Hip dysplasia

[Harald finehair]

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with severe hip dysplasia in bulldogs. My beautiful boy has just had xrays and been diagnosed. The vet said they are some of the worst hips she has ever seen in her 20yr career . He is only 1.5yrs old. I'm just concerned that being a bulldog he may be at increased risk of complications etc if we put him through the surgery. I wondered if anyone has experience both ways going down the surgical route or the management route. I wonder how long he can realistically live a good life if we opted for management rather than surgery. I don't think where I live in Scotland there are too many vets with alot of bulldog experience. And given that they are so unique I worry that either option may not work out as well as it would for other breeds.

Would love to hear from anyone with any experience with this . Me and the kids are just devasted that our boy is in pain and just want to make the best choice for him. Please help!


UPDATE****
thank you all so much for all suggestions.
We got a second option and they said yes he has hip dysplasia, but so do about a quarter of bulldogs. But because of their muscle many of them will do just fine with weight management. And the lameness is actually ccl tears. Which makes more sense because the onset was so sudden after a woodland walk.
Sorry for the delay been back and forward to different vets and then to the surgeons. Harald had bilateral tplo surgery on 30th May. So poor boy is now crate restricted for 6 weeks. He is so utterly devastated to not be snuggling with me on sofa and his separation anxiety is very evident at the mo. Fingers crossed no complications although when he gets out for a wee and a sniff he is already trying to jump about and run. So tough trying to keep him cool. Then he just so sad when taken back to the crate. Think it's gonna be a rough 6 weeks. But my boy will hopefully be pain free after. My back however will not be after 6 weeks of carrying him up and down stairs(don't have the heart to leave him at bed time). Also we got the mussel supplements.

Thanks again everyone for all the info. What a great bunch you are

 

[Dmrock]

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with severe hip dysplasia in bulldogs. My beautiful boy has just had xrays and been diagnosed. The vet said they are some of the worst hips she has ever seen in her 20yr career . He is only 1.5yrs old. I'm just concerned that being a bulldog he may be at increased risk of complications etc if we put him through the surgery. I wondered if anyone has experience both ways going down the surgical route or the management route. I wonder how long he can realistically live a good life if we opted for management rather than surgery. I don't think where I live in Scotland there are too many vets with alot of bulldog experience. And given that they are so unique I worry that either option may not work out as well as it would for other breeds.

Would love to hear from anyone with any experience with this . Me and the kids are just devasted that our boy is in pain and just want to make the best choice for him. Please help!

I would definitely get a second opinion. I have my dog on green lipped mussel's as a preventative a lot of people have had success with dog's with hip and joint problems. Just make sure they are new Zealand sourced, I get mine from Amazon

 

[Dmrock]

I would definitely get a second opinion. I have my dog on green lipped mussel's as a preventative a lot of people have had success with dog's with hip and joint problems. Just make sure they are new Zealand sourced, I get mine from Amazon

Amazon.com

 

[helsonwheels]

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with severe hip dysplasia in bulldogs. My beautiful boy has just had xrays and been diagnosed. The vet said they are some of the worst hips she has ever seen in her 20yr career . He is only 1.5yrs old. I'm just concerned that being a bulldog he may be at increased risk of complications etc if we put him through the surgery. I wondered if anyone has experience both ways going down the surgical route or the management route. I wonder how long he can realistically live a good life if we opted for management rather than surgery. I don't think where I live in Scotland there are too many vets with alot of bulldog experience. And given that they are so unique I worry that either option may not work out as well as it would for other breeds.

Would love to hear from anyone with any experience with this . Me and the kids are just devasted that our boy is in pain and just want to make the best choice for him. Please help!

Worst he’s seen in 20yrs? Definitely get a 2nd opinion. Dysplasia at that age needs a second opinion. I’m NOT saying it can’t happen cause it can start showing at a young age, but……in 20yrs would make me think twice. Get another opinion and DONT mention you’ve seen a vet that has diagnosed your dog with.

https://www.englishbulldognews.com/threads/leg-thump-thump-thumping.64822/#post-797666

 

[2BullyMama]

Agreed, second opinion. Also start in the green lipped mussels and keep his weight down, limit stairs especially if you can

 

[oscarmayer]

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with severe hip dysplasia in bulldogs. My beautiful boy has just had xrays and been diagnosed. The vet said they are some of the worst hips she has ever seen in her 20yr career . He is only 1.5yrs old. I'm just concerned that being a bulldog he may be at increased risk of complications etc if we put him through the surgery. I wondered if anyone has experience both ways going down the surgical route or the management route. I wonder how long he can realistically live a good life if we opted for management rather than surgery. I don't think where I live in Scotland there are too many vets with alot of bulldog experience. And given that they are so unique I worry that either option may not work out as well as it would for other breeds.

Would love to hear from anyone with any experience with this . Me and the kids are just devasted that our boy is in pain and just want to make the best choice for him. Please help!

If you can post pics of the X-rays, please do. I'll let you know how bad they are. I cannot tell you how much pain your pup is in. Hip dysplasia pain comes from bone on bone contact. The ball is contacting the edge of the socket. If your Bulldog is limping, he's in pain. You can manage the pain for a period of time but at some point he'll most likely need surgery if his hips are that far out. The go-to procedure for HD is FHO(femoral head ostectomy). If your Vet is not familiar with FHO, then seek another Vet. A 2nd opinion is always advised. Find one that is familiar with Bulldogs. Bulldogs are great candidates for this procedure(unlike many other breeds) since about ?80%? of their weight is supported by the front legs.

FHO

 

[helsonwheels]

If you can post pics of the X-rays, please do. I'll let you know how bad they are. I cannot tell you how much pain your pup is in. Hip dysplasia pain comes from bone on bone contact. The ball is contacting the edge of the socket. If your Bulldog is limping, he's in pain. You can manage the pain for a period of time but at some point he'll most likely need surgery if his hips are that far out. The go-to procedure for HD is FHO(femoral head ostectomy). If your Vet is not familiar with FHO, then seek another Vet. A 2nd opinion is always advised. Find one that is familiar with Bulldogs. Bulldogs are great candidates for this procedure(unlike many other breeds) since about ?80%? of their weight is supported by the front legs.

FHO

I like reading your suggestions. So informative.