Hi i everyone, I bought a rottweiler in August of 2009, She has been great or so i thought.
At the age of 5 months old she had intermittened limping in all legs, Vet said this is just growing pains and will pass, Sure enough it has stopped well in the front legs anyway.
She has been back to the vets today as her hind legs are straight and she is limping, Vet checked her over hips and knee's are fine, then he checked her Hocks he said both are deformed and swollen her left is worse. This has caused over/hyper extention in both legs, She is now suffering lameness, pain.

He has put her on Carprofen twice a day for 2 weeks.
He then wants to see her again, His opinion is that things are not looking good at the moment,
He is praying that its just sprained and the meds will sort this out, but if not then he is going to do x-rays to make sure nothing else is going on.
He said the problem with her hocks can not be repaired and as she gets older and bigger the pain will get worse.
His recommendation is that if things don't improve that the kindest thing to do is have her put to sleep But he is hoping it won't come to that.
Has anyone had this problem or surgery to correct this problem,

I am angry and upset at the moment as i have spoke to the breeder and he said get a second opinion as the rest of the litter is normal and healthy. Yet he has bred the same bitch back to back, so Kiera came from one litter and now she is nursing another litter.

It has caused lameness, Pain, over extention which has resulted in her straight legs instead of being angulated.
The thought of having my baby put to sleep is making me feel really sick.

I'm so sorry for you and your dog. I would just say dont panic just yet. Give her time on the meds and rest and ask your vet for a referral to an orthopedic specialist if the xrays etc are required. Do you have her insured? I know its not the same but when my gsd was ten weeks old, his walk was appalling. His back legs were all over the place. Xrays at the vets showed hip dysplasia. I was distraught. Even though I only had him 2 weeks, he was my baby. He used to sit on his bed looking up with the big brown eyes. It was desperate. Anyway, the vet said I should consider putting him to sleep etc. I said I'd like a second opinion so they referred me to a specialist vet. He examined the pup and xrays and told me it was more likely to be a laxity in the joints which is apparently common enough. He gave me an exercise plan, diet plan and off we went. It was hard work but now 2 years later, I have a beautiful strong german shepherd with perfect hips. But I shed so many tears over him as a pup!! So all I can say is dont get upset yet. Keep strong for your girl and dont give up yet.

Obviously no living creature can be guaranteed to be born healthy, or to continue to be so.

Good breeders do their utmost to load the dice in favour of this happening but their choice of health breeding stock and doing all the appropriate health tests.  If yoru pusp problems coudl not be forseen, or apparent when sold then the breeder cannot really be held responsible, sad as it is for your pup.

I would assume both parents are hip scored for example.  I know of no control scheme for hocks, or whether problems with hocks are likely to be inherited, but certainly if both parents have been winning/placing at shows then they are likely to be sound so the breeder would have no reason to expect problems in the puppies.

I do worry about the ethics of a breeder breeding on successive seasons, if that is what you mean, as it is usual to leave a season between or more before having another litter, not only for the bitch to recover fully from the strain of rearing pups, but to be able to assess the preceding litter as to quality, thereby giving the breeder an idea of the most suitable mate for another litter based on what she produced, maybe a dog from the same breeding lien if the litter were outstanding, or try a different combination line next time.

Most reputable breeders would only mate on a following season if there was just say 1 or two pups in the previous litter in a breed normally having large litters, and then only if there was some pressing reason to do so (age of bitch or sire, future availability of stud).

Did you find yoru breeder via one of the breed clubs?

> He is praying that its just sprained and the meds will sort this out, but if not then he is going to do x-rays to make sure nothing else is going on.
> He said the problem with her hocks can not be repaired and as she gets older and bigger the pain will get worse.

I have no personal experience with of a dog with this problem, but know of a mastiff that had OCD of the hock (treated via surgery) and also had a deformatiy that cause the legs to remain straight.

I find it quite amazing that he has not mentioned OCD, (especially as Rotties are one of the breeds that OCD of the hock is common in). This will result in inflamation and pain of the joint and can be a completely different thing to the actual hyperextension. OCD may require surgery to remove the loose bits of bone/cartalidge.

I aslo am quite amazed that a vet can tell wheather the hyperextension of the hock is due to an actual skeletal deformaty and not slack ligaments, without doing any xrays, especially being that the joints are inflamed, which in itself will effect the movement of the joint.

Hyperextension of the hock as deformatity should only pose pain from arthritic changes, so would require the same management as any arthritic dog - PTS is only the way to go when nothing can control the pain or movement is effected to the point of effecting the dogs quality of life. The level of arthritic changes (if any are there) can be determinded by xray. It is possible to fuse the hock, (common after RTA injuries) if it can not be operated on.

Please don't feel hopeless, seek the opinion of an orthapedic specialist.

Buster had several growth problems as a pup, he was almost completely down on his pasterns, the vet said it would need opperating on as it was a deformity. The specialist or the breeder didn't agree. A change in diet (off puppy food, onto adult food), a careful' exercise programme, weight management and supplements of Glucosamine, have all worked wonders. At 5 months old Buster could barley walk 4 yards, at nearly 3 years old he can run faster than me and actuall enjoys pulling me up steep hills.

