penn Hip procedure and I think I am going to get that done for Indy. From what I understand, the results are more accurate because they take additional x-ray views in different positions and also manually move the leg around. The report seems to give more information than an OFA report would and perhaps will give me a better idea of the degree of Indy's problem. It also doesn't hurt to get another opinion. I found a vet locally who is certified to do the procedure and am hoping to get a call from him tomorrow to find out more information. Has anyone had this done before? If so, what was your experience? I am not sure when to schedule the procedure. I would think that Indy needs to recover from the neuter surgery before being put under anesthesia again. I will ask the vet tomorrow how long he thinks I should wait.

Indy went in for his surgery to get neutered today. I asked the vet to take x-rays of his hips and elbows because I had been hoping to do agility with him when he's older (he is about 1 year old right now). The x-rays show that he has mild to moderate hip dysplasia in his left hip. The right hip looks okay and his elbows look okay. Indy seems to be moving fine right now and not showing clinical signs of the dysplasia (he's a very active boy outside and loves to run). However, I am wondering if this might have contributed to his initial fear of going down stairs. He isn't afraid anymore, but still looks awkward going down and often stops as he's going (I thought this was to make sure I'm coming, but now I'm wondering). He also seems reluctant to jump into and out of the car and seems to prefer lying on the floor rather than the seat. I thought this was because he's still a little unsure of things and the floor seemed safer, but perhaps it's because extending those hips is harder for him. At any rate, I'm now trying to make sense of this diagnosis and what it will mean for Indy. The vet was reluctant to rate the severity or make predictions. He said it's very hard to know if and when Indy will start showing clinical signs. He could have problems a year from now or be fine until he's much older. He did recommend against agility or any other dog sport. He also said to avoid jumping or rigorous exercising (walks okay, but excessive running not a good idea). Indy loves to run and he will do it on his own accord. I just open the back door and he will run and run (up and down a steep embankment, laps around my 1/4 acre fenced yard). He also loves to run circles around Yoshi when Yoshi is going for the frisbee. And he's just started to really get into the fetching thing (he runs after the frisbee, but does not jump up for it). Everything is full speed ahead. So, I'm wondering to what degree I should cut down on this type of exercise. How do you not let a 1 year old border collie run? He is so joyful and happy when running. I think I would have to keep him on the leash all the time (even in the yard) to prevent it and what kind of life would that be for a border collie. Are there others out there whose BC's received this diagnosis at such an early age? If so, in what ways did you limit your dog's activity? I know they need some exercise to keep their muscles strong. So, I'm guessing long walks are still okay. Is running in circles or running after toys okay? Indy doesn't seem to jump up for toys, but I would think the quick moves and stops might be hard on the joints. Is any amount of agility out of the question? I also have a question about the OFA certification. They say on their site that they have a 90% accuracy when the dog is at least a year old (it's better when they are 2 years). Would there be any value in getting them to evaluate his x-rays? I'm obviously not breeding him, but would it be helpful in terms of treatment and limiting activity to have a rating of mild, moderate, or severe? For the record, both of Indy's parents have good hips and come from strong herding lines. The vet suggested I start Indy on Dasuquin. Is anyone familiar with that medication? Thanks for any info or words of wisdom you can offer. This was hard news to hear and I'm feeling bad for poor Indy.

This has been a very interesting and informative thread. I knew that it was important to keep dogs under 18 months from jumping, but did not realize the necessity of limiting other types of activity such as running and playing. Would these additional restrictions apply to a dog that is around one year in age? If so, what would you consider excessive running at this age?