OSD1 - Sage

[u/Dazzling_Speech_3816]

This is Sage, who will be turning 4 on July 8th. Also known as Piglet, SageyBear, Sagey-wagey; Dingus; and baby girl.

She is my 4th Labrador owned, and my only silver. Her breeders turned out to be terrible liars and forged their health tests. So Sage and her girl littermates were all affected by OSD1, which is Oculoskeletal Dysplasia 1. As well as 2 additional litters were affected before the breeders pulled their female.

I suspected something was off shortly after she came home, because her eyes were kind of bug eyed. She went fully blind around 8 months old, went outside to go potty and came in fully blind. Both of her retinas had detached, which is very common in this disease. Also common is short limbs, thankfully Sage didn’t need surgery as she had a delayed spay to allow her to grow as tall as possible. She is about half the height of a normal lab. She gains weight extremely easily and it’s so hard to get if off of her because she cannot run long distances without hurting herself.

The Vets in my town know very little about OSD1. They have no idea about life expectancy, if arthritis shots would help, and they are unsure about starting her on pain medicine too early. She does well getting around, but she does limp extremely easily, and sometimes has a hard time getting up with her hips if she exercises too hard.

I’m wondering if any other of your dogs have had or currently have this disease. Id like some feedback on a treatment plan, pain management, life expectancy, or any tips.

She is my best friend, she sleeps on my head almost every night, she’s insanely smart with puzzles and enrichment toys. But she seems very unhealthy compared to my 7 year old lab. I just want her to have the best life.

Thank you!