Lab puppies and walking

by D Smith
(Farmington, Maine, USA)

My 3 and a half month old choc. lab and black lab papered mix is having trouble walking.

His hind legs seem out of proportion with the rest of his body and he walks/bunny hops around and falls down often.

There is no family history of any hip problems.




Hi
What you describe could well be signs of joint/hip problems, such as Hip Dysplasia which is fairly common in Labradors, German Shepherds, Rottweilers and other large breeds.

If both parents and grandparents have OFA certification of 'fair' or better, it reduces the chance of these sorts of problems very significantly.

However, it's still possible for a puppy to be born with a congenital malformation of the hip ball/socket which causes hip dysplasia. It's also possible for environmental or lifestyle situations (such as jumping from furniture/cars or running on hard ground and so on) to cause this.

You definitely need to have your veterinarian take examine this puppy. He may be able to tell by manipulating the joints what the problem is, or take some Xrays. If your pup is registered, and you bought from a reputable breeder who provided a contract with a clause for hip dysplasia or problems, I suggest you contact them and explain the situation.

Large breed dogs can suffer from intermittent and transient pain or problems with their joints, which isn't related to dysplasia. But this is more likely to be related to the front legs. I'm not a vet and can't say for sure that your pup has serious joint problems, it could be something simpler. But I can say that if it was my puppy, I would have the vet look at him right away. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

I wish you the best of luck with this puppy and hope everything turns out okay for him.