hip worries

[nitesky66]

Hi there,

I've had a couple of strange things happen and I really need some advice.
Last week, I was playing with my 7 month old pup, Lolly, and she jumped up
and I held onto her front paws. All of a sudden her back legs started trembling
so I put her down and she started making what I can only describe as a kind of "humping" motion. (Sorry to be so crude, but it's the best I can do.) Anyone ever have this happen? I was worried it was a hip thing, but she shows no signs of pain and runs around like crazy with the cats and with my husband and I, and has no trouble standing or sitting. She's also a relatively small dog (under 50 lbs) and is about as big as she'll get. We've also held her up (holding her front paws with her back feet on the ground) again when she hasn't been as worked up and she's fine.
So, now that I'm completely paranoid and watching her for any signs of HD, I've noticed that her feet make small crackling noises sometimes when she goes up the stairs. It's not coming from her hips as far as I can tell, and I've even stretched out her back legs to see if I can hear any popping coming from them...and I cannot. Since our own feet make the same sounds and we're both pretty young, I'm just thinking it's a normal occurrence, and I'm just overly paranoid. Please help! I think I'm losing it. LOL

Thanks!

[BabyElephant]

What breed is she? At 7 months she is maturing - humping is something that I think all dogs do at one time or another (sometimes it's a dominance issue). My female puppy did it to cushions for a period of time (started when she was around 6 months) and that was when she got excited. It doesn't sound like a hip issue to me but if you are worried get your vet to check it out next time you're there.

[NiveK]

i doubt that it is a hip problem, i am not sure about the small breeds, but i know you can't really even check for HD until they are 2 years old, my guess is she/he just excited and got humpy , most puppies will do this male or female, as i said in a previous post, my 5 month old puppy was humping my chlorine turtle the other day when i was refilling it

[Moo]

It could just be puppy growth.

Although, when you held on to her paws, if she struggled, something could have been knocked out of joint.

[eXile]

lol Nitesky how many forums have you asked this question on?

Im with Moo. Like I said elsewhere...its probably puppy growth. Also, again...try x-rays.

[GretaJack]

It is a dominance issue. Greta will try to do the same thing to me. I shouldn't let her but it is just too funny. Greta loves to give hugs where she puts both paws on my hips. Most of the time she just wants love. Occaisonally, she thinks she is going to see if I will let her be bossy. She is 5 years old and has been spayed since she was 4 months old. She is the dominate female in the house for dogs. She still mounts my males. Just because she is female it does not mean she will not hump since it is not a sexual thing but a dominance issue. Personally, don't allow it. She is more or less trying to make y ou submit to you.

[Moo]

Wait. She isn't actually humping you, right? Just walking funny?

[GretaJack]

Originally Posted by nitesky66

Hi there,


Last week, I was playing with my 7 month old pup, Lolly, and she jumped up
and I held onto her front paws. All of a sudden her back legs started trembling
so I put her down and she started making what I can only describe as a kind of "humping" motion.

I interpert this as she is "mounting" her owner. Like I said, Greta does this. She might not be latching on, but more like air humping

[NiveK]

hahah oh god, "air humping, the sport of champions" LOL

[nitesky66]

Well, I ended up taking her into the vet last night and the diagnosis is that she may have hip dysplasia. She's not exhibiting any signs of pain yet, but the vet "pinched" her hip bones and Lolly (my dog) tucked her tail between her legs and squatted like she was in pain. The vet also noted that her legs are a little bit turned out, which is also a sign. Not to mention the slight popping noises I've been hearing when she goes up and down stairs.

Just to clarify, the incident that tipped me off to the possibilit of something being wrong was not a case of Lolly trying to "hump" my leg. It was more like her legs got wobbly and when I set her down, she started having little spasms that could only be described as a humping motion. So now I'm thinking it was pain related after all.

The good news is that she is a relatively small dog (under 50 pounds) and very lean. Our vet does not think she will have a severe case, but instead one that should be monitored and treated with some antiinflammatories and glucosamine/chondroiton. We won't know the status for sure until she's a year and they can do a radiograph.

Even though I know she'll probably be OK, it's still heartbreaking...just the thought of her experiencing any pain is horrible. I didn't get much sleep last night and even laid on the floor with her for a while. LOL

Thanks for all your feedback and encouraging words. They are much appreciated.