Border Collie with Hip Dysplasia

Bryn is a 10 year old border collie when I see him for the first time. He suffers with severe degenerative (hip dysplasia) arthritis of both hips. He had a hip transplant of the left hip three years ago which had kept him going well until now. The pain relief was not responding anymore (nsaid’s). The Xray pictures of the hips are appalling; there is so much degeneration and new bone growth.

He receives Calc phos 9c daily for 2 weeks to which he responds very well. He further receives the remedy infrequently and does well for 16 months. Then things go downhill a bit.

We sit down for a full consultation.

Jan 2012:  One day he vomits and collapses; the owner says he was as if dead. It happened after he ate a small chew, he vomited the chew back up. He has been taking painkillers for a year and they don’t have any effect any more.

‘He has been more grumpy to the other dogs keeping them off him. He is ok on his walks. He goes and lies on the tiled floor as if he needs to cool down a bit at times. He could not do without the pack, he will keep going. When was very young he used to bite the other strong bitch; they all push each other a bit. I have five very strong bitches in the house (The owner is a good dog trainer and has a group of 7 border collies of various ages she trains for working in the show-ring.) He has always been a more people dog; never been a dog dog. He was brought in for a lesson and ran to me for my lap. When he did the same thing during the second training session, he stayed with me. He was a few months old.

He is amazing, he likes to be round you. He wants to please you, he wants to work with you. The others work for what they can get but he wants to work with you. I have to motivate the others, these dog that want to work for you are far and few between. It is almost as he wants to please you, no other motivation, you don’t need to give him anything.

(In the surgery he chooses to lie on the floor rather than the bed I gave him.)

He has been doing a lot of panting recently, the puffing is rather new, that is why he is on the harder area; he is hot. He would go wherever you tell him to. He avoids the activity now, he would really want to be around you.

Loves people such a lovely nature and temperament, happy chappy. He always had a smile on his face. I have never known him being miserable. He dealt with things ‘bang’ and then continues to poodle along. He is black and white. After his hip operation he just got up and got along with it. He was so easy to train he was top when he was 2; he just did it.

In the pack he would not tolerate being pushed. He did not warn, he just went for the bang and then it was finished, he did not growl and warn… it was just done, just meant it. He would not tolerate any dog coming into his space. He would just bite them, one go and that was it. There was never any warning. He knew just how much he needed to do.

I never left my pups near to him as I was always frightened he would overdo it. I protected my babies. He never played with the other dogs, he is the oldest.

(Observation: he lies in the surgery washing himself with his back to us, in the middle)

He seems to cope very well… he is a happy chappy, whatever you do he goes along and enjoy its, very adaptable is what he is. It was mainly Sassy who kept going in there. She was very pushy, she got the scars to show (from when he bit her) Sassy was a dog that enjoyed annoying the other dogs.

I never noticed him interacting. He never went over to the other dogs; he just does not want them there, not interested at all. He does not look for leading a pack, he is not interested at all.  It is almost as if the rest of the pack does not exist. He is just a happy chappy until they come in his space, loves his walks and food, never seems down. He seems contented, not fazed by anything, no anxieties. Very accepting of everything, unless somebody pushes in his space.

What he does is almost like, ow , ow, get away! He does not growl. When I am upstairs, I sometimes hear him, like a funny high pitched bark; this has got a bit more recently. The two pups are a lot for him to contend with; he is warning them now, he is not nasty… it is a pleading noise, it is not a normal doggy noise, he pleads for them to go away.

He loves cuddles and the brush, loves any touching.  He probably does not relax completely now. He does not show it, there is probably tension in him, he can’t chill out, frightened he may get stood on. He never tried to get away from the other dogs for peace and quiet. Sometimes I look at him and it is as if he is not there; he forgot what he had to go and do, as if he is not totally with it… I have to coax him.

I don’t know why he does not put himself away in a cage.  He will lay in a corner of the kitchen though.  I think he is getting too hot. This makes him anxious to have to come out in the middle and that is why he is making that noise, stay away from me.

On a walk recently he came home with a big branch he took all the way back like a trophy. … this is mine. It was very big, this may have happened a few times, the other dog had it before him and dropped it. He would not drop it for the other dogs

He has the most amazing nose this dog… he would fine anything….. he would go and find the stuff the other dogs would drop on a walk. He would be so pleased when he succeeded (he succeeded every time).

On the shows he would not quit, he would work and work. On shows it always was as if the other dogs weren’t there. He was the same on shows and at home, he was what he was. He won’t keep pushing at you, he loves a cuddle and is very responsive, he really wants to be doing it, he does not push it.

I ask: Can he read other dogs: the answer is: I don’t know he never raised a lip.

I repertorize this as follows:

Cannabis i and Phosphorus cover the 5 rubrics (groups). I choose cannabis which suits very well the bizarre things of the case: He cannot cope with the other dogs, he is always happy, only interested in the attention he can get and he is happy to pick up the sticks the other dogs drop: he is happy with seconds.

Cannabis indica 30 two doses

2 weeks later:

He has walked in with a big branch again in his mouth; he has gone up the stairs in the garden again, much more energy, within 48 hrs, stayed the same till today. He prefers to stay in his corner better. He is in there now since I took out his bed. He prefers to lie on the cold.

He is less grumpy with the others.

Cann i 200 two doses, and use when required.

(He does not need any painkillers for 6 months but then needs to start them again.)

Bryn will take the remedy twice more in the next 8 months. Every time he picks up. But then he is put to sleep because he suddenly went downhill badly over 2 days time.

The remedy gave him nearly an extra year of good quality of life