Puppy having trouble walking

My dog Rascal was in heat at 7 months and gave birth Christmas day to 8 puppies. (Rascal is a German Shepherd/Collie/Australian Shepherd mix... and the Dad is a Boxer)They all seemed fine, but as they started getting more mobile, I noticed that one of them seemed to be a bit less mobile than the others... just unsteady with his back legs... We found homes for all 8 pups (phew!) and they went off to their new homes at 6 weeks of age... I did mention to the new owner that the puppy seemed a bit unsteadier than the others...

Anyway, they just brought the puppy back today-I asked everyone that if it did not work out to bring them back to us rather than dump them somewhere or take them to the pound and I am so glad he did... But the poor little guy seems much worse... His gait is "stilted" most of the time and he is much smaller than the others... Also, at times he seems to shake-not like a seizure, but a palsy...

I did call the vet today-we just moved so don't have a regular vet yet... and I must say I wasn't impressed with this one and we have our animals scheduled for neutering/spaying/checkups on Feb 25th there... (sigh) I explained the situation and she didn't seem very concerned-she said it was "one of those things" and we would have to find an understanding person to adopt it...

Needless to say, we don't have alot of extra money, but I would like to determine what's wrong with this little guy, and hopefully find him a good home despite his problems... The answer I got on the phone kind of bothered me and it sounds like I need to search for another vet? Does anyone have any idea what this "could" be? I like to do research on my own before I take my animals in-just so I know what I could be dealing with...

Thanks :)

No vet can diagnose over the phone. You need to take the puppy in for an examination to determine what the problem is - neurological, physical or whatever.

I'm glad your having your dog spayed. She was just a puppy when you bred her and it's a miracle she and her litter even survived.

Thanks for taking the time to reply... I know that it would be difficult to diagnose over the phone... I was just curious if someone could point me in a direction so I could do some independent research before we go to the vet on the 25th...

As far as breeding Rascal... that wasn't intentional... She actually had an appointment to get spayed the following week... and was in our fenced-in yard. The folks down the road did not keep their boxer confined... and he jumped our fence and got to Rascal -by the time I got there-it was too late... I really do try to be a responsible pet owner... honest!

As your dog was very young when she had pups, the fact that she had 8 and they all survived is amazing in itself. Sometimes, the runt of the litter bears the most medical problems. I think that perhaps the vet's office attitude was one based on that assumption. They certainly could have been more empathetic but somedays are harder than others for them and you might have just caught them on one of those days. I hope that the pup ends up being fine. Keep us posted, I'll be thinking of the little one.

There are way, way too many things that could be the problem...I hesitate to post this link because you mustn't use it to try "diagnosing" anything yourself! It's a good veterinary Q&A database. Just use it for education, though.
http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dogindex.html

Call around and find another vet, one who seems a bit more sympathetic. Perhaps failing & sick puppies are so common in your area that some vets just get tired of trying to help out over the phone....get him to a vet at least to find out what the prognosis will be. Poor little guy.

I am glad you are having your dogs neutered, and I agree with the others; you were lucky that Rascal didn't have any more serious problems with the litter! Letting them carry a pregnancy to term at the first heat is very risky.

Good luck with the little pupper.

well it's most likely a neurological problem of some sort, and I think you are doing the right thing trying to get it diagnosed. There may or may not be treatment, but at least you'll have done your best.