funny legs

[Lovely Rita]

hi! i just have a question about my 9 week old boxer girl, kiki. we just brought her home a week ago, but we've noticed that her front legs sort of bend outwards at the ankle. its pretty difficult to explain, sorry! we didn't notice this when we first brought her home, it seems to be a recent development. also when she's standing sometimes her foot will shake a little, like she's shivering. is this normal??? i've heard of this sort of thing happening before, and in those cases it goes away, but i can't remember where i heard about it! please help!!

 

[gmacleod]

Doesn't sound quite right to me. Best to consult a vet, I think.

Can I ask what you're feeding her? If it's a puppy formula, I would suggest that you quit that right away and put her onto an adult food. And if you're supplementing with extra calcium or anything like that, stop.

The thing about puppy formulas is that they are extremely high in protein and calcium. Too high. And as with just about anything, too much of a good thing is as bad or worse than too little. The "ideal" protein % for dogs is around 22% - yet many puppy formulations have it as high as 40% without a shred of evidence to suggest that they need that. End result is that puppy foods are the cause of growth and joint problems for some pups. It's not the case for most pups, but happens enough that I don't think they should be fed those foods. It does sound as though your wee girl could be one of those puppies for whom it is too much.

Anyway, you should definitely get a vet to check her over, but in the meantime, if you happen to be feeding a puppy formula, I'd suggest a hasty switch to adult food for her. Good luck, and do let us know how she gets on.

 

[Lovely Rita]

hey there! thanks so much for replying
actually, she is on adult food - we have her on a 3 year guarantee with her breeder, and one of the requirements is that we feed this food throughout her next three years. she actually just had a normal vet check up today, i asked him about it and he said that it was a thing that many puppies went through, and it will go away soon. i think i'm probably just being super paranoid, our vet is very good, very responsible, so i find it difficult to beilieve that they wouldn't have noticed anything. its hardly even noticable, or maybe its just going away...? yep, its probably me being over protective - we just lost our other boxer this summer, so im finding myself being super bonkers about everything thanks you SO much for replying though, i'll definitely keep in mind the puppy food thing, i did not know that! i will be sure to tell all my dog friends, thanks!

 

[Julie P.]

yep, its probably me being over protective - we just lost our other boxer this summer, so im finding myself being super bonkers about everything

I can totally relate to being over protective. I am glad that I read your thread as I don't feel so alone about my feelings (Smile). I lost Magic, my female boxer, in September 2004. I now have a boy rescue boxer named Deeg. Since I got Deeg so soon after Magic passed away, I feel that I've gone a little "Bonkers" (good description of me) and am over protective also. I know my nervous behavior is related to the trauma of loosing Magic. In fact, just recently I rushed Deeg to the vet's office because his eyes looked funny. (I am glad I did as he had scratches on his eyes from running wildly through some bushes in our yard) Anyway, the trip to the vet was nerve wrecking as heck. Images of my horrible visits to the vet with Magic came to mind. By the time I got to the office my nerves were shot. The vet gave us a little eye antibiotics and sent us home. I survived...but man, I thought I was going to pass out from my fear of hearing horrible news or something.

I also wanted to mention that I had a boxer puppy many years ago that I rushed to the vets as his legs were growing funny. The vet told me that he was getting to much protein from puppy food and to divide puppy food with adult food. After I changed his food, his legs grew back to normal.

I am glad your baby is doing good now, I can just imagine how it must have worried you.

 

[Lovely Rita]

just to update - her legs are fine now! she stopped doing it quite a while ago, so im happy! tanya&jazz, i feed her eagle pack .