Should we be concerned???

We've always joked that Oakley needs an 'alignment' but now im wondering if it is not actually a laughing matter...

when you walk behind him, his body is very noticeabley diagonal, its hard to explain, but basically you can see one side of him, and not the other (if that makes sense, lol)

also, he sometimes hops with his back feet, mainly one in particular (i wanna say his left...) he just kinda keeps it in the air for a step, then uses it normally again....

im not sure if the hopping has gone on since day one (he had to ALWAYS be leashed, therefore making it very difficult to observe him from behind while he was running!), but the crookedness has always been there...

he does NOT in any way shape or form seem to be bothered by this...i swear he is the friggin fastest dog i have ever seen, we've had people comment on how amazing his speed is (ive tried to get it on camera, but the dork just refuses to sprint when the camera is out, LOL)

he jumps up on his back legs all the time, tries to climb trees, jumps HIGH up in the air, and lands on his back legs, so he isnt hurting...


But could this be a sign of hip problems later on?? worth getting it checked out?

i had a little manchester that when he ran..he looked like he was running sideways.the front a little this way..the back a little the other way. He lived a long and healthy 19 years, could keep up with my bicycle for years and years. I dont know about your Oakly, but stinky dink covered a lot of miles without any troubles at all. I hope Oakly does as well.

ooh ok, thats good to know! thanks!!

i was trying to google some info, but whenever those things were mentioned, they always included the dog being noticeably uncomfortable...

and oakley is definately not!!!

plus, in a way, id hate to be told to restrict oakley from running as he pleases in order to slow down any future problems, cause that would just break his heart

He may have luxating patellas and you may want to get them looked at

a neighbor of mine in our old neighborhood took her pup to the chiropractor (sp?) it's not silly...he helped that dog get back into proper shape after the dog ran (rather fast) straight into a chair and knocked it's little body out of whack. the dog was old, and it made it's quality of life back to prime. it only took a couple visits. now, this may not be for everyone...but I would do it. (I have a friend that is a chiropractor..that helps) call around to see.

i dont think its silly, lol, i WANT to be an animal physical therapist...

even though i know my vet is good, i just dont want them to be like "oh, he needs some major surgery, and cant run much anymore"....


ahhh, grrr....

does anyone understand where i am coming from in kinda NOT wanting to find out if something is wrong if it may mean preventing oakley from being free to run around!?? Or is that just plain stupid? I think one leg may be slightly longer, lol, could that be a cause?

Hi Dreeza,

Our pug Jack is a 'little out of alignment' but so are lots of dogs! The description you gave of Oakley being 'diagonal' is similar to little Jackie. His rear end is rarely completely parallel (or in line) with his front end and he parades around quite happily this way.

Check out some other dogs in your local doggie park. You'll find that lots of our canine friends are a little mis-aligned.

In fact, there is a term 'dog-tracking' in the automotive industry. It is also refered to as 'crabbing'......

Definition: Dog-tracking is also called crabbing and refers to a condition where the rear wheels do not follow straight behind the front ones because of rear axle or rear toe misalignment. The rear wheels track off to one side, which produces off-center steering and contributes to front toe wear.

I wouldn't worry, but I would mention it on your next vet visit.

As for the hop, Jack was displaying similar behaviour recently and I found a little cut under one of his nails. Once this healed, he was back to normal.

Best of luck and fun to you and Oakley!

Jared

I agree. A dog will often crop hop on one leg or kick it out behind to move the patella back into place temporarily. You should have that checked out.

Exactly. One of my beagles has this. It's basically a trick knee. I recently took him to the vet to have it checked out. Not a big deal.

I would suggest keeping him on joint supplements though.

It usually is not a real big deal and a dog can often live a very long successful life with luxating patellas but it is somthing that should still be looked at by your vet