[pt83]

I was looking at Golden puppies (they are only 6 weeks old) yesterday, and we found the one we like. It's just that his rear legs kinda look funny when walking. I don't know how exactly to describe it in words but his rear legs walk like a crocodile.. but the front legs walk normal. The breeder said he's just develop late, but she wouldn't worry about it as he could run when he is outside running around. We couldn't let him outside yesterday as it was raining.

Is this actually normal? Are they all like that when their legs are not fully developed? I read somewhere you can't tell whether the dog has hip dysplasia or not until he/she 2 yo, is this true? or is the funny walk could indicate he has hip dysplasia?
So I just hold off and maybe we'll check them out again next week see if there is any improvement on the puppy.

In indonesia, there are no regulation about HD check (or any other health check for that matter) on the parents before breeding, so it is harder to find a good puppy. Breeders here are more stressing that the parents are champion dogs or imported dogs, which in my opinion doesn't warrant healthy puppies). Champion dogs are maybe less likely to have hip dysplasia as they will be disqualified when they do, but usually only either the father or the mother. If both parents are champion, the breeder usually charge a really high price for the puppies (usually 3 fold to as much as 10 fold of the price of "regular" puppies). If I follow the puppy breeder fact checker posted here, then sadly there are no single good breeder the city i live in (at least the one i've found, and i've researched and visited a lot.. and this one i visited yesterday is one of the better breeders as i've seen a lot worse ones) :uhoh:

TIA

 

[Bogey's Mom]

If you decided to take the puppy could you ask the breeder for 48 hours to get it examined by a vet? Most US breeders allow and even require that. If you are worried, I would try either a veterinary chiropractor or an orthopedic vet. They might be able to tell you something.

I'm sorry it's so difficult to find a puppy in your area. I wish I knew more about breeders over there, but I don't. Good luck!

 

[Willow52]

I'm not sure of your gait visual, but when we got Hank at 5 1/2 weeks, he walked sort of bow-legged (back). Is that what you mean? He's 3 mo. (tomorrow) and his gait is normal now. How did the pup compare to the others?

 

[Nicole74]

I personally wouldn't believe that breeder. I've been lied to by a breeder before. What I do know, when I took Bailey into the vet's two days after getting her, the vet put her off the table and watched her walk to make sure she was walking normal. He did this at every appointment. I'm assuming you can tell if there are any early problems with hip dysplasia.

 

[K9-Design]

The puppy may have been a swimmer which does correct itself over time.
If this is the best breeder you've found so far, I would do as the other poster suggested -- make sure there is a return clause with the puppy, and have him examined by a vet right away.
Best of luck!

 

[goldens2show]

Most of the time anything that was based on position in uterus or development that was reversible should have already worked itself out once they start walking. They may be bow legged or something minor that improves but that dosen't sound like what you are talking about. What you are describing sounds pretty extreme. I think it would be different if the breeder said upfront they had a puppy with an issue and gave it away or sold it at a discount but to act like there is nothing wrong doesn't seem right. I know you are limited in your breeder resources there. If it were here in the states I would say to find another breeder. I guess if you feel this is the best breeder available I would go see the pups again in another week and then talk openly about your concerns. I still would be uncomfortable if it is as bad as you say. Do you have access to a dog friend that could go with you? It doesn't have to be someone with goldens just someone that can look at the situation unbiased. It is so hard when you see a 6 week golden pup as they are all so cute! It almost seems you could import a dog for the price you would pay for this one and then all the possible health bills later on if it does have HD.

Good luck with your puppy search,
Christina
www.heritagegoldens.com

 

[pt83]

Thank you all for the response

Willow52 is probably right, he walks bow-legged but the front legs was normal.. maybe not as extreme as a crocodile, but he kinda walk like a bulldog somehow.. on the rear legs only I couldn't find the right word to describe it before so I compared it with a crocodile :doh:
The legs doesn't go outward like a crocodile, but when he walks, the style is just like that instead of the normal gait... maybe it is bow-legged.

The other puppies seemed normal, some are already reserved and from the ones that are still available, only one walks bow-legged. The breeder said he was the last one that can walk, so chances are he is just "late-bloomer" (but then I never breed dogs before so i don't know what supposed to happen at certain time, were they all unable to walk by the time they were born? or they can walk right away?). If there are any early sign of hip dysplasia, what are they?

