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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

hip dysplasia

22 replies

ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 15:37

Hi got a 11m old British bulldog he's been limping so took him to the vets and they think he's got hip dysplasia is that something they are born with or anything to do with his breeding etc feel heartbroken.

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tabulahrasa · 16/03/2018 15:41

It’s mostly inherited... breeders can avoid it in most breeds by only breeding from animals with low hip scores, I’m not sure what counts as low in bulldogs tbh though as they’re not exactly the healthiest breed.

Have you been referred to an orthopaedic specialist? They’ll be able to discuss which treatment is best.

Whitney168 · 16/03/2018 15:52

Hip dysplasia is multi-factored - genetic elements, but with plenty of potential to be affected by environmental factors such as too much/the wrong type of exercise or feeding.

Have seen various people who have taken puppies from parents with excellent hip scores, over-exercised them hugely against the breeder's advice, and then complained that they had a crippled dog by a few years old.

Were your dogs' parents hip scored? Very few Bulldogs are, unfortunately - yet another example of the breed's lack of focus on health. Angry

I hope you have him well insured!

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 16:00

I can't believe I forgot to renew his pet insurance has just moved etc thought he was covered but unfortunately not 😱😓 god knows how much he's gonna cost me

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BiteyShark · 16/03/2018 16:04

Oh dear OP, I think hip issues can be very pricey Sad

Whitney168 · 16/03/2018 16:06

Oh dear ... if ever there was a breed you should not forget to insure ...

Unfortunately, there is plenty more that can go wrong with him on top of his hips, so you're now going to have to take the unpalatable step of paying through the nose for insurance which will exclude the hip issue that is already known about. Sad

If the vet's diagnosis is correct and it is too bad to be managed, it will cost many thousands.

villainousbroodmare · 16/03/2018 16:12

Is he definitely not insured? If he's less than a year old? And was insured? Surely it wouldn't have been up for renewal yet.

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 16:17

He got some weeks free with the vet but moved in between so totally forgot 😩😱😓

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Ridingthegravytrain · 16/03/2018 16:25

Make sure they vets don’t put hip dysplasia on his record if they just think it without having done any diagnostic tests. I’d be calling them to find out exactly what is written or it will be excluded as pre existing. Then you need to get insurance sorted ASAP.

BiteyShark · 16/03/2018 16:34

As pp have said get insurance now (in fact do it today otherwise it might be something that gets put aside again).

Whilst you will almost certainly not be covered for this because any first claim they ask for a 'complete' history from your vets and would easily find you had been for limping even if they didn't actually name the condition, there are many other conditions or accidents he could have so at least those will be covered. Just to put it in perspective my dog is 17months old and we are close to £3k in claims due to accidents, investigations and illnesses.

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 17:18

There is that many I am unsure who to go with I also have a Frenchie as well she's perfectly fine apart from a hernia but I'm not breeding her anyhow was planning on stud my bull dog out but now can't

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Original poster
ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 17:20

They are not 100% sure it's hip dysplasia but said sending x rays on To an expert to look at them.

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BiteyShark · 16/03/2018 17:31

Is the other dog insured? Dogs can be perfectly healthy until they are not.

Unless you have money at hand (e.g. could manage to get hold of a few thousand to cover major issues) I would get a 'good' policy with life cover (otherwise you are back to square one with pre existing issues).

Don't always be swayed by low premiums so look for the amount they cover per year etc. I have only 4K per year cover with petplan and that feels very low now I have seen how quickly bills rack up and would have picked a higher limit knowing what I do now.

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 17:37

Hi yes have cash ( from accident compensation ) I had in 2013

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tabulahrasa · 16/03/2018 17:54

You won’t be covered for this if you take out insurance now, it’s still worth doing, but this won’t be covered.

If it is HD, you could be anywhere up to about 9k in surgery (depending on treatment options)

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 16/03/2018 18:26

He's come home with this for now ☹️

hip dysplasia
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Ditzyitzy · 17/03/2018 04:13

You have 2 bulldogs uninsured and are planning to breed? I hope you can get the money needed. All this caused by health issues poor breeding and you were going to breed more.

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 17/03/2018 10:22

Was only going to breed my male bulldog as Frenchie has a hernia so not breeding her anyhow my son in law and his late father bred bulldogs for years but mine are pets only now Smile

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Original poster
ilovesprouts · 17/03/2018 10:24

Money is no problem it's my fault for not keeping up insurance so far he's cost me £500 😮

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Muffinbutton · 18/03/2018 17:50

My 15 month old lab was diagnosed with hip dysplasia in Oct.

Vet recommend stem cell but insurance didn't cover it (would have been initial £2.5k and then £600 every 6 months).

Instead he's having platelet rich plasma twice a year (£500 a time) and weeklyish hydrotherapy (£30 a time).

He's an expensive pup but I love him.

missbattenburg · 18/03/2018 18:42

As Muffinbutton has illustrated - that could be a cost of £2500 a year. Over his life, that's somewhere around £22,500. I really hope (for his sake) you have the money for that because this could be a £200 a month medical cost.

He also still needs insuring. There are so many other things that can go wrong yet.

In bulldogs, genetics are such a huge part of their hip issues. In fact, genetics are huge part of almost all their issues and (imo) there are barely any decent bulldog breeders out there so I guess it is likely this dog's breeder dod not hip score. To me, that suggests they didn't test for other health issues either so there are probably greater than normal chances of more health issues.

The fact that you were thinking about studding out a pet dog makes me want to weep with frustration for all the beautiful breeds ruined by bad genes being unknowingly added into the gene pool. Often as a result of 'good' intentions of breeding from a dog that is not fully and robustly healthy because people don't always realise a dog that appears healthy is not the same thing as a dog that is genetically sound.

Puppies normally only get 4 weeks free (sometimes a tiny bit more) and often there is a 2 week wait for any new policy to be claimable so you need an overlap of policies. Anyone reading this with a puppy that hasn't sorted insurance out thinking they are ok for a few weeks because they have free insurance needs to act now. There really is no time to delay.

Original poster
ilovesprouts · 19/03/2018 17:08

My daughters partners late dad and him bred bulldogs for years he won't be used for breeding now anyhow

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Original poster
ilovesprouts · 19/03/2018 17:10

He was not going to be stud out for ages anyhow yes I have the money but now pet only like my Frenchie as she's got hernia

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