Jump to content

2 Year-Old Male - Do You See Hip/spine Issue?


Guest Kaila

Recommended Posts

I'm meeting my (very first) future Grey this weekend if all goes as planned! :heart So far I've had the chance to see several videos of him from his trainer. I showed one video to a friend and she thought he perhaps seemed a little "off" in the rear-end. I will note, however, that she's not Greyhound savvy.. but then again, neither am I, which is why I'm here. Can someone take a look at these videos and let me know if there seems to be a problem? I'm worried about something like LS/Cauda Equina--is that only a problem in seniors? He just turned 2 years old at the end of October, raced twice with no injuries that I can find, and gets regular daily exercise (two 45 minute walks). He's a little underweight right now (about 68 lbs). His racing name is "Izz Our Storm."

 

The first video especially worried me the first time I saw it.. but then I thought maybe he was just trying to find the "perfect" spot to sun himself and was being indecisive, lol.

http://s1184.beta.ph...html?sort=3&o=4

 

 

A short sprint while practicing recall:

http://s1184.beta.ph...tml?sort=3&o=14

 

 

Service dog training:

http://s1184.beta.ph...tml?sort=3&o=13

 

http://s1184.beta.ph...html?sort=3&o=0

(^This was the video that worried my friend.)

 

 

Stairs:

http://s1184.beta.ph...html?sort=3&o=5

 

 

Jumping up into a car:

http://s1184.beta.ph...tml?sort=3&o=18

 

 

Playing with names and agility jump..

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

 

 

What do you think, GT? :goodluck

Edited by Kaila
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 62
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm not an expert, but I think it could be him just being cautious on the slick surfaces. In the first video it looked like he might be sliding on his back legs.

amr236.jpg
**Shellie with GiGi aka: Good Girl (Abita Raginflame X Ace High Heart) and two honorary hounds Butter and Bella**

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GiGisCloset2?ref=si_shop

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Impossible to tell anything from those videos. I can see what your friend saw in the one that worried her. However, he's on a very slick floor and moving at an unnatural pace. So, no way to really know if there is something going on or not. Likely, he was just not comfortable on that floor at that pace. I'd have to see him moving at a walk and a trot on grass/carpet/matting and for more than just a few steps.

Edited by onrushpam

Pam

GPA-Tallahassee/Southeastern Greyhound Adoption

"Fate is unalterable only in the sense that given a cause, a certain result must follow, but no cause is inevitable in itself, and man can shape his world if he does not resign himself to ignorance." Pearl S. Buck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. I'll try to get a better video this weekend then when I go to see him!

 

EDIT: My thought was.. Would a dog with some sort of spinal/hip injury be willing to jump, go up stairs, and run like that? Is that common even for dogs with injuries?

Edited by Kaila
Link to comment
Share on other sites

He is very stiff and carries both his hind legs very wide.

He looks like he needs some serious Chiro work done on his pelvis/hips.

 

1st video-- Circling like that is very common, but yes.... he looks very uncomfy when he actually decides to lay down.

2nd...which one is he?

3rd...both hinds off, but left is worse.

4th...both hinds are off...

Stairs...again, both hinds are very stiff, but he manages them very well

Last video...Not sure which one he is...first one? Skeeter?

 

.

 

Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi.  Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie),  Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge.

 

 

SKJ-summer.jpg.31e290e1b8b0d604d47a8be586ae7361.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

left rear may have sustained an injury(a tad cow hocked, foot not landing straight, compensation there, easy to see in the jump over the rope)- but his walk looks pretty normal for a well muscled dog. dogs with thunder thighs seem to have that stiffer gait, that's what i'm seeing. he does stairs and jumps into the car beautifully. film him on grass and watch the video. remember slick floors are a pretty unnatural surface. also, from what i have observed not all well muscled greys have that "thunder thigh thud"- walking like a body builder to me. annie had it, but over time her gait has changed yet my friend's female who now has turned 12 still has it! it's like people and their particular style of walking- trucking, choppy, etc.

