Puppy with [possible] Hip Dysplasia

Greetings. I have a 7 month french bulldog. For about a month now I've noticed that his right hip pops/clicks with every step. Because he hasn't shown any other symptoms (very playful, runs, jumps, even climbs stairs without a problem, doesnt appear to be in any pain, doesn't bunny hop, has good musculature of hind limbs) i wasn't in a hurry to get him checked. nevertheless, i took him to the vet for an upper respiratory infection and mentioned the clicking. after a physical exam of the hips and rear legs the vet decided to get a quick xray of the area. he said the xrays showed severe hip dysplasia of the right hip; stated he would need a surgical procedure (triple pelvic osteotomy if possible) to prevent a lifetime of pain and handicap of rear limbs; and referred me to a specialist. I have since scheduled an appointment with a different vet who is pennHIP certified (as a second opinion never hurts) as well as the specialist. I am curious as to any experiences with bulldog (english or french) puppies who were diagnosed with hip dysplasia. What procedure, if any, was performed and if none was performed how (if at all) the dysplasia progressed. Thanks in advance.

I am so sorry to hear that about Alexander. I have not had any Bulldogs with hip dysplasia, so no experience here. I'm glad you are getting a second opinion, sounds like you are on the right track.

Let us know what the second opinion is. I wasnt aware you could do surgery for hip dysplasia

Sorry about your baby, I don't have any experience with HP, so please let us know what the specialist said.

Hi there so sorry to hear about Alexander! HD is a nasty and very EXPENSIVE surgery and long recovery. I had a border collie/aussie mix that had sever HD and unfortunately the 10K surgery was not an option for me at the time. This was about 10 years ago. He was in a lot of pain, could not walk without limping a lot and just trying to move his hips he would cry. I chose to do the most humane option I had at the time and I sent him to the rainbow bridge to give him peace and so he could be painfree. It was an agonizing decision for me and I cried for days, but ultimately I had to do what was best for my dog.

Since Alex is SOO young you should consider the surgery. I have to ask did you get insurance? If not, unfortunately the costs would not be covered as most plans I reserached would not allow for pre-exhisting conditions and if it's HD they usually make you wait a one year waiting period anyway. Get the second opinion and talk to your vet about surgery options and costs. There is a company called CARE CREDIT that will give you a Credit Card to pay for the surgery and if the bill is enough (and it will be) then they give you up to 12 months interest free! Look into it. I use my care credit for all my vet bills, it's been wonderful! I'm so sorry to hear about Alexander, but you have options and he can and will heal quickly because he is young. But, be advised that HD is a painful and degenerative disease and will only get worse with time. It's best to get the surgery as soon as you can to avoid pain, plus the younger he is the faster he will heal. My thoughts and prayers are with both of you!

My French bulldog, Violet, was about 7 months old when we noticed that after getting up from a nap or coming out of her kennel, she would not put down her left rear leg. She would hobble along with just three legs for awhile, then eventually put the fourth leg down. It was like she had bad arthritis. We noticed she would not fully use the left rear leg when going up hills, as well. I took her to the vet and they did not find anything wrong with her leg, so they did an x-ray. That's when they told me she has possible hip dysplasia. The odd part was they thought her other hip looked worse and she didn't have any trouble with that. The vet suggested giving her Dasugquin with MSM once a day. They are chewable tablets that are supposed to help the cartilage in the hip. After a few weeks she did seem much better, but my breeder asked if I would bring her to her vet for a second opinion. They did more in depth X-rays with Violet sedated. His conclusion was that the lameness was coming from a butterfly vertebrae and a block vertebrae in her spine. In one x-ray the hip bone was almost completely out of the socket. He did not think surgery was a good option and told me when she is fully grown she will get better -- until she is middle aged, that is. She is now 9 months old.
As your situation with Alexander, this has all been so sad and upsetting. It's also confusing in that Violet can run faster than a rabbit and doesn't seem like she is in pain. I agree with the others in that another opinion is always a good thing. Good luck to you!