7 Month British Bulldog Has Hip Dysplasia

[Beets]

Hello!

My 7 month old British bulldog has just been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia. He had an x-ray done while he was sedated to be de-sexed. I was worried because he had a bit of a wiggle in his walk and he aslo bunny hopped while he ran. He is not in any pain though. He runs freely and sits and gets up with no problem. The right hip is quite a lot worse than the left on the x-ray. He hasn't had a hip score though because he is too young.

My vet has suggested we could go for the TPO (Triple Pelvic Osteotomy) surgery. This must be performed on the dog before he reaches 10 - 11 months. Has anywone experienced this problem. I don't know if I should let him be and take things as they come. The surgery takes up to 3 months to recover!

Has anyone had their dog go through this operation? Is it worth it?

Does anyone own a bulldog with Hip Dysplasia?

Does anyone know of a vet that can do the PennHIP score? I know this can be done in young puppies.

I live in Melbourne, Australia and would love a second opinion from a vet who sepcialises in Bulldogs or Hip Dysplasia. Does anyone know of a vet that could help me? My vet doesn't speicalise in bulldogs so I'm worried he might not need this surgery.

Please help!

[Natsu chan]

Beets if you live in Melbourne ring the Monash Vet clinic they do pennhip and standard scoring and are very good.

[Clyde]

Definitely get a second opinion and ask around for a vet familiar with Bulldogs. My Bulldog vet told me that most Bulldogs have some degree of hip dysplasia, she didn't seem concerned by it at all.

I wonder if your vet would allow the xrays to be sent to another vet for an opinion? If so, try Rosalie Mathews at Gladesville Vets in Sydney 02 9817 5758, or just call her for a chat. She's familiar with the breed and was a massive help to me. They do have a lot of quirks so you really need to seek advice from someone experienced.

Also try your breeders vet or find breeders in your area and find out which vet they use. I wouldn't be too alarmed just yet. Good luck! :D

[Guest Ams]

I live in Qld and has a similar dilemma with a shar pei. We booked her in for the TPO but the specialist did his own xrays and said it wasn't necessary. If it had been he would have done it that day. Not sure if Melbourne vets would work this way as well. I had time crunch issues as my girl was very close to the cut off for TPO being effective.

[Skye2]

I know exactly what you are going through. I have my bulldog xray and i was told a similar thing although he didn't have the symptoms your dog has. He had a fall and was xray after the fall and it was an incidental finding. I spoke to Prof Wyburn in WA who does hip scoring and from limited hip scores that have been taken on BBDs the average score is 54 with similar scores in UK and NZ. I had the films reviewed by a vet who sees a lot of bulldogs and he just said so what, that look great compared to most bulldogs. So all i can say is have the films reviewed by someone who knows bulldogs. Their anatomy is quite a lot different to a lot of breeds and even so if it doesn't work out well for your dog you need a vet that is experienced with anaethetising your bulldog. Perhaps suggest you speak with your breeder and see what they have to say. Good luck

Edited November 5, 2010 by Skye2

[Bullbreedlover]

Very rarely in a Bulldog will you find that there is no form of hip dysplasia. The way the Bulldog is formed means that you will not find perfect hip sockets and if by chance you do then I would seriously question the correct makeup for movement on that Bulldog.

Hopping and skipping may also mean a patella problem.

Generally Bulldogs hips do settle into place as the dog is maturing but there are always exceptions to this rule.

The hind quarters are meant to be lighter than the fore but you can also get "too light" and from this not enough muscle tone forming around the hip sockets or first and second thigh

I am suggesting you get a second opinion

Just let me get back to you on a vet down your way that does deal with French Bulldogs unless someone else can recommend a Bulldog vet.

many a time non specialist vets diagnose problems without knowing full facts.

[Staranais]

Very rarely in a Bulldog will you find that there is no form of hip dysplasia. The way the Bulldog is formed means that you will not find perfect hip sockets and if by chance you do then I would seriously question the correct makeup for movement on that Bulldog.

Could you explain this further, Stonebridge? It sounds like you're saying that perfect or good hips are undesirable in a bulldog, and some degree of hip dysplasia is desirable, since having great hips makes them move less like a Bulldog and more like a normal healthy dog? I hope you don't mean that, since surely health should come first in all breedings?

[Bullbreedlover]

Very rarely in a Bulldog will you find that there is no form of hip dysplasia. The way the Bulldog is formed means that you will not find perfect hip sockets and if by chance you do then I would seriously question the correct makeup for movement on that Bulldog.

