I have just had a litter of pups and one of the pups has very strange looking back feet which I have not seen before.
The litter was born by c-section yesterday and the pups feet at the back are floppy. When she uses them they seem to be all bendy and turn in all directions.
I showe the vet who said he thought the cause was the position she was in the uterus. He said it may correct itself as the pup grows and starts to use the feet more. The other option was to PTS there and then. Could not do that have got to give it a chance.
Otherwise it is really fit and healthy and not off the teat :-)
Someone mentioned it could be a swimmer????
Has anyone else ever experienced this and what are the chances of it being OK?

Staffie
congratulations with your new litter :)
Hope pup is ok
Best wishes
Lel

Thanks Lel

Sorry to go off thread a little - how many pups do you have ?
Lel

Hi Lel
2 boys and 3 girls. Boys both white (one with little brindle patch on ear). Girls: Black and white pieds.

I had a litter once with a newborn pup who had one of the rear feet apparently turning 'back to front' when moving around. The bones & joint felt otherwise normal.
I made a tiny splint with a plastic lolly stick cut to size & held on by surgical tape.
This stayed on for 1 week & then was removed. The pup could now crawl with the foot pointing the right direction, although it was a little weak from lack of muscle use. Gradually over the next few weeks the leg grew stronger and
by the time the pup was walking it was unnoticeable & couldn't be distinguished from the rest of the litter.
Initially I made a promise to put the puppy to sleep if there was no improvement, but felt it deserved a chance.
I'm so glad I did as it made a complete recovery.
Anything is worth a go if the pup is otherwise healthy.
Good luck,
Nicola.

If you are going to do this it must be done NOW while the bones are still soft to give the pup the best chance.

Thanks for that Tiggywig
I am off to a vet hospital tomorrow so hopefully they will do a splint of some kind. It seems to be both back legs though one is worse than the other. I could cry every time I see her but it does not seem to be hurting her in any way. Maybe if it were anything serious mom would have pushed her away by instinct but she is fine with her.

Hi Ann Marie
how is the little puppy doing ???
Hope all is well :)
Best wishes
Lesley

Hello Lel
The pup is coming on great. Her one foot is now totally normal and it looks as though the other one is starting to come right.
Fingers crossed.
I keep massaging her feet and when she is moving towards mom positioning them correctly. It takes some time but hopefully will be worthwhile :-)

:D
So glad pup is doin well and that you gave her a chance :)
Best wishes
Lel

I have a 4 week old puppy that drags his hind legs. I hadn't noticed it until today because I had another puppy in this litter very ill. I pts 5/2 after 3 horrible weeks. Anyway I took the puppy to the vet and it's a swimmer puppy. I know nothing about this. Iv'e started doing some self made up exercises. Mostly massage and strengthening. My vet is retired,he only does immunizations.He told me to get my info here.please help!

Can't give any help on the pup but is it worth getting a new vet ? People on here give excellant advice but it is always wise to get proper medical advice as well on health matters. Hope your pup makes a full recovery. :)

Lucy

My pup is now two weeks old and both her legs are fine now. However, in saying that before I will be 100% I will want to see her walking around.
If your pup is 4 weeks and still dragging her legs I think you would be wise to go to another vet and ask his opinion. The pup may need x-raying to ensure ALL bones are in the correct places. Maybe he will provide splints of some kind or at least show you suitable exercises.
Hope things go ok and keep us informed :-)

I agree with Staffie, you need to get a proper opinion as to whether this can be corrected or whether it is something more serious as it's impossible to give the correct advice on this board without seeing the pup in the flesh.
If it is truly a swimmer you can make a splint out of surgical tape. Wrap it around each leg separately to begin then join the two legs with a length of the tape. Be sure to leave a decent gap the same as would naturally occur in the breed's legs. This will force the pup to keep the two legs together when trying to walk. After 1 week snip the adjoining tape & see if there's any improvement. If not, repeat the process by simply joining the tape again for another week and try again.
Best of luck, Nicola.