Sick Sammy

5500

Hi Guys
I bought a samoyed pup 3 months ago and he's now 5 months old.I've noticed the past week or so that he seems to be limping to a degree but more so his hind legs are dragging abit or seem to be wonky looking for want of a better word.

He doesnt seem to be in any apparent pain but after walking for a few minutes he'l just lay down and wont budge,then when he stands back up its like he can hardly walk for a minute

Anyways I brought him to the vet yesterday and him gave me anti inflamitorys to give to him for a week but he said he'l probably need an xray and its possible that its early Hip Dysplasia.

Im basically wondering what are the complications of this in a dog so young?I really wouldnt like to keep the dog thinking he would be in constant pain or crippled even.

He's IKC regged so im wondering if it turns out to be hip dysplasia should i contact the breeder or what to do?

Thanks in advance

TheB

Hi

So sorry to hear about your poor Samoyed.. so young.. I hope it turns out to be something less serious..and the Anti-Inflammatories are helpful..

X-Rays etc are wise to either rule out or diagnose any hip problem. I would speak to your vet about long term implications after you know what you are dealing with. I wouldn't go reading worst case scenario reports etc on the interweb and frightening yourself (I am bad for doing just that!) - as a little knowledge can be very dangerous! Wait for the facts..

I take it you bought the dog from a breeder ? Did you have proof of parents with satisfactory hip-scores ? (as there is a genetic link) .. sadly it's no guarantee that if the Parents have good scores that it won't be a problem but it substantially reduces the risk. Bad/good parental scores may shed some light on your pups problem.

I personally would contact the breeder to alert them of the problem.. a responsible breeder would want to know - perhaps so they know that a particular line cross can be a problem, or so that they can alert others who have dogs from the same litter to be vigilant in case of more puppies being affected. Unfortunately not all breeders are that concientious - you may get a "so what - it's your problem now" response. The only way to find out is to call.

If it's a monetary issue.. there are cases of small claims being made for veterinary treatment / purchase costs etc against breeders who have deliberately bred from dogs with poor hip scores resulting in badly affected puppies. Again - it's rare for a purchaser to win a case like this as courts view as Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) i.e it's your responsibility when choosing and buying. The cases that were won were where the animal was proved "not fit for purpose" and were relating to working dogs such as Labs.

Good luck

Bx

macshadow

X-RAYS for hip score shouldn't be done before your dog is 12 months old and then to find a vet who can do them properly.
Has your dog been running fast,like running beside you if you cycle or jog?
or jumping down from or up on a bid height?
It might help adding liquid glucosamine to his diet.

Schlemm

Although hip dysplasia is common in Samoyeds, another possibility is a neurological problem. Some neuro conditions can often look like hip dysplasia too. Did the vet do a neuro exam at all?

5500

Bit of an update,got intouch with the breeder today who said she had never been asked for hipscore on a samoyed before so never had one done and has never had any problems with them.She said she had it done once on a german sheppared and offered to have a vet check out one of the parents and have the same said form filled in.

I didnt have him out running fast or the likes just normal walks,one thing ive always noticed is that he doesnt really jump or make an attempt at it.Eg he wont try and jump up onto or off of a small chair for instance.

I dont think he did a neuro exam,but my knowledge is limited here so im unsure what it would have involved.

Schlemm

A neuro exam would involve assesment of how the dog walks, in a straight line, going up and down steps, putting its paws on the side of a table, checking cranial nerves (eyes, etc.)

Is his reluctance to jump a recent thing? Does he ever yelp if he tries to get up on something?

Do you notice any changes in swallowing, drooling, misalignment of the eyes?

Are the changes brought on during excercise or walking, or does it just come and go for no reason?

And does it look like weakness or more of a spasm type reaction?

TheB

Reading about the neuro probs suggested above.. had sudden thought.. you said his legs drag a little.. have you noticed any curling of the toes ?

Neuro sign for some condition is dragging a leg and toes curling under without the dog seemingly noticing (our GSD had this problem).. again however.. as posters above mentioned I would suggest vet does a Neurological check -

Also .. Samms do get hip dysplasia. Reasonably common - at least in the UK is well known as a breed that suffers from it.

Jx

5500

Schlemm wrote: »

A neuro exam would involve assesment of how the dog walks, in a straight line, going up and down steps, putting its paws on the side of a table, checking cranial nerves (eyes, etc.)

Is his reluctance to jump a recent thing? Does he ever yelp if he tries to get up on something?

Do you notice any changes in swallowing, drooling, misalignment of the eyes?

Are the changes brought on during excercise or walking, or does it just come and go for no reason?

And does it look like weakness or more of a spasm type reaction?

He checked how he walked up and down steps and up a short stretch of path,he more seemed to focus on how i can only describe as pulling at his rear legs kind of backwards and upwards,he yelped whenever it was done on his left hand side.

He said his back paws seemed to be pointing slightly inwards too.

I would say it appears more of a weakness and more apparent when he's taken for a walk as opposed to him just rambling around the house or back garden,the only time i could say it seems in the form of a spasm would be when he immediatly stands up after a sleep.

He seems very reluctant to go onto to his hind legs if you hold something above him,or if your sitting down he wants you to pick him up before he'l ever try jump up with just two paws onto you.

Its like he does a kind of waddle but cant jump.

I'll observe his eyes or look out for drooling and see if he's curling his paws too,fingers crossed im being over paronoid about it as i really dont want him to be in pain from such a young age

Schlemm

Hip dysplasia can be seen in dogs as young as yours, but it's rare - the age he's at now is often when some neurological problems can become apparent. Hard to tell really but wait and see how the x-rays come out.

macshadow

A shot in the dark but could it be a reaction to a recent vaccine.

5500

Ive been observing him the past few days and he seems to have a progressing waddle at the minute,worse than he was.The best way to discribe it now is he looks bow legged,as if he's walking with both hind paws facing inwards.

In saying that my friends samoyed also has a waddle to his walk (he's 3) but his feet dont seem to point towards each other like mine.

He hasnt been out for a walk or anything bar last night i took him to the end of the block and as i was coming back he decided he wasnt walking anymore.

hadook

Loki (my collie) has auto immune arthritis that presented similiar to what you're describing.

He was initially diagnosed with mild arthritis at 6 months but his xrays were mostly ok so the vet said to leave it and monitor his progress/treat as needed. He has more tests done over the summer and we recently got the results of the bloodwork that determined the exact type of arthritis he has. His joints are fairly badly fused on xray now aged 3.