OCD and Hip Displacia is incredibly rare in bulldogs and is very often mis-diagnosed in the breed. Due to the naturally very shallow joints the bulldog is sadly very prone to arthritic changes which can occur at a very young age, especially if as a puppy the dog underwent very rapid growth or was over weight or over exercise during this period. Sadly we hear of lots of puppies supposedly diagnosed with OCD or Hip displacia and in most cases this is not the case at all. The breed has naturally shallow elbow and hip joints and young bulldog hips are very loose as the adult dog relies heavily on muscle to hold the joint in place. In many cases the growth rate is so fast the long bones grow at different rates in the fore legs, and elbows in particular will show up as displacic on xrays taken under 18 months old, in most cases the bones will level out as the growth phase comes to an end. Displacia diagnoses should not be taken as red until the dog is at least 18 months old and surgical intervention should never be considered until the growth phase is over, even then it's more likely that the dog simply needs drug management to deal with the arthritic changes in the joint which in most cases are the result of the rapid growth as a puppy.the rapid growth as a puppy.

Hip Clicking: Young Australian Bulldogs grow very quickly and occasionally you will hear a click when they walk, usually at 3 months of age. Do not panic as this is the ligaments not fully formed and the hip joint moving in and out. Do stop long walks, running, jumping and sliding on floors etc while the ligaments strengthen. In 2 to 3 weeks return to normal excercise and see if the clicking has gone, if not, stop again and repeat until normal.

Luxating patella: Not common in Australian or British Bulldogs from what I can find out although I know one personally! Symptoms include the dog running playing or walking and suddenly yelp in pain and then holding the rear leg off the ground and limping in a 3 legged fashion. After 10 minutes or so they drop the leg back down and use it normally. Some may be more severely affected and be affected for days and some may have both rear legs affected and change thier whole posture. Uncorrected, the patellar ridges will wear, the groove will become even shallower and the dog will become progressively more lame. Arthritis will prematurely affect the joint, causing a permanently swollen knee with poor mobility. Therefore, a good evaluation needs to be done by your veterinarian early in the condition to prevent long-term arthritic crippling.

As would be expected, medical therapy has little corrective ability in this disorder and surgery is therefore required and is the treatment of choice. A surgical treatment is not necessary in every individual with this condition.

Breeding considerations. Because of the strong genetic relationships, vets really feel that animals with this disorder should not be used for breeding. They can still be excellent pets - and those that do require surgery will usually lead perfectly normal lives without any restrictions on activity. Please contact your breed club for further advice and maybe they will want to know the breed lines for preventative measures.