New Pup, Worried About Hips

[dusky21]

How are you all doing, it's been a long time since I've posted on here. My lasts posts were that I was considering a Dogue de Bordeaux. Well, I never followed through with one, but this passed week I had the opportunity to adopt a bullmastiff pup. My first mastiff.

Long story short, a coworker's neighbor had gotten a bullmastiff at 3 months and decided they did not want to keep her due to an unexpected pregnancy so I took a risk and took her this passed weekend (I had my concerns as I did not know the dogs background). She is now right at 4 months, I'm estimating only 35 lbs or so and she is great. Well, I've been a little paranoid about her hips and after watching her behavior for the past week I've convinced myself she has hip dysplacia. She is a great dog but she tends to sit with her legs bowed out to one side and she has that butt wobble when she walks. She also seems to be that "great puppy" that I have read about, one that is calm and collected and not just super playful.

Which brings me to my next questions, am I being overly paranoid or is this normal for a bullmastiff at her age? Is it possible she just needs to grow into her legs? Or do I really need to be thinking about getting her x-rayed and taking the next steps...

We have a vet appointment next week but my anxiety is through the roof right now!

 

[Morally]

Well, I've been a little paranoid about her hips and after watching her behavior for the past week I've convinced myself she has hip dysplacia. She is a great dog but she tends to sit with her legs bowed out to one side and she has that butt wobble when she walks.

You've described the movement and posture of most growing Mastiff puppies. I wouldn't be concerned unless she seems to be in pain. If a puppy has such severe CHD that it's already apparent at 4 months, it'll usually be obvious.

 

[musicdeb]

Can you post a video of her walking from the front and back? I agree, sounds like a normal puppy but if it will put your mind at east, post a video or go to the vet.

We'd love to see pics too!

 

[dusky21]

Thanks for the replies, its good to know it is likely just the way mastiff puppies are. She is my first giant breed and so far she has been more than we could have asked for, she is great! I'm not sure how to post video's so I posted a link to a youtube video of her walking down the hallway, tell me what you think.

Thanks!

[video=youtube;ycFJzo0hx1g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycFJzo0hx1g[/video]

 

[musicdeb]

Per the video, looks like normal puppy walking. Love the sock!

 

[dusky21]

Per the video, looks like normal puppy walking. Love the sock!

Excellent, thanks for the response. Haha I didn't even notice that was my sock, her and our other dog have torn up so many toys this week there are pieces everywhere! I'll try and get some pics up shortly.

Thanks

 

[AZ Boerboel]

Looks perfectly fine based on that video, I wouldn't worry about it. Mastiffs have a lot of sway to their back end as they move.

I had a Boerboel a few years ago with Hip dysplasia. I could hear a clicking sound from one of her hips, she always sat with her hind legs out from under her and sat more on her butt than her hind leg meat, never ran but would bunny hop, and when standing would never really stretch out her hind legs behind her, they were always either square to her back line or angled inward towards her belly a little.

 

[ruthcatrin]

The sock is utterly adorable....

The only way to tell for 100% is to do hip xrays, which require sedation. But your vet can do some joint manipulation to make sure that the joint is moving properly next time you're in if you're still concerned. (infact, most decent vets do it as part of the usual puppy check) Also, see if you can get her to trot for you. Not a RUN, but faster than a walk (if you're not sure what I mean go look at some show videos, you want the sort of gate they try to get the show dogs to do). If she insists on "bunny hopping" her rear legs then you may have a problem. If she's comfortable moving each leg individually then you have less to worry about.

But I'm not seeing anything in your video other than normal mastiff pup.

 

[dusky21]

Well we had Brinley into the vet today and she is doing great. Based on movements alone the vet said everything felt sturdy for her age. We are having her spayed in two weeks and at that time we are going to have them do x-rays to check just to be safe. She's on the smaller side, weighing in at only 38 lbs. at 16 weeks, vets expect her to be around 80-90 lbs when she is full grown. Thanks for all your input and I will get back in a couple weeks to report on the x-rays.

On a secondary note, I have a question about bloat. Our other dog has fully accepted her and now they seem to be best buds. They are playing like crazy! I know you want to limit exercise after feedings and limit exercise in general for the younger dogs. I wanted to see what the consensus was about them playing shortly after feedings. How long do you think is safe after feedings to allow them to play? Last night they were at it non stop for a good hour and half and it is hard to separate them when they want to play!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Have you looked at the info on here about when to spay? 6months is WAY TO EARLY for a giant breed....

 

[dusky21]

Have you looked at the info on here about when to spay? 6months is WAY TO EARLY for a giant breed....

With all the reading I have done on these guys that is something I never even thought about or came across. I guess I've primarily always been involved with rescue type groups that pound the spay and neuter programs into your head. I am glad I posted this as, just like you said, a quick google search provided mostly the same advice. Its funny if you look at the different opinions on the topic but I think it sounds like the pros of waiting until she is older outweigh the cons.

Thanks, and feel free to chime in on any additional things that would be of good knowledge. Primary topics I have researched include:

Feeding
Training
Health Issues
Proper Care (i.e. exercise, grooming)
Associated Expenses

 

[ruthcatrin]

Pro's vs cons regardless, keep in mind that if you wait she will likely have at least one heat cycle. So you'll need to be sure you're up to dealing with a bitch in heat. SOME aren't bad, some are hell. ANd her scent (while in heat) has the potential to attract male dogs from around the neighborhood (neutered or not). If you do dog parks keep in mind that you'll need to keep her AWAY from dog-parks while in heat and potentially for a couple weeks after. For her safety, AND for the sanity of the other dogs and dogs owners.

A look at several studies on spay/neuter: Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs A click-able reference for that: Spay and Neuter Decisions - References
A recent study on Goldens: PLOS ONE: Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers
Another recent one with Vizla's: http://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/vizsla_javma_study.pdf
One comparing Goldens and Labs: PLOS ONE: Long-Term Health Effects of Neutering Dogs: Comparison of Labrador Retrievers with Golden Retrievers

In general waiting till at least 1.5yrs of age for these big dogs is healthier than an early spay. The big concern your vet will likely push is mammary cancer. Actual average lifetime risk of a bitch getting breast cancer is 30%, just like it is for humans. Spaying before the 2nd heat her average risk is only 8%, spaying before her 3rd heat average risk is 26%. The other big one is pyometra, pyo's nasty because it shows so little exterior signs while the dog is suffering from a really nasty uterine infection that can kill if left untreated. However very very few intact females get pyo infections before the age of 2, and I've seen papers that state there's still very little risk before the age of 5. It CAN happen before those ages (we had a member on here who had a young bitch get pyo just recently), but its not common.

 

[Dan]

Hi
For what it's worth, my 2 year old boerboel still sits with his legs to the side at nearly 2 years old.
Sometimes, he'll even sit on the step sort of sidesaddle - which looks just as ridiculous as it sounds!
On bloat, I believe it is best not to exercise the dog too soon before or after eating.
For me the most important thing is not to feed too much in one sitting.
Up until about a year, it was 3 meals a day.
Now it is 2 meals a day ( rather than one large one).
Lamb hearts provide concentrated nutrition in a small package (2 lots of 3 with biscuit per day with occasional chicken)
On neutering, I had a lot of people early on who seemed to think that neutering was best.
Having read through the posts and advice here, I have decided not too.
Ruthcatrin seems to be the expert on this one for me.
I like the fact that she always provides plenty of information links - but leaves it to you to make your own decision.