Your biggest maintenance is weight and adding a supplement to keep joints and synovial fluid healthy and lubricated and if with MSM, that reduces swelling and pain some as well. I wish you the best and remember to warm up and cool down with exercise. When my Akita was having all kinds of issues near a yr old the vet wanted her to be on complete rest which I thought was absurd since she needed strengthening for a pup and he had also suggested surgery..well that ain't happenin on large bred dog at a yr old when they are still growing so I started just jogging her..making her extend her gait to strengthen but on low impact workout by what we call hacking in horses. My husband put on roller blades and would have her do an extended jog but would not allow her to break into a run. It worked. I'm sure as she got older she may of had issues but for the time being she was strong in the backend and was coming up lame or screaming in the middle of the night because of a cramp. They need to move..not meant to lay around all day. Helps them to develop properly and yes my Akita was a puppy mill or should say substandard kennel dog so you know they did not get exercised like they should.

They keep them very occupied! I would agree that he needs to drop just a few more pounds but isn't grossly overweight and this does need to be done some what slowly not to upset him. His picture of his back legs out to the side is weird...none of mine have ever done that. Not that it couldn't happen but never seen that. That really seems uncomfortable but to him obviously feels pretty good if he does it all the time. Maybe with the sockets not correctly proportioned this is better for him. There is stem cell therapy that really helps with dogs and hip dysplasia but its costly. Not sure what lengths you'd like to go with him.

Every dog is different..just like we are. Some of mine are easier keepers then others. Some are more active then others. As far as the hips go...hip dysplasia isn't as black and white as some of the other DNA genetic testing out there. If you have a dog that is mild to moderate dysplasia and bred to a real good hipped dog then they might never produce a hip dysplastic dog. You can have 2 OFA'ed hipped dogs and get a dysplastic pup but your chances of that are slim. Its not as sound proof or 100% guarantee. Not to mention..Corgis hips are different then other dogs because they are a true dwarf and some feel they need that more luxation for good movement and this is why many are turning to the PennHip evaluation instead of OFA. OFA grades against GSD where PennHip grades against its own peers. Also...many vets can look at radiographs and think a dog is dysplastic but you send them into a radiologist or OFA and they get passed with fair to good hips. Are you sure his pain is within the hip area and not the stifle or hock..could it be a back problem?

As far as your dogs weight issues. I would like to see pictures of him. I like to keep them at the hour glass look when you look down on them but most importantly...run your hands over him..you shouldn't feel back bone or hips but easily feel his rib cage. Thats the lightest you would want him and would benefit his hips. Your not going to like this next thing I say but I hate Royal Canine. Sorry!!! I know a couple breeders who swore by it but I thought there dogs looked crummy and as soon as they switched I couldn't believe the how much the dogs had changed and then they believed me. I also had someone elses litter of pups and they had diarrhea and just didn't look that great so I changed them over to Eukanuba and they looked better and stools firmed up. Anyways...I don't believe you need to buy diet food...its the amt you feed that is important. I feed a cup a day of Eukanuba to my dogs..now since its cold out and we spend alot of time outside running constantly I am feeding a touch more but during the summer they get a cup a food w/probiotics. Your guy may be smaller and not using as much so may need alittle less then a cup specially if feeding a non diet formula. If you think his portion is to small then you can add some green beans to his food. Portions all depends on activity level, size of dog, and metabolism. Like us...all need something different. Make sure you keep nails short so your not adding undo stress and more lameness issues to his front end and most importantly keeping weight off. Keep him active with warm ups and cool downs. Bedding and no damp areas..sometimes you may need a heated bed. Eukanuba has glucosamine in the food w/probiotics. Or offer a glucosamine tablet w/msm which is an anti inflammatory and pain reliever. I take MSM for my fibromyalgia and it does help. Offer chews to keep him busy so he isn't looking for food.

WELCOME Susan! Ed and Gem and I think you are pretty special!!!! Glad you found the site...lots of happy stories and only a few sad.

awww thanks...corgies make such great herders...Whenever we get new people show up at our herding place (we are the regulars now, going every week for the past 4 months), people look at us like we are crazy trying to get Bailey to herd sheep. We get so many questions like, "How is she going to run after the sheep with those short little legs" etc...Then, Bails goes in and proves them all wrong. She is far from being an expert sheep herder, but she goes out there and shows the sheep who is the boss :-) She is truly loving it, and that is all that matters to us. We are not planing on entering her in any herding competitions. It is just a fun way for us to be with her and get some of her energy out.

We actually found our herding place through an episode of the Dog Whisperer. no idea that we had sheep herding so close to us. Hopefully, you'll find something one day that you can take Angus too. I am sure he would love it just as much as Bails..