 

 

i think once he's really observed on grass your opinion will change- get some good pacing, left to right, right to left and back and forth as well as a circle- as they do in shows and then examine. also - he's beautiful! how long has he been off the track? their physique really changes as time goes by.

 

also, as a pet, not a racer he should be fine. check his nail growth and you can see which part of the paw is showing the problem. i finally was able to open the first video. have you looked at his paw prints on the beach? yup, he drags his left foot a tad, but both of my dogs will do that- i noticed it 2 weeks ago at the beach. i don't worry about it, one of mine had a nasty cut to his hock- maybe a couple of damaged minor tendons- but he seems fine years later. but i really think that since greys are designed to run- & this is what we can see if we have a critical eye and they aren't doing their thing- running-

Edited by cleptogrey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

He is very stiff and carries both his hind legs very wide.

He looks like he needs some serious Chiro work done on his pelvis/hips.

 

1st video-- Circling like that is very common, but yes.... he looks very uncomfy when he actually decides to lay down.

2nd...which one is he?

3rd...both hinds off, but left is worse.

4th...both hinds are off...

Stairs...again, both hinds are very stiff, but he manages them very well

Last video...Not sure which one he is...first one? Skeeter?

 

Second video -- he's the one being called and running to the trainer.

Last video -- he's all of them. ;) The trainer was playing around with names. It's all the same dog.

 

I'm worried because obviously I'm considering this dog for service dog work.. and as I haven't seen him in person myself (I will this weekend), the opinions I'm getting are either 1) he is so broken or 2) he just has thunder thighs, lol. Very different opinions!

 

i think once he's really observed on grass your opinion will change. also - he's beautiful! how long has he been off the track? which group are you doing service training w/?

also, as a pet, not a working dog(therapy/service is not going to be as physically taxing as racing) he should be fine. check his nail growth and you can see which part of the paw is showing the problem.

 

Hounds 4 Heroes in Florida is the organization. He raced twice in June 2012, went to a rescue sometime after that (Bay Area Greyhound Adoptions) then came to H4H on Sept. 1st.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am certainly no expert on greyhound gait, but I do agree with the post above that greys with the massive thighs do walk differently (muscle man walk!). Their bodies are designed sort of more cheetah type than dog so I find greys do have a different walking style compared to other dogs. I have no expertise in this though, so I couldn't tell you if there is a problem or not. May be worth getting him checked out :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm certainly no expert....but to me, he did look uncomfortable in the first video when trying to lie down.

The rest of them looked pretty normal to me.

 

I certainly wouldn't let that stop me though, he's a very handsome lad, and looks to have a lovely gentle temperment.

Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no way for me to tell from those videos. That seems to be too often the way with videos viewed on the internet. In addition, most of those videos show him with things like someone holding his harness, another dog attached, working in close quarters with distractions, etc. All that is to say the conditions are far from ideal for judging gait and way of moving.

 

The group training him has of course had a full vet check up with a vet who has good experience in orthopedic issues, correct? That is very, very important before using a dog for service work, especially any harness work. Did they tell you which vet they use for that & did you check on the vet yourself?

 

ETA: The first link says the video is unavailable.

Edited by kudzu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest 2dogs4cats

He does walk a bit wide in the rear, but it doesn't mean anything is wrong with him. Could be just the way he walks. I would just have a vet check him out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Rex had LS at 4 but his problems weren't really in his gait as much as he had trouble getting up and especially getting down off the couch. Your guy sort of has a hitch in his get along in the second video, but like others said that my be the floor (or something else). The jumping in the car video makes me less likely to think of LS.

gallery_8149_3261_283.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

see if you can go on the akc's site- check out the greyhounds at the westminister kennel club and see what their gait looks like. compare it to what ever breed you are used to seeing, compare again. and let your vet check out is structure/ joints/movement. i think your answers lie there.

