Need info for Fiddle front

[malmanbeau]

Hi All !

I have a almost 5 month old sheppard and his front legs are crooked. After surfing the web, with pictures and all, i'm pretty sure he has a ''fiddle front''.
Another name is chondrodysplasia. Here is my questions:
Can this puppy live a normal life?
Is he or will he suffer pain?
Will he get worse as he grows?
Is there any supplements I can give him?
Should I put him to sleep? (don't want him to suffer!)

He eats well, walk, play and even run! But lies down alot too. And notice that he stretches often.. (maybe i'm just paranoid )

He is a puppy of a litter of 13, and the others are all normal.

Thank you all for shedding light on this matter!!

Linda

[kathryn]

Well I did a quick google search and it seems to be the opposite of Hip Displaysia. That affects the back legs and apparently what you mentioned tends to affect the front. I really have nothing useful to say other then there have been alot of advances in veterinarian medicine in the past few years. There is hope for alot of conditions that were once considered to be incurable. If you haven't already, make a vet appt to have the doggy checked out. Preventative measures would be the best way to go. Catch something early and work with knowledgeable individuals to decide the best path to go. That way if there is something wrong with the pup, you can work on giving him medication, surgery, therapy or whatever so he can live a normal life.

he could just be growing a bit out of whack. He could easily grow right into his goofy legs and be perfectly fine

[bendyfoot]

It's time to take the pup to a qualified orthopaedic specialist/surgeon and find out what you're dealing with, asap. Puppy bones are very soft and forgiving and I would want to find out if surgical correction was an option at this time. Only a vet is going to be able to give you a realistic picture of how the condition might affect your dog.

FWIW, we rescued a shepherd pup with a deformed foreleg, which was ultimately amputated. She has some other issues going on as well, but her quality of life is excellent, she is a happy, beautiful dog who brings a lot of joy to our lives.