@ 9 and 10 months: Bailey has hip dysplasia

In December, Bailey started standing up against the bench rather than sitting on it. It's a funny human-like pose, especially when he folds his arms.



Here's a clearer view:


Initially, we thought he started this because he was getting too big for the bench (compared to, say, when he was 3.5 months old). But now we realize it must have hurt to jump up on the bench, because...



...Bailey has hip dysplasia. The poor guy was probably hurting the whole time, but he's not much of a complainer, so we had no idea until December. At that time, he began yelping randomly, basically whenever his bones popped out of place. His way of sitting like a frog (back legs kind of turned out) when he was younger and his difficulty with traversing stairs were possible early indicators.

Some info on hip dysplasia:
Basically, Bailey has deformed hip sockets. So his pelvis doesn't join up snugly with the top of his femurs (the uppermost leg bones). Over time, bone spurs and arthritis can develop. The situation is pretty clear when you compare Bailey's x-ray to this x-ray of a healthy dog.

Ironically, hip dyspasia is atypical in mixed breed dogs and in smaller dogs in general. But if Bailey is indeed part-border collie, that might be the source of the defect.

At times, we find it ridiculous how much we'll need to spend on our poor mutt, but he's so young, and we were hoping to have him around for many years. The expected result is a return to pretty much 100% normal function, and in that case, it'll be worth it.

So wish him luck! Next week is the first surgery on one side of the hip, followed by the second surgery three weeks later. Then he'll have a very uncomfortable 2-3 months, but if all goes well, he'll be in good shape just in time for summer!