# puppy has weak hind legs, is it normal?



## Martiniz

hi. i took my 3 months gsd mix pup to the vet last time and had a x-ray and they said there wasn't anything wrong with his bones but then i dont know why my puppy has weak and fragile hind legs. he cant stand on his hind legs for a long time he can only jump up a little bit but cant stay on his hind legs. ive seen other puppies able to stand on there hind legs for a pretty long time and they're younger than him too. is this normal? and also my puppy is fragile, today he was trying to get a treat i left on the table and he was standing up and leaning his upper body on the table so it can support him and then when he couldnt get the treat he jump back down on four legs and he hurt his front right leg/paw. he was whining for a little bit and was raising the paw up and i held it and massage it and it went away. is this also normal? he gets hurt easily


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## birdie

I have a dog with bone issues because his mother was malnourished when she was pregnant with him. Also, he has Min-Pin in him, which is a breed that are very succeptible to weak legs. What kind of pup? Sometimes when a larger dog breeds with a smaller dog, the pups can come out with structural issues. Do you know his history? My dog's littermate has very weak and painful back legs, sounds very simililar to your issue. His owner ran a blood test and they found that he is low in Phosphorous. Now he adds 1/2 cup lowfat milk to his food twice a day and he's all better. Maybe a blood test can help? I hope it's an easy fix, it's so hard to have a dog that's in pain.


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## MoosMom

You really should consider a second opinion. Poss a referral to a specialist. At three months your baby really should be able to stand without it taxing his energy. Pupppies are of corse floppy and silly, but this doesnt sound normal to me. Good luck!


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## Pepper

When I adopted my 8 week old mastiff/boxer on July 2nd, she could barely walk. Her legs were so wobbly and weird, she was almost walking with her stomach touching the ground, she could barely run, and was sitting down about every minute. One vet immediately said she had hip dysplasia, and she would need surgery.

We went to a semi holistic vet, who believes it is okay to feed a raw diet, acupuncture, etc..

She said it appeared to her that she may have been fed low quality food and was not able to build muscle to support her frame.

She is now 4 months old and has been on a joint suplement, called Nupro, and eats Evo, but has now dropped down to K9 cavier, its just like Evo but a tad cheaper, up here Evo is 65 dollars for 26 pounds or something, and the K9 is 50 dollars for 30 pounds, its a grain free, raw based kibble like Evo.

She is walking 100 percent better and can support her back legs and weight, and is now a growing 40 pound puppy who can run and play normally!


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## Martiniz

my pup is a german shepherd mix with australian shepherd...i think that's not too bad because australian shepherds aren't that small...i went to the vet today and they referred me a specialist which i will be going to soon. but the last x-ray showed that nothing was wrong with his bones and the vet said i had nothing to worry about...maybe he's still growing? im hoping he'll develop more and get stronger


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## Foyerhawk

GSDs are dramatic. Mine acts like he's going to die and yelps if he gets a small injury, like a shot! lol

It could be that, for the fragile part.

As for the legs, I'd have to see footage of this dog to really know what you're saying.


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## Martiniz

Foyerhawk said:


> GSDs are dramatic. Mine acts like he's going to die and yelps if he gets a small injury, like a shot! lol
> 
> It could be that, for the fragile part.
> 
> As for the legs, I'd have to see footage of this dog to really know what you're saying.


alright i will post a video of him walking soon

alright i uploaded the video on youtube. its a video of him walking around (he walks a little weird), jumping (you will see what i mean about how he cant stand on his hind legs), and doing some tricks. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAU0XY_XzAU


please help

oh yeah i forgot to mention, pay attention to the part after he did his shake hands trick, he was sitting down and watch his hind legs as he tries to get up, it looks weak right there.


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## spotted nikes

He looked normal to me. Most puppies can't stand on their hind legs or "sit up and beg". especially larger dogs. They can usually learn it when they are older, but they are "babies" and don't yet have the balance or muscles.

The wood floors/laminate make it especially hard to balance.


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## Foyerhawk

Normal looking to me!!!

Sliding a bit on the floor, as would most dogs. He looks great. Sweet, too!


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## Dreadog

I agree that he looks normal. I also think the hard wood floors may be preventing him from jumping too high and may make him slip. Perhaps he is being "careful" due to the slipperyness of the floors.


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## Inga

I think he just needs to grow up a little he looks pretty normal to me also, though very hard to see in that video. It would be easier if he were gaiting in a straight line. He is pretty young and is just learning how to balance his own body. I personally wouldn't be training him to jump or stand on his back legs until he is full grown. You do not want to damage any growing joints. 
He is a handsome dog. Maybe he is just embarrassed about his little pink leash?   just kidding.


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## flipgirl

He looks pretty normal to me. However, I'd still see the specialist to make sure. Have you ever heard of myathenia gravis? It's a neuromuscular disease and the first sign is weakness. Some kind of nerve receptors don't function properly; thus, the muscles cannot respond accordingly. The reason I thought of this was because I just finished a book written about a day in the life of a vet surgeon and there was a story of a GSD woven throughout the book. The dog was weak and walked funny, hopped like a bunny. They initially thought his problem was hip dysplasia or megaesophagus but eventually this surgeon realized it was myathenia esophagus. I think he gave the dog an injection and the dog improved readily so that confirmed the diagnosis. I'm not saying this is what your dog has but I've read it can be congenital. Maybe ask the specialist about it. In older dogs, it may be an immunity mediated disease and megaesophagus is the first sign but in puppies, it's thought to be genetic. 

But like I said, he looks like he is walking normally; puppies are usually awkward. Try not to allow him to jump or run hard during puppyhood as you risk damage to his bone structure which will lead to problems such as hip dysplasia. 

Let us know what the specialist says....hopefully, he'll just give you a diagnosis of awkward puppy stage!


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