More hip xrays- 11 week old pup - Page 1

Keep in mind this is an 11 week old pup. (Whom would not keep still but did not want to sedate)

This pup was brought to me for temperment evaluation for sport. She is a nice pup but had a funny walk. I sugested she xray and this is what where looking at.

What do you think the future holds for this pup???? (American lines, bought for pet, will be spayed no matter what)

JoAnn

That's a terribly positioned Xray

~Cate

you can see clearly all the growth plates are still wide open, I'm surprised the hips are seated as deeply as they are, usually they look dislocated at 11 weeks old - her hips should be fine.

molly

one side doesnt look too good....but she is just too young to call...i think....swim her

Thank you Molly & Yellorose.

I am loosing sleep over this one...

this Pup was bought at PETLAND and I feared the worst when I saw the funny walk. The buyers had already noticed a weak hind end and had consulted 3 vets. One of the vets suggested bad knees, one suggested week muscles, and the 3rd said the pup is fine. But none had taken an x-ray.

I saw something odd in the way it walks and runs-(right side of dog seems weak) and sent her to a vet for x-rays- at least she would know what she was up against.

This vet said bad hips, would be OK for 5 years at most but would have problems later.

The Family is torn apart with this news.

I am torn apart with the fact that it is a pet store puppy- Wish things could have been different but it is what it is-

I SEE A PUPPY THAT CAN LIVE A FULL LIFE AS A HAPPY PET. These are not the best hips but I dont think they are life ending hips either. Like I said- they wanted a companion. knees look OK to me too. What do you think? JoAnn

A young pup of this age should not be radiographed for hip status.  The earliest OFA will do a prelim is 4 months.  The pup's joints are mostly cartilage at this age.  This has caused nothing but unnecessary worry and however much the radiographs costs to find out NOTHING.  I'm quite surprised the vet didn't know better?

Puppies have irregularities in gait.  Someone is ALWAYS stepping on a pup and they can have limping on one side or another.  Regardless of where the pup came from xrays at 11 weeks = silly waste of time.

where these vets board certif radiologists? they would not be be doing hips at 11 weeks to give a thumbs up or thumbs down.  Anything can cause funny gaits for puppies, example growth spirts.  Let the puppy be a puppy, playing, swimming, I love swimming for young dogs, builds muscle, less stress on young joints, helps me keep my weight down =).  Just have fun with their puppy.

Puppies are CLUMSY for a very long time, and it is surprising that they ever learn to walk with a smooth motion. In my opinion, the hips look fine at this age-the sockets are there! That is about all that I can say about it. No one can make any prediction at this time, but suffice it to say that the hip sockets are present, so that is a definite plus.

The O.F.A. will make a preliminary evaluation at four (4) months of age, but it's predictability is of course not 100% accurate-they will tell you that themselves. For now, I would accept that the puppy is clumsy and might have a sprain before I looked at anything like the hips. The puppy needs to be raised with care-just like any other puppy. I think this will pass.

Regards,

Bob-O

I'm not intentionally knocking the American Lines but, in my experience, the American Line puppies tend to have the most awkward movement. 

We have a lady at work that purchased one a few months back.  She brings him in for pet therapy days for the residents.  Anyway, his movement is so awkward and clumsy that he looks to trip over his own feet.  People that know nothing of German Shepherds are always asking what is wrong with him; is he crippled?

Just a thought.

Agree 100% with gsdfanatic. My first GSD came from a breeder of mostly Amlines.  I bred and showed a different breed and the first time I saw a litter of 4 month old Am line puppies I about died. They were  weak, cowhocked and walking on their hocks. The breeder said he selected for rears like that on his puppies as they will mature with the angulation he wants. He should know, he has bred a lot of AM champions (that have OFA clearances). Freaking out over weak rears on Am lines is like thinking an imported puppy with a roach is deformed.

I don't see anything at all wrong with this puppy's hips. First off the xray is not positioned correctly and the dog is way too young for any vet to tell these owners their dog is a candidate for a short life.  That's cruel and incompetent and I'd be looking for a new vet.  He/she must hve slept through radiology class. The next thing will be surgery, step 2 for a GSD. Haven't you ever noticed that most vets assume every GSD they see has bad hips? Tell the owners to relax and enjoy their puppy. If they are still concerned about her gait, they can have her done again when she's 12 months old. Not all pet shop GSD's have bad hips.

IMO this puppy has as good a chance at a long healthy life as one bought from a big player GSD breeder. Maybe a better chance to be frank. I'd not over-exercise any dog this age and would allow her to set her own pace.  Life ending hips? No way.