Concern over gait

[STOCKB53]

Have a 11 month old English Pointer that I have a concern over his gait. He runs without fluid motion , his back is not straight. I have checked his hips and seems to be in no discomfort. I may have to take him to the vet for further evaluation. He is exceptionally big for his age.


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[shags]

A large dog at 11 months might not be finished growing. Some of them look like they're put together with tinker toys and rubber bands and a little time takes care of it. Sometimes a good conditioning program helps.

Can you post a video or give a more detailed written description? "runs without fluid motion" covers a lot of territory. What does "his back is not straight" look like? Roached, saggy, uphill, downhill? Is he in or out at the elbows? What do his feet look like? Shoulders straight or with layback? How's his rear angulation?

Does he look clumsy or disjointed, is there an abnormality in his gait? Heavy on the forehand? Rocking horse gait?

How does he move at a trot?

[STOCKB53]

He straight at the shoulders then the backstrap goes uphill then the back end goes down. What do mean by roached?


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[birddogger2]

Stock-

Where are you located?

There might be a good pro field trial trainer in your area or a veterinarian that routinely sees performance dogs, or both. Sounds to me like you need an experienced set of eyes to look at your dog.

FWIW there are not all that many vets who have a lot of experience with field trial performance type dogs, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that those dogs seldom see the inside of a vet's office unless it is to get stitched up , or they are really, really sick.

RayG

[STOCKB53]

That’s a good suggestion. I have already a dog with a pro trainer. I will have him look at him. I am bringing my dog home for a couple months. He is 5 hrs. away. I am leaning towards the previous responder that he maybe out growing his age. He is real clumsy in the field.


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[shags]

OP,
If the dog is simply clumsy I'd give him time to grow up and see where you are in 6 months or so. If he is genetically put together correctly, it will all come together. If he is structurally faulty then you just deal with what you have.

Be careful with conditioning for now, too much can wreak havoc. I'd free run only, or road just a bit with *no* pulling. His frame doesn't need that stress right now.

I have a setter that was an average sized puppy, but who grew into Dogzilla. He's 75# in competition shape. It took a good while for him to pull himself together. IME with him, the bigger issue with large size is that stamina and heat can be a problem despite an excellent conditioning program.

Do a google search for images of roach backed dogs. I found lots of extreme examples especially in German Shepherds but you'll get an idea about the arch of roundness over the loins.

[STOCKB53]

After googling roached back I believe that’s his problem. Has been on concrete run all summer and fall. There’s a possibility that it has been bred into this particular line of pointers for the run. The Bozoi and running dogs such as the Whippet and Greyhound have a common roach back. Just saying. Interesting topic up for discussion.


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[cjhills]

It has been my experience that dogs some roach in their topline run smoother, faster and farther than dogs with a really straight topline. mainly because they can get more reach with their hindlegs without elevating the hind quarters as much. That is my biggest issue with show bred lines.
As the OP stated all the sight hounds have extremely roached toplines. Don't confuse roach with a low tail set though. That works the opposite.
Some dogs are slow maturing, but generally they run with their hind legs spread wider than they should be and they usually out grow that.....CJ

[mask]

If your dog does not have a visible conformation fault ie cow hocked and or down in the pasterns, you might want to have the hips xrayed. Sometimes a dog with very short pasterns will not be a smooth goer. If none of these things apply you might just be stuck with a clunky gait. I say this because in my experience pointers usually mature physically fairly early.

[STOCKB53]

Update on my dog with gait problems. After a couple weeks of free run and with no improvement I took him to the vet for a hip x-rays today. The results were not good he has hip -displaysia. Thxs again for all your positive input.


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[Cicada]

Well that sure sucks. Did you contact your breeder? I have always wonder if it can be corrected surgically or if wearing a brace would help.

Grant

[STOCKB53]

It’s hereditary .


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[mask]

Sorry to hear about your dog. An honest breeder would likely replace the dog or make it right in some way. Best to you in the coming new year.

[STOCKB53]

He is going to make it right. I don’t know if there is a way to detect hip displaysia at a much younger age.


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[bobman]

I wouldn’t give up on him. I’ve had dogs with supposedly bad hips that lived a long healthy life and were productive bird dogs

Pointers are strong and when they mature their muscular offsets some of this issue

[STOCKB53]

Vet told me she has seen a lot worse. Suggested to give him cosequin and come back for more x-rays in two months.


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[shags]

That's tough news for you, but don't get too down yet. I've had dogs with everything from mild dysplasia to what the vet called 'no hips at all' and they functioned OK. The functionality doesn't necessarily depend on how the xrays look; mild displacement can be painful while really poor hips might not be. Depends on the dog.

IME it's best to keep the dog in as good shape as his condition allows. The muscles in the rear help stabilize the hip joints.

I had a dog with a different orthopedic problem, and the head ortho vet at Ohio State advised using Dasuquin ASU along with fish oil. Dasuquin is another version of cosequin, by the same company. It made a huge positive difference for my dog. It's pricey, but I found the best deal on Amazon - about $90 for 180 chewable tablets in extra large dog size. After the loading dose of one a day for a couple of weeks, I split the tablets for his maintenance dose. One bottle lasts almost a year that way.

Dogs with bad hips have a peculiar gait...they bunny hop. You can see it in the yard when an unaffected dog might trot or canter, he will push off with his rear legs together much like a rabbit hops.

Of course it's between you and your vet to do another set of xrays in a couple of months, but do you know that to get OFA clearance dogs must be at least 2 years old before they are xrayed? Lots goes on with growing bones and joints.

Best of luck going forward.

[Featherfinder]

I am truly sorry to hear about your dog's hips. It's true, your dog might be fine. Then again, he might not.
Call me black-hearted but I will NOT embark on a relationship that could last - on average 15 years - from a poor platform.
If your breeder is willing to "make good" - and I'm not exactly sure what that translates into - I suggest you take a deep breath and restart.
Keeping this dog is fine as some have suggested. He still could hunt for you. There are many ensuing dynamics to that decision.
Let's say, you keep him and he is fine. Excellent!!
Or, you keep him and later on his quality of life is SO poor, it's decision time. That will be even harder on you as you develop a relationship together and THAT, discounting the feelings of anyone else in your family especially children.
You keep him and he is good for 3/4 - 1 hour runs before he lames up. Then, he can hardly walk for 3 days afterwards! Would some consider this acceptable? I sure wouldn't want to do my 18 hours drive to the central mid-west with a dog that last 3/4 - 1 hour!
Then, what about the time and money you invested into training?
Do you keep him and get a replacement? That could work if you want a pet but pets need food, meds, care too. You have doubled your costs, assuming this dog's hips issue isn't a lifetime of meds. If so...cha-ching!! AND, you still don't have a bird dog!
I guess you can get more x-rays, have a hip procedure, med him the rest of his life - all free of cost, right? ....NOT!
I did say I was black-hearted. It should also be evident that I'm not filthy rich.

[STOCKB53]

I agree with your post.


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[bobman]

There’s plenty of xrays that indicate problems yet the person or dog never had any issue

And there’s plenty of people and dogs that X-ray perfect and have problems

[Featherfinder]

SO true bobman!