Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 22nd, 2011, 10:35 AM
ccarrigan ccarrigan is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Live In Manitoba
Posts: 1
Grizzly the Chiuaua sometimes hops on 3 legs

I have a Chiuaua and his name is Grizzly, he is 1 year old and I have noticed recently that when playing with him he sometimes starts hopping on 3 legs, by that I mean he will alternate using one or the other back legs. This only happens sometimes when we are playing around the house, just recently started happening and I am not sure what is going on. It is not just one leg he is always alternating.

Please help!

C
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old March 22nd, 2011, 11:33 AM
kathryn's Avatar
kathryn kathryn is offline
chronically insane.
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: South Jersey!
Posts: 2,016
If it was just the one leg I was going to say a torn ACL or Cruciate. But, given your description, I don't think it is either. Chihuahua's are weird dogs, they often do hop like that for no real reason. I would say it wouldn't hurt to go to the vets for an exam, they often can feel any problems with joints/ligaments without any invasive or expensive tests.
__________________
My cat is smarter than your honor student.
Stop Dog Fighting ~ Neuter Mike Vick!

~ RIP Timmy ~ May 2009 - November 6th 2009
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old March 22nd, 2011, 11:44 AM
BenMax BenMax is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10,187
Quote:
Originally Posted by kathryn View Post
If it was just the one leg I was going to say a torn ACL or Cruciate. But, given your description, I don't think it is either. Chihuahua's are weird dogs, they often do hop like that for no real reason. I would say it wouldn't hurt to go to the vets for an exam, they often can feel any problems with joints/ligaments without any invasive or expensive tests.
I was thinking the same. I would definately see a vet to be certain.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old March 22nd, 2011, 12:23 PM
SamIam SamIam is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 447
Quote:
Originally Posted by ccarrigan View Post
I have a Chiuaua and his name is Grizzly, he is 1 year old and I have noticed recently that when playing with him he sometimes starts hopping on 3 legs, by that I mean he will alternate using one or the other back legs. This only happens sometimes when we are playing around the house, just recently started happening and I am not sure what is going on. It is not just one leg he is always alternating.
Please help!
C
Ccarigan,

There are 3 possibilities that come to mind for me.
- An inherited condition that runs in the Chihuahua breed is luxating patellas, this is where the kneecaps slip out of place. Your vet will check if there is any play in the joint, and if well experienced with small breeds (as you can imagine their kneecap is very very small!) can determine easily whether this is the case. Other joint conditions such as cruciate ligament and hip dysplasia are possible but less likely.
- If your dog has a small back end and straight back legs, dogs of any breed may do this following exercise. Ideally the bones of the back legs are arranged in more of a zig-zag pattern than the end to end of human legs.
- An injury such as pulled muscle or joint injury. Sometimes one leg only gets injured, sometimes both at the same time, and sometimes after the first one is injured, compensating for it causes injury to the other.

If Grizzly has not yet had his 16-months-old shots, I would suggest booking it in a little early and getting those legs looked at. Hopefully everyone's suggestions here will give you a good idea of what to expect at your visit.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old March 22nd, 2011, 01:13 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
We have a little(r) setter here, Grace, who does the same thing. It's just 'her way'. Especially on wet days. It seems her hind paws are much more susceptible to melting in rain or snow than her front feet are, so she alternates holding the hind feet up so as to minimize their time in peril. But to some extent, she'll do the same thing indoors for no apparent reason.

So it may just be a quirk for your dog, like it is for Grace. But next time into the vet you might want to have them manipulate his spine to make sure he isn't tender along his back. Sometimes a dog with hip or back problems or even just a pulled back muscle will throw their weight forward to relieve pressure on the hind quarters and that will sometimes include the favoring of alternating hind legs...
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:11 AM.