why does my puppy act as if something is wrong with her hips?

by Aimee
(Saginaw, MI)

I have about a month and a week old puppy very playful and energetic one second and the next walks dragging her back legs and lays down with her butt in the air every three steps.

It seems to be when she has to poop or after she poops like she can't walk? I can tell it's hurting her she has worms and i gave her worm medicine and she pooping them out and this morning she puked a big ball of worms out and it looks like she has just a tiny bit of blood in her poop.

I can't really tell, could the worms have anything to do with it?






Hi Aimiee
It definitely sounds as though your puppy has a bad worm infestation and unless the medication you gave her was provided by your veterinarian there are not guarantees that it will cure the problem completely. Many over-the-counter dewormers are less than effective and can have serious, even dangerous, side effects.

The problem you describe with her walking/legs/hips isn't likely to be related to her worms. It could be a nerve problem, or a joint/ligament one, or an injury... it's impossible for me to tell I'm afraid.

I can only strongly recommend that you take your puppy to your own veterinarian just as soon as you can so that you can find out what's causing her problems. That way she'll get the help she needs and should be doing much better soon. Good luck.