 

see if you can go on the akc's site- check out the greyhounds at the westminister kennel club and see what their gait looks like. compare it to what ever breed you are used to seeing, compare again. and let your vet check out is structure/ joints/movement. i think your answers lie there. manipulation is all that your vet has to do, no costly xrays! a good vet can pick up a problem by flexing/extending joints. personally, i think your dog is lovely, no major structural problems and will be a fantastic service dog and is an excellent kisser!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two of my greys have suffered from broken legs. They both walk a bit funny but it doesn't affect them in any other way. They still love to run and play and of course do zoomies. The worst thing about them is that they limp around some days. It does not affect them in any other way. To me, they are PERFECT! I guess I just love them more because they do have this problem. My mom really loves them up. I think it is because she can relate to them since she broke her hip. I guess what I am trying to say is that even if he is not "perfect" doesn't mean that he can't be the perfect dog for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, that first video worries me the most.

 

To me, it looks as if there's something neurological going on, or something strange going on in the lower back area causing a great deal of stiffness and/or pain. But it's odd, because he seems willing to do things which might be expected to cause pain in a dog with an injury in that area ...

 

A young dog - two years old? - should NOT be dragging his hind legs to the point of slipping and having his legs buckle on what looks like a painted wood surface, and I would certainly not be considering this dog for service training, or agility work, until he has had an extremely thorough vet examination to rule out any problems.

 

In fact, the videos worry me enough to say that even if the vet can't find anything, I personally would not be training this pup for anything physical.

 

Does he always kind of kink his back end to the left when jumping? And is it always his left hind that steps wide (as in the stairs vid)? And I guess I'm still a bit confused because it seems as if it's the dog who is walking in the recall video who is having the stiffness problems in his hind end, not the one running. :huh

GTAvatar-2015_zpsb0oqcimj.jpg

The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that I would ask the trainer if she thought there was anything unusual about his back end. She may know of a previous injury or may have had him already checked out if she's had concerns about his gait or back.

 

If after asking her you are not satisfied, I would then ask my local vet to view the videos you posted here. If he/she recommends further investigation, I would have him examined by an independent vet (not connected with the service dog organization).

 

As a new owner, I would want to ensure that my companion pet was healthy, or at least know what I would be facing, but I think a thorough examination is imperative seeing as Stormy will be your service dog. All the best to you.

Image removed, not within Signature Guidelines.
Forever Home on December 20, 2012
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
My Etsy Shop

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't feel concerned about it myself until someone pointed it out to me. I had a Golden Retriever with a very loose, wobbly gait. We thought for sure she had hip dysplasia, but her xrays came out perfect. Two vets manipulated her hip joints and felt nothing abnormal. But she always had that weird walk.

 

I'm going to check him out in person this weekend and see whether touching his lower back causes any pain. I'll take videos too hopefully.

 

I don't know if in the first video he was just being indecisive about where to lie down. It looks to me like he's not slipping, but starting to try to lay down and then changing his mind, circling again, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I don't know if in the first video he was just being indecisive about where to lie down. It looks to me like he's not slipping, but starting to try to lay down and then changing his mind, circling again, etc.

 

Hmm. Well, maybe... But I've never seen a healthy youngster let himself down so gingerly, not in the absence of distractions (like maybe a nearby dog or cat). I have, however, seen plenty of oldies lay down just like that - and it's the way my tripod lets himself down, too. He's very prone to muscle cramping along his spine because he has to walk with it curved to one side all the time - and he does have some arthritis in his one functional hip.

GTAvatar-2015_zpsb0oqcimj.jpg

The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just watched the first video and she does look oddly stiff, but it looked familiar. I have been bringing Teague to some friend's houses with decks. He paces for a bit and then lies down exactly the same way as the video. He is hesitant to lie down on a harder surface. He eases himself down very slowly, I think just because of the lack of padding, he can't just do his normal plop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trainer got back to me. She sounded confident that it's just a muscled hindquarter thigh (muscle man walk). Without pushing further, I'll be sure to do my own evaluation this weekend. I've never seen him struggle to do anything except lie down in that first video.. but it makes sense that maybe he just did it carefully because it was on a hard surface. We'll see!

 

Also.. He would have been evaluated by one of these vets, since he was pulled from BAGA. I believe the org. still uses one of the vets in this network (I know the vet is in Tampa).

 

http://www.bayareagreyhounds.org/vets.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...