Hip dysplasia is a painful condition that affects some breeds of dogs. Although it has long been known to be a genetic condition, in recent years it has suggested that hip dysplasia in dogs may also be the result if their environments. Left untreated and if allowed to become severe without medication, it can become very painful, sometimes causing crippling lameness.
Canine Hip dysplasia usually affects larger dogs but it is not uncommon to find this disease in some smaller breeds also.
If your Bully dog, or any dog for that matter is suffering from Hip dysplasia, usually there are a couple of things that needs to be looked at.
(1) Without wanting to get to technical but wanting at least some understanding about what causes pain in your dog, I will make it as simple as I possibly can. Your dogs caput, which is the headlike expansion or buldge on the end of a bone, is not fitted tightly enough in it’s socket. Simply put, It’s joint is loose.
2) There is a minimal amount of wear and tear in the joint socket area. Excessive bone friction may also be a good cause for this disease also..
Canine hip dysplasia can begin show it’s ugly head as early as 6 months old. Sometimes an overweight dog’s bones struggles to keep up with the dogs daily movements, this can cause the bones to begin wearing down. Once this happens you dog will begin to experience some discomfort.
It is important to recognize the signs of Hip dysplasia in it’s early stage as it is almost always a painful experience for your dog.
If you notice that you dog’s movement has been reduced and it is not as active as it once was, it may be instinctively doing this to reduce pain. As this is primarily a Bulldog and Bully dog blog, I will venture to say that there is quite a high percentage of our dogs that suffer from Hip dysplasia.
If you notice that you dog is having problems standing from a laying position, possibly a slight limp or sometimes even wincing when attempting to do as little as take a step, you should have him checked out by a qualified vet.
There is no cure for hip dysplasia in your dogs, but there are very effective treatments available. You must also choose the appropriate age in which to take your dog for testing as dysplasia may not be detected in a dog that is too young. Most vets and experts recommend that the dog to be tested must be at least two years old before consequential test results can be achieved. This of course does not mean that you shouldn’t have your dog looked at by your vet if you suspect that he is being discomforted by any pain.
To lower the risk of having a dog with Hip dysplasia, consider getting a dog from a canine family tested negative for the disease. This usually mean that both parents are OFA certified
Bullies Rock!!
