Hip problem in young dog

[ace_spades85]

I have a 1 1/2 yr old American/English pitbull and he is showing signs l'm starting to be concerned about like getting up to walk, wont stand for long periods or to eat, and even stairs are a challenge someday's. Im not sure but is it common for a Pit to have those problems at a young age?

[Ghilly]

No, it is not normal for any dog to have these issues, I would recommend a visit to the vet to have a set of hip x-rays done.

Pit bulls and their mixes are some of the most overbred dogs there are today, and the bad part is that the people who breed them are not looking to improve the breed, they are either looking to have a litter of puppies to sell, or their unneutered or unspayed dog has either impregnated a neighborhood dog or gotten pregnant by a neighborhood dog.  Probably half of the litters produced are accidental litters that happened because the people either didn't bother or could not afford to have their dogs spayed, resulting in "oops" litters.  Even in the litters that were intentionally bred chances are extremely good that no thought was given to the health of the parent dogs' hips, so it is very likely that many of these dogs will show signs of hip dysplasia as they get older.

As I said, it's best to have your dog x-rayed by your vet so you can either confirm the hips as a problem or eliminate them as a problem and go on to test for and diagnose something else as the cause of your dog's discomfort.

Ghilly

[Margot49]

It is not really common for any dog to have those problems at a young age.  How long has this been going on?  He should be evaluated by your Vet.  It could just be a pull or strain or some spinal or hip issue.  Your Vet may want to take X-rays.  

[ace_spades85]

it started when he hit 80lbs at 1yr old. Hes all muscle from front legs up but hips and back legs are no where the size they should be