Could you explain this further, Stonebridge? It sounds like you're saying that perfect or good hips are undesirable in a bulldog, and some degree of hip dysplasia is desirable, since having great hips makes them move less like a Bulldog and more like a normal healthy dog? I hope you don't mean that, since surely health should come first in all breedings?

In order to understand what I mean you need to understand more in depth the make up of the Bulldog.

In no way am I saying that HD in a Bulldog is desirable. But it does exist.

Bulldogs have a much shallower femoral cup than most breeds. It would be very difficult for the Bulldog to execute the proper Bulldog "roll" if he had the socket of a greyhound. That doent mean to say that breeders should not concetrate on good hips.

There are good breeders and bad breeders. Just because breeders hip score their Bulldogs doesnt necessarily mean that they are breeding good Bulldogs. Soundness must be very important but breeders can lose sight of other important aspects of the Bulldog.We have xrayed our Bulldogs but we do not score them. In all the years we have been involved with dogs of different breeds and in 30 years of Bulldogs you get to know what sound construction means and what to look for.

When you look at the Bulldog standard you pretty much have to chuck all other breed standards out the window for you can not compare a Greyhound to a Bulldog, or a Dalmatian to a Bulldog. The Bulldog is such an individual breed with each point there for a specific reason. The forequarters being tacked on to the body,ribs well rounded, the pear shape, hind quarters lightly made in comparison. They are not a "normal" dog.

HD is in my opinion a make up of thirds. One third genetic, one third diet and one third damn good luck. By not over exercising bulldogs, making sure their diet is correct and by crossing fingers with breeding programmes you can only hope.

Indescriminant breeding by many people have changed the Bulldog in so many ways.

In saying all this it is heartbreaking to see a Bulldog not sound.

[Bullbreedlover]

I have had Bulldogs and Frenchies xrayed without any form of sedation. In my opinion and that of our old vet it is more dangerous to sedate a dog than to put the dog under full anaesthetic.

[Staranais]

Thanks for clarifying, Stonebridge! That is interesting. Is it possible, do you think, to have proper/traditional Bulldog conformation without a higher risk of clinical H.D. than breeds of more moderate conformation? Or does that particular conformation always come hand in hand with a higher than average breed incidence of clinical H.D?

I can understand the view that sedation is not always safer than a GA - in that for GA you usually intubate a dog, for sedation you don't, so there's a risk of aspiration if the dog regurgitates.

[Bouledogue Français]

I would be getting a second opinion before having TPO surgery, it is not something I would be putting a dog of mine through without having a second or even third opinion.

Your dog is 7 months old, TPO is done on a dog under 12 months, you have 2 - 3 months up your sleeve, go to another vet.

Monash I can recommend Dr Bob Cavey, he is very good with Frenchies, as for a specialist, I have seen Wing Tip Wong in the past but that was years ago with a Bullmastiff for a second opinion and he was very good, there may be somebody more up with the play now though.

A VIC Bulldog person may be able to recommend a good Bulldog vet.

[mokhahouse]

I am not sure where in Melbourne you are but if you are in the Berwick area Berwick Veterinary Hospital on Clyde road has vets trained to take Pennhipp xrays.Mokha has HD in both hips and we were referred to Chris Preston an orthopedic vet for the possibility of a TPO being done but in the end under Mr Prestons advice did not go ahead with it. He did however had an operation for his ED which at the time was causing far more pain and problems. I hope you can find someone who has some knowledge on Bulldogs as this is a huge decision to make in respect to expense and recovery time for your dog.

[Beets]

Thanks for everyones feedback. It's really put me at ease. I've spoken to a few Victorian Bulldog Breeders and more tahn one have suggested Monash Vetinary Clinic. There are a few Doctors there that have had lot's of experience with bulldogs. They also do the pennHIP x-rays too.

[Bullbreedlover]

Thanks for clarifying, Stonebridge! That is interesting. Is it possible, do you think, to have proper/traditional Bulldog conformation without a higher risk of clinical H.D. than breeds of more moderate conformation? Or does that particular conformation always come hand in hand with a higher than average breed incidence of clinical H.D?

I can understand the view that sedation is not always safer than a GA - in that for GA you usually intubate a dog, for sedation you don't, so there's a risk of aspiration if the dog regurgitates.

To be honest it is hard to say.Many Bulldog breeders do not take these into concideration. I think by xraying and analysing the ball and socket joints and by breeding sound stock to sound stock the prevalence of bad HD must improve.

Also by breeding dogs which have good muscle tone and structure as well.