I would wait it out....6 months is awfully young.

And had I listened to a vet that was pushing cruiate surgery when my old guy tore his.....who knows what may have happened. With crate rest, my old guy ended up healing quite nicely WITHOUT surgery, b/cause I was willing to err to see what rest would do.

I would wait it out....6 months is awfully young.

And had I listened to a vet that was pushing cruiate surgery when my old guy tore his.....who knows what may have happened. With crate rest, my old guy ended up healing quite nicely WITHOUT surgery, b/cause I was willing to err to see what rest would do.

I don't have any experience with this but I would definitely say you need a second opinion. Also, there are other pain meds out there you could try if she needs them. Good luck!

I don't have any experience with this but I would definitely say you need a second opinion. Also, there are other pain meds out there you could try if she needs them. Good luck!

I always encourage a second opinion when considering major surgery and this is "major" but you may want to wait a couple months to see if the condition worsens or not, meanwhile resting her as much as reasonable: no stairs, no jumping into/out of vehicles, no jumping on/off furniture, and no long walks (just out to pee/poop and back in). Usually 2-3 weeks of rest will show some improvement if its going to help at all, and then continue low-stress regimen for several more weeks, with or without pain meds. While pain meds may seem kinder to the dog, they can mask the pain that will serve as "self-limiting" meaning that if it hurts her, she's less likely to be running/jumping around so its easier to keep her quiet. Now don't confuse pain meds with anti-inflammatory meds,which the doc may want you to try...and I agree with the others who said there are several choices on pain meds so if she doesn't tolerate one, try something different (different formulation, also Rx).

Some dogs develop "growing pains" around this age, and they improve as the dog reaches 1-2 yrs (maturity). I'm not suggesting that you wait and let the dog limp for another 1-2yrs, but that this can be something temporary that will improve in a few months...a question to ask that 'second-opinion vet' when you do go.

I always encourage a second opinion when considering major surgery and this is "major" but you may want to wait a couple months to see if the condition worsens or not, meanwhile resting her as much as reasonable: no stairs, no jumping into/out of vehicles, no jumping on/off furniture, and no long walks (just out to pee/poop and back in). Usually 2-3 weeks of rest will show some improvement if its going to help at all, and then continue low-stress regimen for several more weeks, with or without pain meds. While pain meds may seem kinder to the dog, they can mask the pain that will serve as "self-limiting" meaning that if it hurts her, she's less likely to be running/jumping around so its easier to keep her quiet. Now don't confuse pain meds with anti-inflammatory meds,which the doc may want you to try...and I agree with the others who said there are several choices on pain meds so if she doesn't tolerate one, try something different (different formulation, also Rx).

Some dogs develop "growing pains" around this age, and they improve as the dog reaches 1-2 yrs (maturity). I'm not suggesting that you wait and let the dog limp for another 1-2yrs, but that this can be something temporary that will improve in a few months...a question to ask that 'second-opinion vet' when you do go.

but my bully was 13 months old. A second opinion is very good advice especially since yours is a very young pup. I do know that there are 4 grades to luxating patella, and that is how the decision is made to do surgery or not. Grade 1 or 2 no surgery. Grade 3 maybe, maybe not. Grade 4, surgery for sure. That patella is out of place permanently and very painful.
Try to research this to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible and to understand what the vet is talking about.
IMO though you should avoid surgery unless it is a grade 4. Pup is too young.

but my bully was 13 months old. A second opinion is very good advice especially since yours is a very young pup. I do know that there are 4 grades to luxating patella, and that is how the decision is made to do surgery or not. Grade 1 or 2 no surgery. Grade 3 maybe, maybe not. Grade 4, surgery for sure. That patella is out of place permanently and very painful.
Try to research this to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible and to understand what the vet is talking about.
IMO though you should avoid surgery unless it is a grade 4. Pup is too young.

I would definitely get a second opinion. At her age surgery is a little bit far fetched for this issue.

Amy, Sophia and Isabella

I would definitely get a second opinion. At her age surgery is a little bit far fetched for this issue.

Amy, Sophia and Isabella

I would agree, that a second opinion would certainly not hurt. I have dealt with a patella issue in the past and over time my dog was able to deal with it just fine without surgery. I dont think surgery is something that you need to rush into. I would rest the dog and not let her to a lot of running, jumping etc. I have used Previcox in the past with excellent results, but it is not something you want to keep the dog on for a long period of time. The same goes for any anti inflammatory drug. I think with any surgery recommendation it is always a good idea to get a second opinion before you make a decision. Make sure that the vets that you are going to are bulldog vets, meaning they see a lot of bulldogs in their practice, more then just a couple here and there.
A 6 month old is going through a lot of growing and with that said I would not rush into anything before you have all of the facts.

I would agree, that a second opinion would certainly not hurt. I have dealt with a patella issue in the past and over time my dog was able to deal with it just fine without surgery. I dont think surgery is something that you need to rush into. I would rest the dog and not let her to a lot of running, jumping etc. I have used Previcox in the past with excellent results, but it is not something you want to keep the dog on for a long period of time. The same goes for any anti inflammatory drug. I think with any surgery recommendation it is always a good idea to get a second opinion before you make a decision. Make sure that the vets that you are going to are bulldog vets, meaning they see a lot of bulldogs in their practice, more then just a couple here and there.
A 6 month old is going through a lot of growing and with that said I would not rush into anything before you have all of the facts.