The vet tore apart my dog! - Page 1

Every so often Zach would yalp when playing (jumping mostly).  (He'll be 11 months on 5/7/09 & he's 90 lbs) I wasn't sure if it was excitement or pain.  He just started doing this w/in the last couple of weeks.  So I went to the vet on Saturday to have him checked out and when she was examining him she ripped him apart.  

Is he pure bred?

He's awful "leggy" for a shepherd

Why is his tail curled (it's straight when he's not excited)

His muscles in the front & back are under developed

His back looks good, maybe he's just poorly put together

She also told me that he may be yalping b/c there is the possibility that he has hip displaysia.  NOT what I wanted to hear!  She told me to limit his activity and give him ASA twice a day. 

So all of you experts out there, what types/angles of pictures do you need so that I can get your opinions? (I'm asking b/c I've seen waaay to many pics posted on here that people say they can't tell b/c the pics are the wrong angle etc)

I'm broken hearted.....  :o(

get down to his level and take a perfect side shot.  takes 3 people, someone working the camera, someone holding the dog, and someone in front of the dog with a toy or something to get his attention and ears up.

some vets just don't have a clue what a gsd should look like.  and I wouldn't worry about her saying under developed, he's just 11 months old

Most vets don't know squat about GSD's.
Come to think of it, most GSD owners don't know much about them either. LOL

I wouldn't lose any sleep over what a vet thought about my dogs as long as they are in good health.

Don't worry too much about it. In Germany I had the vet tell me my pup had a heart murmur. Come to find out, she bred GSD's and was pissed I didn't buy from her. The vet in the states never picked up a heart murmur.

Now why would you be broken-hearted?  If he's on the leggy side and has a curly tail, SO WHAT?

One of mine (a rescue) looks like a Greyhoud wearing a Shepherd suit.  He is leggy, and when I got him his muscles most certainly were under-developed.  It was the truth.  Unfortunately, some doctors (human and canine) just aren't tactful.

"She also told me that he may be yalping b/c there is the possibility that he has hip displaysia.  NOT what I wanted to hear!"

Are you saying you'd rather your vet only told you what you DID want to hear?!?!?  Don't over-react: she said HD is a POSSIBILITY and honestly, it is just that - a POSSIBILITY.  So are other things possibilities.  My vet loves my GSDs.  I was in there to get them rabies shots a few months ago and there happened to be several other GSDs in the waiting room.  I asked her if she saw a lot of them and she said, oh, yes, they're one of the most popular AKC breeds around and yes, she sees dog after dog after dog with bad hips, so I know that's one of the reasons vets tend to suggest HD with German Shepherds.  (Sigh).  They are NO. 3 in popularity - that is a LOT of un-checked hips breeding out there.  NOT saying yours is, Naellik, but just saying it's sadly almost the norm to a lot of vets.

Most vets don't know squat about GSD's.
Come to think of it, most GSD owners don't know much about them either. LOL

omygosh, Shelley, too funny! (and too true!!)

I'd find another vet. You were there to get help/advice, not to have her critique your dog in such a negative way.  That's not part of her job description. There are a number of reasons why your dog might be uncomfortable, and without an X-ray or something other than a guess that it might be HD to back up her diagnosis, you can't be sure what it is. My suggestion is that you seek out another opinion from another doctor - perhaps a friend could recommend someone who has some better people skills.... I am sorry you were hurt - you love your dog and were trying to do the best you can for him. Having said that, 90 lbs for an 11 month old is pretty big. Are you still feeding puppy food? If so, stop immediately and switch to an adult formula. He may be growing too fast....... 

First step is to take your emotional reaction out of it (even if it was crappy to hear.) It's quite possible that the vet was either not informed enough about the breed or looking to make a little extra cash by treating your dog for a condition it does not have (it happens). Or there might be some truth to it (reasons for your dog yelping.)

If you are uncomfortable about this vet's bedside manner, and you just want to play it safe for your dog's sake, get a second opinion.

Having a vet you trust and have a good rapport with is as important as having a good doctor or mechanic. Shop around. You pay THEM, not the other way around. If you have to, vote with your feet and go somewhere else.

Good luck with your dog!

You guys are great...my spirits have been lifted.   Thanks for the letting me know that my vet may very well be may be full of crap.  I thought she could be, but hearing it from others give my thoughts a little reinforcement.  :o)

I was broken hearted not b/c of what he looks like, I love him to pieces regardless - I just want to know if my vet is indeed full of crap when it comes to the structure of the GSD.  I'm broken hearted at the possibility of HD.  I don't want  "my baby" to be in pain.  She definately wasn't tactful in any way shape or form.  Now I'm trying to rack my brain around the whole possibility of HD.  Although I was thinking,  he did deside to do some "stair gymnastics" a couple weeks ago & landed funny.  So maybe that's the cause of his pain?  Stinkin puppies with too much damn energy - excited to go for a walk!  LOL

Kinolog gave a lot of good points.  The only thing I'd say is that this vet certainly did NOT seem to want to "make a little extra cash by treating your dog for a condition it does not have."  Don't think the vet made a ton of money by prescribing "limit his activity"!!!  So I think that comment more than a little unfair.