Murphy came to our family over fourteen years ago from Springer Rescue. It didn't take long for us to understand why Springer Spaniels got their name. The dog run with the four foot high fence was no obstacle for him and he enjoyed having the run of the yard.

However after his romps he often had a hitch in his giddy-up. We discovered that Murphy had hip dysplasia, which we were to learn is not uncommon in Springers. After consultation with our vet and a veterinary orthopedist (who knew such a specialty existed?), we decided on surgery and Murphy went through triple pelvic osteotomy or TPO on both hips.

After resting the hips for a few weeks Murphy was as good as new and back to his old self. One of the things we did do throughout his rehabilitation was ensure that he had comfortable dog beds in every room of the house.

For the next ten years or so Murphy was his regular active self, running and springing. We paid particular attention to his diet to ensure he maintained a good weight to keep stress off of his hips. Every now and then he would hop to accommodate lack of full range of motion in his hips, but otherwise he had no problems.

As an eleven year old puppy (we still think of him as a puppy) Murphy began to limp more noticeably and have more apparent hip distress. The veterinarian informed us of the onset of arthritis.

Canine arthritis affects dogs with great pain. One of our greatest frustrations was that Murphy could not tell us about the pain, but could see the pain through his movements. He moves much more slowly, has difficulty going up the stairs and getting into the car. Murphy with canine arthritis suffers in silence.

Canine arthritis can be alleviated in some cases for the dog that suffers. The problem is similar to the same condition in human in some ways. Canine arthritis is an inflammation of the joints of the dog. There are two main types of arthritis found in dogs. These are degenerative and inflammatory. The degenerative arthritis is also called osteoarthritis. This canine arthritis comes when the cartilage that protects the joints breaks down. This condition happens because of the stress on the bones through the years. Dogs do not live as long as people and the canine arthritis appears earlier in dogs than in human beings.

For Murphy we have used a regimen of Rimadyl and Glucosamine to try to alleviate the pain and try as best we can to support joint health. But, as the vet told us, the pain threshold for dogs is incredibly high. As Murphy has gotten slower and more lame we have had difficulty making decisions about his future.

For a long time our measure of how Murphy was doing was to assess whether he was in pain. As his hips have weakened and his ability to maneuver is further inhibited we now are trying to make a judgment as to his quality of life. Are current challenge is wrestling with the conflicting emotions of trying to hold onto him as long as we can, he's been a part of the family for over fourteen years now, and respecting his right to a life worth living.

We continue to wrestle.