French bulldog hip dysplasia is one of the most common health conditions that may occur in this breed. It can be described as a condition where the ball of the joint doesn’t fit the socket and causes abnormal movement of the femoral head.
Hip dysplasia in French bulldogs occurs can when the bones rapidly grow, due to over-exercising, obesity, or an imbalance between the muscle mass and the skeletal development. Since there are ways that can help your dog to ease the symptoms, we’ve decided to provide you with some useful tips.
Frenchie Hip Dysplasia Causes
Beside large dog breeds, Frenchies may also be susceptible to suffer from this condition. It can be caused by an inherited defect, gained weight, age, exercise, rapid growth, loss of muscle mass, and hormones.
Therefore, if your pooch wasn’t born with hereditary hip dysplasia, then you should search for another trigger. According to many statistics, hip dysplasia in French bulldogs usually occurs due to their tendency to obesity or age. Even though they’re considered for the low-energy breed, these pooches should get a daily amount of exercise to keep their weight within normal limits. Regular exercise should not include over-exerting. It can be relaxing strolls that will be enough to keep your dog healthy and help him to maintain recommended body weight.
Hip Dysplasia In French Bulldogs Symptoms
French bulldog hip dysplasia can be followed by many symptoms. Some pooches may show the signs from an early age when they are as young as four months of age. In that case, the owner can be sure it’s a hereditary hip dysplasia that it could have been avoided if the puppy has been bought from a trusted breeder who performed the essential health tests.
Other dogs may develop hip dysplasia in their senior age in conjunction with osteoarthritis. The symptoms may depend on the severity of the disease. Here are the most common symptoms that may point to hip dysplasia.
- Pain
- Whining
- Inability to climb the stairs
- Bunny hopping
- Visible loss of muscle mass
- Decreased activity
- Inability to jump
- Lying in a frog-like position
- Grating in the joint during movement
French Bulldog Hip Dysplasia Signs
If you’ve noticed any of the previously mentioned symptoms, your vet should first perform a physical exam. After moving the dog’s hind leg and observing the hips, the vet will tend to spot if there is any pain, reduced mobility, and discomfort. He can also ask you a few questions about your dog’s habits, nutrition, and health history.
The second stage is to perform an X-ray testing that will discover the definite issue with your French bulldog’s hips. Radiographs will be an additional stage of examination because they’ll show the severity of hip dysplasia in your Frenchie.
French Bulldog Hip Dysplasia Treatment
Early diagnosis of your Frenchie’s hip dysplasia is extremely important in order to get the best results in treatment. Luckily, there are natural ways to ease the symptoms and prevent further disease progression.
Swimming
Swimming is known as one of the best treatments for painful hips and joints not only for dogs but also for humans. That’s why our advice is to allow your Frenchie to swim in lukewarm water. Since they’re not such great swimmers, we also recommend you to take one of our French bulldog life jackets that will prevent your pet from drowning.
The following French Bulldog Life Swimming Vest comes in many colors, and features reflective and adjustable straps, floating panels, and a handle on the back.
Choosing the Right French Bulldog Bed
Sleeping on the right and comfy bed is another factor that can affect the dog’s severity of pains. Since hip dysplasia and painful joints require sleeping on soft surfaces, we recommend you to choose the dog bed that is filled with memory foam. It will shape according to the dog’s sleeping position and won’t cause muscle stiffness. As one of the best Frenchie beds to use for senior pooches, we recommend you to have a look a the following orthopedic dog bed.
It’s available in different sizes, features 100% orthopedic foam, and it’s easy to clean and wash.
Use Joint Supplements
Glucosamine and chondroitin for dogs are known as one of the best supplements for improving the cartilage in the dog’s joints. They are completely safe for use because we find them naturally in our bodies. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements help in easing pains caused by spinal disc injuries, hip dysplasia, arthritis, and many other conditions.
It also worth of mentioning that there are different types of glucosamine. Luckily, the study from 2012 has shown that Glucosamine sulfate provides a superior pain-relief effect that is equal to used analgesic or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
CBD Oil or CBD Treats for Dogs
Otherwise known as a ‘magical compound for releasing pains’ CBD or Cannabinoid provenly helps in treating different conditions. Lately, CBD treats and oils for dogs raised a lot of dust because many people don’t know the difference between THC and CBD.
The cannabis plant is made of 2 parts- THC and CBD. Unlike THC, CBD is approved and widely used in medicine in many countries. Since there are low chances that you haven’t heard for marijuana and hemp, we’ll relieve the main facts about them.
CBD is found both in marijuana and the hemp, however, the hemp plant contain a much higher percentage of CBD. It’s also important to mention that CBD treats and oil don’t cause any psychoactive reactions because they’re free of THC. They can only ease the pains, relax muscles, and fight different diseases without using drugs.
Since the dogs possess the endocannabinoid system, CBD receptor proteins regulate a number of cognitive and physiological processes.
Weight Reduction and Regular Activity
If your Frenchie is overweight, then you gotta change his nutrition and take him to daily strolls. Exercise is important even for older pooches while eating a healthy diet full of fresh ingredients will do the magic for your Frenchie’s health.