Buster also walked so poorly that the vet was sure he had HD, xrays & the specialist told a different story -his hips were fine.

So pretty much i have the same story as Katy H, joint laxity (from over-growth in the ligaments) causing an array of mobility problems, that were all sorted with time & management. And a specialist that gave a different outlook than the vet!

Well just an update, Kiera has been on the Carprofen since monday and she is not limping so much, I know this is not going to fix her Hyper extention of her hock, I am hoping when she goes back on the 8th march and has x-rays that they find something that can be repaired and sort her legs out.

She is on strict rest, goes out in the yard alone only to do her business then she is back in, has something to eat and goes in her crate as much as i hate putting her in it, I will do anything i can to help her.

She takes the medication with no problems its straight in the mouth and swollowed whole, Mind you i think its because she is getting chicken or ham after she has taken it hahah.

She seems so much better in herself as she does not seem as stiff, Now when she has been asleep and gets up she does not limp or struggle like before.

I have reduced her food a little to try and get her abit leaner like i say i will do anything, I went out and bought her some raw and cooked tripe today and she refused point blank to eat it, Even my elderly dog turned her nose up at it, so i am not gonna force her to eat it.

She is on Glucosamine liquid which she loves probably because it tastes of orange and she loves oranges that said she loves all fruit.

I have been researching about OCD, Hip Dysplasia, Crutiate ligament ruptures everything...

I just thought i would let you know how she is getting on since you have all been very helpful.

Me & Kiera thank you all :)

> She seems so much better in herself as she does not seem as stiff, Now when she has been asleep and gets up she does not limp or struggle like before.

Great news :)

I hope she continues to improve, it's fantastic that she doesn't even limp after wakeing up :)

Fingers crossed for you.
xx

Hi everyone just an update, Kiera has had x-rays and her hips and knees are normal and it has confirmed that the hock has extention, he said that it can not be repaired and she is not showing any pain when he bends and flexes her hocks unlike when he first saw her there was slight pain as she tried to nibble his hand, The swelling she had in them has gone down and he is pleased with that.

He has put her back on the Carprofen for another month to see how she goes, He said she is moving a lot better then she was when first took her to see him and said she still has a few months of growing.

He said its a congenitive defect and the breeder would not have noticed it as it only starts to show from around 4 months old and its not something many people with notice with a bouncy pup.

She is no longer limping and even though her legs are straight he says she is walking with no lameness so says that the inflammation could have been whats causing her to limp.

She can only go out on a leash and crated to stop her over doing it for the next 6 weeks, after that i can gradually build up her walks.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice

Hi, just wanted to say, I hope things go ok for her, things look a bit brighter now, I'm sure.

It might be worth contacting any of our breed clubs to see if they know of anyone who has also had this with any of their dogs, just so you've got someone to talk to who has already been through this

> She is no longer limping and even though her legs are straight he says she is walking with no lameness so says that the inflammation could have been whats causing her to limp.

Glad to hear she is doing better :) I hope the limp stays away.

> She can only go out on a leash and crated to stop her over doing it for the next 6 weeks, after that i can gradually build up her walks.

It's very tempting to push things a little too fast when building up the walks which always ends up putting things back a few steps (causes a limp, things need to be slowed donw again etc. i speak from regretfull experience :( ), so take things slowly, it's worth it in the end :)

Best of luck.

Hi everyone just an update, Kiera is not limping  but does still have perectly straight legs, Now she has developed other problems, I have noticed her vulva is red and sore which i am thinking vaginaitis, also what looks like a boil on her chin which i have cleaned, she didnt like me touching that.

I am now starting to think things are just gonna start getting worse for my little girl as she ages and deep down i know this is just not fair.

She is still her happy annoying self, she has started sitting infront of the tv when i am on the Nintendo Wii as she likes the pointer and likes to watch the characters running around hahaha, she is a very strange dog..

Just ref the boil on her chin...does this look like acne or just one big spot?

Alot of Rottie's get spotty chins and is nothing to worry about.  Clean with salt water, I have also used calendula or hypercal cream to help clear this up.

Its about 3 spots, If you touch it some pus comes out so i have got most out and cleaned them but she was not happy with me doing it.

I have noticed her vulva is red and sore which i am thinking vaginaitis, also what looks like a boil on her chin which i have cleaned, she didnt like me touching that.

Not having had a bitch so I could be barking up the wrong tree here, but could she be about to have her first season?  I would take her to the vets to get her checked out though just to rule things out.

Hi thanks for the reply, I have had bitches before and none of them ever had a red and sore vulva so i do not know if this could be the start of her 1st heat cycle you maybe right, She has no swelling and has no smell when she goes for a pee, as i know strong smelling pee is a sign of something wrong.
I think i just got a puppy with alot of problems.

From the sounds of it her chin is the usual spotty chin that many Rotts get.  I would just keep cleaning and wait for it to heal.  Vets will give you antibiotics but I have never wanted to go down that route and have always treated it myself.