Hannah seems stiff at times

[juliefurry]

I have noticed the past few weeks that Hannah's back legs seem stiff when she gets up from laying down. She still runs and everything fine but I notice that when she gets up from laying down her hind legs seem stiff. Now we know her breeder and the mother of Hannah really well. We have seen the paperwork that Hannah's mother has had her hips tested and we have seen the paperwork for the father as well. We know the guy that bred Hannah really well, he is a good friend of me and my husband's and we know that he would not lie. All the other pups that he kept seem fine. Should I be worried that something that could be wrong with her. I'm always paranoid about her but today my sister in law finally said it looked like she was stiff so now I know that it's not just me.:(

[Saintgirl]

Having a giant breed, hips and elbows are one of my nightmares. Genetics do play a big role in determining whether dysplasia will be passed along, but environmental factors like diet and excercise can contribute to the awful "D" word. Sometimes the most wondrefully planned litter can still produce a pup that will become dyspalastic later on in life. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT HANNAH IS!!!!!! If you are concerned the best place to go would be to your vet, and have an examination take place. If your vet feels it is necessary than x-rays can be taken to rule it out. There are also wonderful supplements that can be added to Hannah's diet like glucosomine and chondroitin, ester C, shark cartlidge, and msm, these won't repair joint damage, but can help prevent further wear and tear. And maybe Hannah is just sleeping funny on her back legs and they are still sleep when she gets up!! I hope that everything goes well.

[juliefurry]

thanks! She has to go in soon for her shots and will talk to the vet then about that and other things too. I hope she is ok.

[Fran27]

Just watch out for the vet recommendations diet-wise :rolleyes:

We went to see our vet when Boris limped, he gave us some meds, but what has worked the best is glucosamine/vitamin C supplements. He told us the only thing that they can do really is surgery, and it's not worth it unless the dog is in pain. He's still stiff on his back lags, but it doesn't seem to bother him. But yeah, if a xray can make you feel better, go for it. We will probably have it done at some point too, but I'm scared of the result...