My 3 months old GSD pup has been cow hocked.. - Page 1

 HI i'm Sunny from Kolkata, India,
                    I think my 3month old female GSD Lyca is cow hocked. She stays in the family room only with the other family members. The flooring is of well-polished marble & she often skids on it. I've tried laying a mat on the floor but she keeps pulling it up & piling it at the side of the room. Her heels almost touch when she walks. She sleeps with her legs wide spread just like a rabbit which has become her habit. Somebody told me that if this goes on she won't be able to walk. She just had her 2nd vaccine today & will be out in the field within  a week. I reduced the amount of food she eats. She's currently on a local calcium syrup & antacids. This is my first dog so please help me to solve this problem. What can i do to bring her legs back in its normal structure? And if its not possible what can be its consequences? Can she develop Hip Dyspalsia  later in her life due to this? Will there be any problem with mating? What shall be my immediate action? Can i tie her to a leash?I'm really tensed & under a lot pressure due to this. Please help me out.
                                                 I have attached photos of her sleeping posture..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35809046@N07/4615627025/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35809046@N07/4616241344/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35809046@N07/4616240786/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35809046@N07/4615625335/

Why is she on a calcium supplement?  My understanding is that too much calcium is detrimental to young large breed dogs. 

Hi Sunny welcome!

I have never seen a pup with easty westy back feet like hers, nor a pup that sleeps with her legs out the side like that.  I'm interested in what others will say. 

I hope someone has seen this before and that her back end  will strengthen as she gets older.

I wish you all the best with your pup.   

Sunny,

Where did you get this pup from ? Is she from a quality breeding ?  Did you talk to the breeder ? Ask him/her if he found this kind of issue with any other pups from his breeding. What's the dose of Calcium and other supplements that you are giving to her ? Do you recall any fall/injury even a small incident ? Did you take her to the vet and if so what did the vet say ?

Are you trying to excercise her a lot ? You have to wait atleast till 10 months to start on excercising her. Dont take her running beside your bike/bicycle etc.

I have seen dogs from back yard breeding (no available pedigree or papers) had such problem. Even I have seen a couple of GSD mix having this kind of problem. And they were like that for life. Many people think that its the way they are comfortable and so wouldnt bother.

Commonly this kind of laying down or sleeping pattern is seen in smaller breeds like pomeranian etc

Better get it checked out soon.

Being cow hocked does not necessarily mean that she will have hip dysplasia, but I would not consider using her for breeding, personally. If you purchased her with that intent (breeding or showing) and the breeder was aware of that, maybe you should speak with them about her posture because it is definitely not correct for a breeding female.
Slipping and sliding on the floor is not going to help her and may cause her an injury, so I would recommend moving her to more stable ground. Good Luck
Stacy

It looks like more than just cow hocked.  I have seen cowhocked puppies grow up fine, but I've never seen the feet point out to the sides on the back like that, more often  on the front. 

And alot of puppies do lay on their tummies, but usually the feet head out the back, not to the sides like this one.  Maybe she is double jointed, I don't know, but I would get her checked.  

What did the parents conformation look like? 

Hi after looking at her photos I wonder if her hips are even in the sockets. I think I would get a set of X rays for sure. Good luck

Sunny, it might be best to just take it back to the breeder instead of spending lots of money on x-rays.  Not normal IMHO.  Hopefully more will weigh in here.

I have never seen a GSD lay down like that.  My sister's Border Collie lays down like that, even on her back at times and my friend's Shiba Inu does the same. I had a GSD pup with hip dysplasia and the vet said the opposite is true of pups with hip displasia- their legs will not spread as wide as a pup with healthy hips. Having said all of that, when your dog is standing her back legs  just don't look normal.  I definitely would address this to find out what is going on. Definitely don't breed her.