Dysplasia?

[Trace]

Jake, Maddy, Tess and I were at the dog park today. We met a 10 month old lab there, and I started chatting to her Mum.

I initially thought that she was a lab mix - but her Mum told me that she was purebred, and that they had brought her from a breeder in MD and had her shipped up.

I was watching them all run after the ball together and noticed that this dog had a really funny gait. It was like her back and from legs were moving in independant motion. The back legs were really "skipping" - not at all the way that Mads or Jake run at all.

It looked really weird and I was wondering if this was a sign of bad hips?

Anyone have an opinion on this one?

[DaneGirl2208]

"The puppy with Hip Dysplasia usually starts to show signs between five and 13 months of age. These range from mild discomfort to extreme pain when using the hind limbs. This will occasionally be seen following prolonged activity or when the dog gets up or lies down. Later in life the signs become more consistent, noted daily regardless of activity levels. Adult dogs that are in severe pain will usually decrease their activity. They are unwilling to run or climb stairs and, with decreased use, the muscles of their rear legs atrophy and become weakened. A few will learn to alter their gate and posture, often showing little or no signs of discomfort even though the bone changes are severe."

By Dr. Race Foster & Dr. Marty Smith

[DaneGirl2208]

i know a few danes who have it its hard to describe the walk but it looks extremly uncomfortable....

[GretaJack]

It could be dysplasia, or a stifle issue, or a cruciate, or a patella, or just puppy growing pains.

Greta has dysplasia and she can run with the fast crowd on a good day, but then will "bunny hop" on her back end in the back yard. It is not a constant with her, so it is hard to describe

[sheplovr]

A super good vet can feel bad hips in pups as young at ten weeks old. I have had 4 month olds xrayed for HD and spayed or neutered. For $25.00 the OFA will look at the xray and rate it tentitively as every vet read these xrays differently. In very young dogs under one year best to send the xray into the OFA, experts there will let me know if its on onset of HD.

Otherwise you might call the pet that travels with HD Kangaroo legs. They cannot travel on the diaganol as should be normally. They are crossing the back legs often as some have little control of them if it is getting from moderate to severe in their hips. It is kinda pitiful to watch them travel and I can almost guarantee one I see moving it has HD. I have only received one male with HD at six months old, he was neutered and fostered out and still has a good home painfree from surgery and meds.

Poor breeders that do not do hips keep this going till now it is even in mix breeds and that is truly sad. Makes one wonder why some people call themselves Breeders doing this, too cheap to find out before breeding it on and on.

[Aria]

It could be hip Dysplasia, or could ebe something geneticly wrong. Chances are , that dog should have been taken to the vet the moment they got him/her. Just to make sure. I have the human form of hip dysplasia, and when i walk , my ips pop in and out of socket. so it sounds to me like it possibly is...

[Trace]

Thanks all for the input. I have no idea if she had problems of not - but it sure looked as if she was running funny.

I do have to say that she just looked to my like she had poor conformation all over.

I am sure they paid a bomb for her - she was shipped quite some way.....