My poor Bulldog!!!

Question
Hi,

Please can you help, i am writing for some advice to see if you have encountered any similar circumstances in your years of dealing with bulldogs. our local vets have not been too helpful and we have lost trust and are writing to see if you have known anything similar occur.

We have a bulldog we love to bits and she is now a year old. A few months ago she fell ill and could hardly walk, refusing to eat and walking very delicately on her back legs with a high temperature. we have read that bulldogs do encounter hip/joint problems as a result of growing pains so we went our to our local vet. after spending a fortune on full blood analysis many trips later and after a course of anti-biotics the vet couldnt confirm that there was anything wrong with her. After nearly a month she was back to her normal self thankfully.

Now she has started doing the same thing again unfortunately and without wanting to spend a month going backwards and forwards to the 3 vets we went to that couldnt confirm anything. She has been doing a fair bit more excercise than usual after receiving a new xmas toy.

Do you think she may have just hurt her hip? could it be a growth spurt ? or could it be something more serious ?

any advice appreciated

Many Thanks Dawn

Answer
Of course without seeing your bulldog or seeing any of your medical records, it not possible to tell you what is definitely wrong with your pup.  But I can tell you what lameness of the back legs point to.

It does sound like hip problems.  Hip dysplasia is a common problem with bulldogs.  Because of this, I would have thought your vet would have done x-rays of the hips.  Were x-rays taken?  X-rays are an accurate way to diagnose if there are hip problems.

Hip dysplasia is the most common cause of rear leg lameness.  Symptoms will be seen frequently after exercise.  Signs are usually first seen between 5 months and a year.

Treatment depends on the severity of the problem.

I do not know why blood work would have done or antibiotics would have been give, but like I mentioned above, I have not seen your vet's medical reports.  Maybe it was because of the fever.  

Usual medications given for hip-dysplasia is an anti-inflammatory (Aspirin) and a pain reliever (Tylenol).  Are you sure that is not what was prescribed?

If x-rays have not been taken, you should ask that they be done.  Then depending on what the x-rays show, treatment options should be discussed with your vet.