My French Bulldog has leg pain. Is it hip dysplasia, arthritis, or a fracture?

Hip dysplasia can only be positively diagnosed with x-rays. There are certain indicators that can be noted on a physical exam, but they can only be considered supportive of the actual radiographic diagnosis. I would have his leg looked at and examined for fractures, evidence of soft tissue injuries, or as you have mentioned, evidence of hip imperfections. Based on the nature of the injury, the solution to the problem maybe something as simple as rest or medical therapy, or as complex as surgical procedures. Hope this helps.

Hip dysplasia means that Chuck's hips have poor conformation resulting in hip joint laxity. Over time this will result in arthritis and pain. Keeping Chuck thin and providing steady exercise such as walking will maintain the muscles that support the hips. This will reduce the development of arthritis. If he is already showing signs of pain please put him on medication so he can continue to be active and maintain his muscle mass. I like to give omega3 supplement in addition to a joint supplement. You may also want to discuss Adequan injections with your veterinarian. They help reduce the damage to the joint cartilage. It's best not to have Chuck do any jumping as this may make the discomfort worse. Absolutely work on getting him to a normal weight if he's heavy as the extra weight is hard on the joints. Many dogs live long active lives with hip dysplasia when their owners are proactive with their care. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chuck.

The hips look ok (hip dysplasia is possible on the right hip joint, but the positioning isn't perfect, which is required for that diagnosis). She does have significant issues with the vertebrae in her thoracic spine. I cannot tell exactly what is going on from these x-rays (it is much easier to evaluate them in-person), but they are likely causing significant discomfort. Lulu may need pain medications for life. A second opinion from a veterinary orthopedic surgeon would be a good idea to see if there is a surgical option to provide pain relief.

I do see some abnormal opacity in the elbow joint where the arrow is, so I would have to agree with your vet here. It is not possible to zoom in on x-rays that are copied here however, so its best to get a copy of the x-rays on a CD and then having them reviewed by a 2nd opinion doctor that way. Or you can ask your vet to send these to a radiologist who is well trained on picking up on small details that the untrained eye can miss. Another option is to treat medically for a minimum of 2 weeks, and if there is no improvement, then you know that is not just a muscle sprain or mild injury, and that elbow dysplasia is more likely the underlying cause. Doing a process of elimination, while still treating the pets pain, is a common thing that owners do when they are looking for a more conservative approach. If this is indeed elbow dysplasia, then I would recommend a referral to an orthopedic specialist if you want to pursue treatment. Treatment for this condition is often surgery. Poor guy. I hope that you can get him some relief soon. Best wishes and take care!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If the blood results and x-rays were normal, it could be a problem with a nerve or with the spinal cord. It may be worth to rest Nacho for a few days (only short walks on a leash) and use painkillers. If after 3-4 days this treatment does not help, you should consider more advanced imaging of the spine, for example contrast x-ray, CT or MRI scan. French Bulldogs do suffer from spinal problems, like slipped disc, vertebral instability, vertebral body maldevelopment and more. Plane x-ray is not useful in diagnosis most of these problems, therefore the only sensible way to go is advance imaging.

It is certainly possible that Florence has an injury to her knee or hip. It is very common for dogs to limp at a walk (or hold the leg up when standing), but put it down while running. It does not mean that the leg is not painful. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Florence to see if they can determine the source of the problem. Certainly they may recommend x-rays as well. If there is a soft tissue injury, they will be able to prescribe appropriate pain medication and treatment. And if there is something more serious, you certainly want to deal with it before it becomes worse. In the meantime, I would recommend keeping her as quiet as possible and not allowing her to run since that might injure the leg more. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Koby is a cutie! Ideally he just sprained his forelimb/only has a soft tissue injury and will respond well to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (recent blood work showing normal liver values is usually recommended before prescribing NSAIDs such as carprofen/Rimadyl) for a few days along with activity restriction for a week. This conservative therapy may be chosen as long as the limb does not appear swollen, acutely painful, etc. on physical exam/palpation. Re-x raying that limb would be ideal to determine if there has been migration of the pins/a new fracture etc. but could potentially wait if he is putting weight on the limb/it does not appear swollen/ and he responds well to the pain medication. As he has pins in his limb, he will be more prone to arthritis as the years go by and would likely benefit from being on a joint supplement such as VetriScience Mobility Flex or Vetriflex for life. Best of luck!