HIP DYSPLASIA

To address a topic such as that of hip dysplasia in the English bulldog, it is necessary to make a "breed specific" discourse. Thanks to Prof. Stefano Zanichelli and his staff, a very detailed and extremely up-to-date research on this pathology was conducted at the University of Parma (Department of Medical-Veterinary Sciences) at the request of the Orsi breeders. , of the “I bull degli Orsi” kennel. The results of this research, conducted on a high number of bulldogs of all ages, have established a single certainty: the English bulldog is one of the breeds most affected by this disease but despite this, in the vast majority of cases, they almost never present the clinical signs referable to the pathology. This means that even a bulldog with severe bilateral hip dysplasia does not limp. The reasons for why the coxofemoral joints are paradoxical, which would cause paralysis in any other dog, do not even generate any hint of lameness in the English bulldog. The answers to these questions seem to point in these directions: 1) the English bulldog has such a physical conformation that it unloads most of its weight on the front, relieving the rear a lot (the breed standard in fact requires a large and powerful front and a higher and lighter rear); 2) the typical walk of the bulldog is characterized, on the rear, by small "crawling" steps. This means that in movement, unlike other breeds, the bulldog does not strain the hip joint a little, as the rear does not lift slightly from the ground (it crawls); 3) The bulldog tends to be a prigo dog; also the aptitude for little movement means that the joint is not stressed too much; 4) finally, it seems that the joint heads in the bulldog tend to be more "detached" than in other breeds and this inhibits the process of formation of arthrosis that generates pain. Precisely due to the fact that almost all bulldogs are dysplastic and due to the equally absence of lameness referable to this pathology, the ENCI, in the selected breeding, does not ask for any limitation in the mating of bulldogs with any degree of dysplasia. Only a cognitive investigation is required to be able to deepen knowledge about the breed. Conclusions: in the English bulldog, hip dysplasia, although almost always present, does not represent a limitation because it does not produce disturbances on motor skills. The final sentence of obligation is that of the Professor who conducted the research and who, observing the radiographs of some patients, at the beginning did not explain how they could not only run without problems, but even keep the station: THE BULLDOG IS A PERFECT MONSTER! University of Parma (Department of Medical-Veterinary Sciences) Dr. Stefano Zanichelli http://www.dipveterinaria.unipr.it http://www.unipr.it/dipartamento/smv