I have just got back from vets to have Roxy and pups checked over. The vet noticed that one of the pups back leg was floppy. It also seems to have lost a bit of weight. I am monitoring the weight and have now painted each ones toe a different colour as they are all so alike. He thinks it probably happened getting him out of the womb. He has told me to monitor him for the next few days and he will have another look when he takes Roxy's stitches out. Has anybody ever experienced this before as I am really worried about the long term implications it could have for this pup. It looks to me like its dislocated at the knee to me as there is a large lump at the knee cap. The leg is very floppy from the knee down and the pup does not use it at all. I feel guilty for not noticing this sooner but I have not really had much chance to handle them all properly except to quickly weigh them as she is very possesive of them and I am worried about her disowning them.

Hi sorry to hear about the pups leg. My little dog is 10 months old and one of her litter mates had problems with one of her legs. She wouldn't use it at all for quite a while and even when the pups were ready to go to their new homes this particular pup was still limping. The vet thought maybe it was how the pup had been lying in the uterus. After a few weeks she recovered and was running about with her mum and dad. Hope your little one does as well. Best Wishes
Jane

I also feed my girl in the whelping box, but she will come out when she needs the toilet.  Also, do soak the food as she could end up with a sore tongue from cleaning up after the pups.  If her tongue gets sore, she will not feel like eating her dry food.

HI

sorry to hear about the pups leg.

Cant offer any advice without seeing it but I will say puppies heal very quickly. It may have been discolated during birth, it is a traumatic time if so hopefully it will be ok again and may be swollen.

Dont worry about handling them she wont disown them if you do. She may become stressed and best to avoid that. She will ease up after a couple of days. It is as new and strange to her as it is you and she has the added joy of a body full of raging hormones:rolleyes:

I was thinking about you last night as my bitch who is due next week was standing looking into space same as you described with Roxy. She just could not get comfortable and woke me up during the night for some company.

Take care

Wendy

I have just got back from the vets and have had to have the one with the bad leg pts. I am very sad but think it was the right thing to do. The vet thought that it was probably deformed as the foot was much smaller than the other one. He said that it would probably have to be amputated later and as the pup was not sucking and was not gaining weight it probably had other problems too. I think I done the right thing but it doesnt make it any easier. It was a very week pup and I would have found it harder to do it later. I would like to thank everybody for their supportover the last few days. It has certainly been a rollercoaster of emotions. So anybody out there thinking of breeding it is certainly not what one expects and full of heartache and sorrow.

I am so sorry Lottie that you had to have it put to sleep, but it was the right thing to do. Now enjoy all the other puppies & hopefully all will go well from now on.

Diane

I'm so sorry to hear about the pup.  You are so right about the emotions, these people that thing they can breed for money do not have a clue about whats involved, its like you are losing part of you.  However, chin up, still a lot of hard work ahead.  Wait until they are all up and running, thats when you begin with the hair loss.  Also as long as Roxy is doing fine then you will get through it.
Good luck.
Alison

Hi lottielou,

Sorry to hear about your littleone.

A friend of mine had a litter of DDB pups 2 years ago and one had a problem with his leg as yours did.He was hand fed as mum pushed him away (she must have known), he was a poor suckler and was losing weight.It was all in vain though as he died suddenly at 3 weeks.My friend didn't have a postmortem done as vet said it was probably in connection with the deformity in his leg as they usually have underlying problems which may not become apparent for some time.So having him/her PTS is for the best and will save you from the heartache you would have suffered  if he had lived for a couple of weeks.My friend was devestated as they used to take him everywhere with them and were going to keep him anyway.
Goodluck with the rest of your new family.

You certainly are having an emotional time.  Am I right in remembering that Roxy is a docked breed?  If so, you must be getting near that time too?

Yes Roxy is a docked breed. My partner took them all out on sunday to have them checked it was then the bad leg was noticed. They are all very happy and thriving now and I actually feel a bit more relaxed about them now knowing they can all fight their corner. Now starting to enjoy them.

So sorry to hear about your pup.  You know in your heart of hearts that this pup was struggling so you can be comforted that you did your best for him and made the right decision for him. Roxy and her pups are lucky to have such a good "mum" not all dogs are as lucky. I hope now that things go well for you after such a difficult time. Best wishes and good luck
Jane

So sorry about the pup, hope the rest are still doing well. :-)

I think you did the right thing,don't be to hard on yourself,just try to relax and enjoy your pups.
Years ago my mum had a litter of Lab pups and half the litter was born with deformaties and some were still born it was terrible.I still remember the car ride to the vets and I was just a kid,mum never told me they would need to be pts but I just knew we wouldnt be walknig out of the vets with our beautiful little ones and it broke my heart.
Our nasty old neighbour had wacked her with his cane in the belly when she was pregnant and the vet figured that was what caused those type of deformaties,she had two beautiful litters after that.
Best wishes to you and your new family.