Hip and Joint Problems
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- Published on Monday, 25 April 2011 15:47
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Growth and development problems often plague Bulldogs. For starters, Bulldogs have a tendency to grow very rapidly causing unwanted problems with their hips and joints. It is very important in the first year to keep their weight and play properly managed. We recommend a low protein adult food for all of our Bulldogs over 8 weeks of age. Early joint damage could lead to osteoarthritis. Irregular bone growth is a common problem in Bullies during their growth phases and they usually even out around 1 year of age. Hip and Elbow dysplasia are genetically specific to the Bulldog breed but can be results of slippery floors, over exercising, jumping and being overweight.
If your puppy begins to show lameness or limp, do not allow any surgery to be done until he has stopped growing completely, which is usually around 18 months of age. In many cases the growth rate is so fast that the long bones grow at different rates. The fore legs and elbows in particular will show up as dysplastic on x-rays taken under 18 months old, but in most cases the bones will level out as the growth phase comes to an end.
I have seen pups limp as favor one leg or the other during this growth phase. Once I had a customer call to tell me their vet wanted to do surgery on their puppy and place a pin in one leg to lengthen it. I suggested they do nothing and wait. The leg became perfectly healthy within 3 months and the vet lost a customer. My vet, Dr. Butchko, always recommends waiting until the pup has stopped growing to make any choices about their bone health. So don’t panic. I have never yet had any bulldog have a long-term hip or elbow problem.
OCD and hip dysplasia is incredibly rare in bulldogs and is often mis-diagnosed in the breed. Bulldogs have naturally very shallow elbow and hip joints. Their hips are very loose and the adult dog relies heavily on muscle to hold the joint in place. So they are sadly prone to arthritic changes. These changes can occur at a very young age, especially if as a puppy the dog grew rapidly or was over weight or over exercised during this period. Sadly, we hear of lots of puppies supposedly diagnosed with OCD or hip dysplasia. In most cases, this is not the case at all.
A dysplasia diagnosis should not be taken as seriously until the dog is at least 18 months old. Surgical intervention should never be considered until the growth phase is over. Even then it's more likely that the dog simply needs drug management to deal with the arthritic changes in the joint.
For more information about purchasing your own healthy Bulldog puppies, visit www.BigBulldogs.com