Took Starsky to the vet the other day [after snoop its like my second home]
Anyhow the vet nurse was making a big fuss of him and looked up and said he's flat footed?
Now I have always though he walked a bit funny- like he's pooed his pants kind of way?  but now its been mentioned you can really notice it.

How would a dog become flat footed? was he born with this condition?  would it be his lack of exercise.. anyone out there heard of this before and more importantly could it mean he has the beginnings of trouble with his back legs? I have not got him insured yet but will straight away if something medical is wrong with his back end?

My old boy has suddenly gone a bit flat footed bless him!  He can still move brilliantly though!

Hes likely to be born that way. It wont greatly affect him. All dogs vary on foot padding like humans differ in how much of an arch they have in their feet.

Bear in mind that any insurance you take out will not cover pre-existing conditions - they have to be stated at the time of insuring and get excluded from the cover. :-)

Flat feet - just depends what they're born with usually. Different breeds have different feet shapes anyway - compare sighthounds built for speed over short distance with gundogs built for endurance - gundogs have more round cat type feet and the sighthounds have flatter hare feet.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/feet.html

Have a look at Different Feet For Different Dogs. :-)

> Bear in mind that any insurance you take out will not cover pre-existing conditions - they have to be stated at the time of insuring and get excluded from the cover. :-)
>

So if I did contact the insurance people would I have to tell them he is flat footed?
He hasn't had any trouble health wise as far as I know- it was the first time he went to the vet last week [apart from when he was neutered at 5 months] due to a sore he was nibbling at on his front leg, which I have cream for and he has stopped licking it as much and is healing up.

It was just that you said "I have not got him insured but will do straight away if something medical is wrong with his back end" - if something medical is wrong with it they would need to know and would exclude it from cover. If he is just flat footed but doesn't have problems then no they wouldn't need to know - it's illnesses, injuries etc you have to declare as far as I am aware (and I am not an insurance expert btw!).

I would guess that anything your vet has diagnosed before you set a policy into action and another noted problems (by a vet previousley) will be excluded from cover.  For instance you vet would have to disclose that on this particular visit it was noticed your dog had flat feet - whether that is an illness or not I dont know.  I have seen flat feet on a GSD who had very overgrown nails but that is not to say this is anything to do with your dogs condition.

Having a word with the vet will put your mind at rest, ask what has been noted down on the dogs record.

We have sighthounds and Hare feet(flat feet) are a  fault one of my girls is slightly flat footed but doesnt deter her in any way and she moves beautifully the sighthounds should have very tight well knuckled feet .not in the least bit flat.It is something they are born with if they have flat feet so i would imagine its hereditary and just old age in others.

Thanks for all your replies..

Starsky had over long nails- I did use this nail clippers on them they looked like flipping bear talons ! but was difficult to get short as the quick had grown down so long as well. Since I've had him and has been walked regularly getting him to chase a ball on tarmac so they have worn down some so maybe that is why his feet are like this...

The vet never mentioned about his feet it was the vet nurse out in reception who noticed.

From the Borzoi breed standard:

Hind feet hare-like, i.e. longer and less arched.

From the Sloughi breed standard:

Lean, elongated hare foot, fairly well arched.

That is what I was meaning willowsmum. :-) So maybe it depends on the breed of sighthound. :-)

Breeds that work in water tend to have webbed feet. Newfoundland, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Portuguese Water Dog, Field Spaniel, and German Wirehaired Pointer are among the breeds with webbed feet.

Copied this from the link :) ....our 2 staffords have webbing between their feet..... so is it a really obvious difference for these water going breeds and their webbing on their paws compared to other breeds?
As all dogs have some webbing between the toes dont they?

Mitzy has 2 longer middle toes then outer ones like it describes on the hare foot (Turbo has the normal cat foot, nice and tight toes too) Mitzy is a stafford and looks exactly like one but is a little taller and leaner with a smaller head, much more more fit and agile tho, much more.... but then she isnt a pedigree or anything so who knows where her toes have come from bless her lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X79931idPZ8

At about 1:30 on this video there is a brief shot showing the webbing between the feet. :-)

Just been out for a great walk and for the first time Starsky swam ! his sister tinker loves to swim but he's never gone in deep- when he realised what great fun it was he was well away and wouldn't come out... so must be that half labrador coming out in him ! :-)