Oscar's hippy hips

Every once in a while, we've all noticed that Oscar drags his back right leg during walks. Sometimes, especially when it's cold outside and he's tired, he refuses to walk and sits down on the sidewalk, middle of the street, or in the bushes (Look mom, I'm a tree!). My biggest worry was that he may have hip dysplasia which is common in breeds like American Bulldogs.

With the suggestion of our trainer and dog walkers, we decided to have Oscar checked out by his favorite vet, Dr. Wilkerson at Mt Airy Vet. We decided to wait on xrays until the doc suggested it...

So off we went to the vets office. Well first, we had to have Oscar try out the new ramp to climb into the back of the SUV.

That took a while. Chris was getting frustrated and said, "Christina, I swear, if we wasted $120 on this stupid ramp that Oscar won't use..." and almost on cue, Oscar ran up the ramp and sat down inside the SUV. Ha!

We drove to the office, then we tried to get Oscar out of the car via Ramp. A few minutes later, Oscar was getting showered with love and kisses by the staff at the vets office. Oh, he's such a stud there!

There was another big dog in the waiting room, and a german shepherd came out later from his appointment, and they both greeted each other nicely. I think the german shepherd wanted to play because he gave Oscar a great big play bow. Well... it's the doctor's office, not a playground. So Oscar went back to focusing on us for treats.

We went into the exam room, and his favorite blond nurse initiated the new staff nurse by introducing Oscar to her along with his drool, which ended up all over her crotch. What a mean joke! But Oscar didn't mind. He loves the attention there.

We first ruled out Lyme Disease, then talked to the doc about Glyco Flex pills and trimming down Oscar's weight even more. He's also fit, but he suggested we get him almost skinny, which will help his joints.

Great news is that the doctor didn't think an xray would be necessary at his point. He was able to flex Oscar's back legs, and he wasn't in pain. We will bring him in if Oscar starts to limp most of the time and if he has a more difficult time getting up after a long nap. But with the weight management and pills, he thinks Oscar will be find. Let's hope so!