Hip problem

I took my dog on a walk around 2 hours ago. He seemed fine the entire walk. When we got back to the house, he layed down and passed out. I woke him up about an hour and a half later for his food. He didn't even get up. Finally, he did get up but he only took a few bites and looked at me like like something was wrong. I started to check him out and I touched his hip and he yelped. I am very concerned. He can walk but he has a slight limp. I can tell he is in alot of pain.
I have never experienced anything like this and I really don't know what to do. If he is not better tomorrow, he is going to the vet. Does anybody have any advice of what I could do for tonight?

 

buffered asprin will help with pain. Not sure theexact dosage though..

 

Reference to Rocks post; 5-15 mg/lb orally 2-3 times a day

 

This is common in our breed. Mine has it too. It's either, Arthritis or Hip Dysplasia. Can be treated by LAME-EZE, by a vet. If it persists, get an X-ray done. That will tell you which one it is. Also, when it gets colder, aches & pains are felt more. Good luck.

 

Missybee16, Hip Dysplasia is not common in game bred APBT's. If you own Big Blue dogs maybe, but not game bred dogs.

 

I agree Scotsman. This breed has never had issues with either of those problems because they are working dogs not show dogs. The huge mutts with weight problems and bad conformation have introduced that to the "breed" (if you consider those dogs APBT). Many show lines bring these characteristics when they start to hold form over function. Working dogs hold function over form but usually still end up with better form since the dogs actually work.

B

 

tommy, just watch your dog carefully for the next 2 weeks. Restrict exercise & confine your dog if needed. You can try a baby aspirin twice a day for 3 days & see if that helps (just no more than 3 days!). It could be anything from a sprained muscle in one or both of the rear legs, or a slight back injury. If he doesn't seem to be improving after the first week though, see your vet. And having x-rays done either way will not hurt. If they don't show anything (such as dysplasia) then it's a great starting point to knkow your dogs structural strengths and/or weaknesses.

 

Well, good news. Last night he ate all of his food. I just had to take the food to him since it hurt to walk. I gave him one buffered aspirin last night (thanks rocksteady) and went to sleep. This morning, he is back to his old self, running and flipping over everything. I am trying to keep him calm so he won't hurt himself again but that is impossible and I plan to limit his exercise for the following week. I really doubt that he is dysplastic. But, he will get checked anyways.

 

pulls are very very common... even if you dont notice anything at first. (Since they are so pain tolerant) It could have happend a few days ago and you would have never known untill it got a bit too sore ...
ur welcome..

 

Pit Bulls are known for hip displasia, how old is the dog.

 

No way... did you read any of our posts? Even the handful of idiot vets I visited agreed that hip dysplasia is very uncommon in pitbulls. Show bred dogs... maybe but overall as a breed pitbulls are not known for these issues.

B

Edit: I would be curious to see what Tex has to say on this. Do you have any proof that this is a common problem in pitbulls? I would love to see something that stated this and was backed by facts.

 

BnD... I think alot stems from the General thinking of getting "larger" breeds of dogs checked for hip DYSPLASIA .. and yes, most "pet type -show type" publication such as Bully Breeds by Dog Fancy state Hip Dysplasia is something to check your APBT for before breeding ... and again, that IMO is sort of the lol AKC "We're beter than You" Breeders code of ethics ..something that is stamped into peoples minds, not necassarily because its true, but supposedly "thats what a good breeder does"

Also, Certain breeds like Bulldogs, Mastiffs are prone to it.. Hmmmm

Elbows are another big thing to watch out for in "bully" breeds ... theres a condtion which can cut off blood circulation and cause like sores on the leg bones.. common in english bulldogs.. I beleive it starts with an O ..its been so long since I had one..and Elbow dysplasia,

 

People who are not familiar with well bred pit bulls will go off and say that they have hip dysplacia problems. I have heard this from alot of people. But, I have yet to seen a well bred dog with hip dysplasia. Is it impossible? No, but it sure as hell isn't common. These dogs are meant for work. Any dog that is bred for hard work will not have a big problem with dysplasia. A dog with dysplasia would show the signs if it is worked enough and therefore would not perform as it should and would be culled.
I have seen many people make this comment on rescue sites or show dog sites. They believe that these dogs are just naturally prone to the problem. The truth is, any breed that is bred without being worked hard will be much more likely to have the problem. People that don't breed working dogs will often never even know if their dog is dysplastic untill it is really injured or until it is really old. By then it may have been bred dozens of times.

 

Because I have the facility & resources to do so, I have x-rayed several of my APBTs just out of sheer curiosity. After having my bosses (both head vets) examine the x-rays, they were certain most would pass with an "excellent" with OFA & the rest "good". I don't have one "fair" dog in the bunch (& don't EVEN get me started on the "fair" crap :rolleyes: ).

 

Yes I do have something that states it A book called The Ultimate American Pit Bull Terrier, I was just commenting on what I read! It also states that they are known for mange.

 

Isn't that by Diane "the Triator" Jessup? She has mutts anyway. Don't listen to that book.

 

Hey, maybe this is an offbeat thought, because I don't know your area, but do you guys have any issues with Lymes Disease where you are?? Where I am it is a HUGE problem with people and animals, and the first dog I had that got it, behaved like you were describing---however, he did not get better until he had a course of antibiotics. (It was diagnosed with a blood test).

Hope your guy continues feeling better . . .

 

LOL. They're not supposed to be. If they are it's because back yard breeders refuse to quite pumping out litters of pups from studs/bitches with generalized demodex. We don't condone that, we despise that.

 

I have heard of lyme disease out here but I wouldn't call it common. It is not genetic. It is usually caused by ticks or fleas and you can use things like Frontline to prevent it.

 

I should have wrote this a different way. My one girl is a Big Blue. She worked hard for 9yrs. until her hips started hurting her. I should have asked what blood-line his was.