Do my dog's hip x-rays look bad? Should I get a second opinion?

This hip X-ray looks normal. She is not absolutely square so each side doesn’t look even. She’s a young dog so the bones are not fully calcified so that also makes it look like there may be a fracture but there is not one. I like the angle of the head of the femur and it’s seated fairly well into the socket. If she has hip pain it can be from bone inflammation or a ligament problem also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ruthie.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Leo. The pictures came through a little fuzzy, his femoral heads appear to sit well within the pelvis on both sides. This is giving him adequate coverage. Typically x-rays are repeated at 2 years of age to be sure the hips are still good. I hope this information helps!

I agree with the doctor who said the x-rays were not positioned properly. In order to obtain really diagnostic quality hip x-rays, the patience should be fully sedated. Without being able to bend the hips all the way downward, you simply can not obtain completely accurate results. Depending on the current clinical picture, I might possible recommend starting medication. Joint supplementation definitely can't hurt, but starting an NSAID at this early of an age is not advisable unless there is clear and obvious discomfort / inflammatory pain. Hope this helps!

Looks like mild hip dysplasia of the left hip. There also seems to be narrowing if the medial joint space in the right knee but this could be due to positioning. It would be easier to give you advice if you could give us more information about Milo’s clinical signs and what diagnosis your vet gave.

These xrays are not good enough quality and the positioning of the limbs is not good either, it will be very difficult to determine if there is a problem according to those xrays. i personally cannot see anything abnormal but you may want to have it sent to an xray specialist.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Looking at x-rays that are not viewed with a proper screen can be very difficult, so it can be easy to miss things on these images. I can see the following: 1. The heart does NOT appear to be enlarged 2. The lungs have a slight increased opacity around the peri-hilar region (this can sometimes be associated with heart disease) 3. There is poor detail in the abdomen (this could be due to 'chest settings' and not actually 'real') 4. There is some discospondylosis present in the lumbar vertebrae (bridging between two vertebrae- likely inconsequential) 5. There is no sign of free fluid or free gas in the chest cavity 6. On the second image there is some gas in the esophagus, but this might be artifact of being sedated. 7. On the second image the lungs seem more 'white' then they should be, in the caudo-dorsal region. I recommend that if you are still unsure, have the x-rays sent to a radiologist specialist, as they will get a format they can better manipulate and give you better information about the lung parenchyma (tissue itself of the lungs) which is very hard to evaluate with the images you have provided. I don't see anything too remarkable in these x-rays. If you tell us what is clinically wrong with George we can look at the images again with his clinical picture in mind. Best of luck with George!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! For arthritis yes it would be shown on radiographs. With hip dysphasia, radiographs can help diagnose it but it should be interpreted with the physical examination findings as well. Have a good night!