The breeder said if in doubt, then get the other one with normal gait, I'll ask if she's willing to let me get the puppy to the vet like Bogey's mum suggestion, but i haven't found specialized chiropractor or an orthopedic vet in my city, most are general vets.. I'll definitely have to dig deeper into this.

As for return policy, there are no breeders in town offered this. I saw one breeder out of town that has 3 months "health warranty", I'll just keep that as the last resort if I couldn't find a decent one locally. I prefer to find one locally first as I don't think it's a good idea for a pup to have long journey in the car. I dont want him to get car sick that will make him doesn't want riding in the car in the future. My previous dog loves traveling around with us in the car.

As the best breeder goes, this one definitely not the best one, but among the better ones. The best one I found in town sell their puppies for about 4 times more expensive (cheapest one they sell) than the "regular" puppies price and claim their puppies are "show quality". Marketing gimmick aside, their puppies do looks different, the heads are generally wider, legs are thicker and the gait is flawless.. (and the more wider skull and thicker legs they have, more expensive they sell for.. which according to the puppies check list from this forum makes it bad breeder practice) But so far they are the only breeder i found that has the person to walk their dogs everyday, they have a huge space for it too. We can see the father and mother there, which both are champion dogs with multi-awards and top 5 in the country (etc etc). Their puppies are "virtually flawless" with a price to match.
The worst breeder I found.. well i shouldn't describe it as it was really sad to see their puppies.. looks underfed, malnourished, and so thin..

What i'm looking for is just a healthy pup with reasonable price. I don't really need a "flawless" anatomy as I'm not going to make him a show dog, but I think good breeder practice is also important to ensure the pup's health in the future.

I bought my previous pup from a petshop and I was clueless. She was already 5 months old and confined in a rather small crate for her age. Our fault was choosing her based solely on her color.. She turned out to be overly timid golden that at first we thought it was just stress being in a new house. But even after a while, she is still overly timid for a golden, she frightened easily if there any loud sound and weirdly water gallons scared her a lot (which we suspect it may be from a possible childhood abuse/trauma, but then no one know for sure but those who took care of her before we bought her). Being with us for more than 3 years, she was much much better, she was a lot less frightened and turns out to be a very sweet dog. Man I miss her so much.

Anyway, back to the topic.. I'll check the puppy again next week see if the gait is improving and see if she would let me take the puppy to the vet before purchase if we're still deciding to get him. I'll keep you all updated. Thanks again for the response and sorry for the long post :

 

[pt83]

Most of the time anything that was based on position in uterus or development that was reversible should have already worked itself out once they start walking. They may be bow legged or something minor that improves but that dosen't sound like what you are talking about. What you are describing sounds pretty extreme. I think it would be different if the breeder said upfront they had a puppy with an issue and gave it away or sold it at a discount but to act like there is nothing wrong doesn't seem right. I know you are limited in your breeder resources there. If it were here in the states I would say to find another breeder. I guess if you feel this is the best breeder available I would go see the pups again in another week and then talk openly about your concerns. I still would be uncomfortable if it is as bad as you say. Do you have access to a dog friend that could go with you? It doesn't have to be someone with goldens just someone that can look at the situation unbiased. It is so hard when you see a 6 week golden pup as they are all so cute! It almost seems you could import a dog for the price you would pay for this one and then all the possible health bills later on if it does have HD.

Good luck with your puppy search,
Christina
www.heritagegoldens.com

Sorry I may have exaggerated a bit.. the legs don't go outwards and walk exactly like a crocodile, I just couldn't find a right word to describe it before. Maybe it is bow legged.. I'll see if its improving and keep you all updated. I should've taken a video from my phone. It was noticeable for sure but not so extreme i would say. If it is bow legged, so it is normal to have 6 weeks pup to have that?
And good idea, I'll try to get my friend to look at him next week and see how it goes. I'll keep you all posted
Thanks

 

[Tanyac]

I feel maybe you should choose another puppy from the litter? As others have said, there may be a problem which could cause the pup to suffer and will guarantee to break your heart! By the way, every pup I've ever seen at around 5 weeks had what we would affectionally call a "rhino bum"!!

Even in a few days you will fall in love with this puppy, and it will be very difficult to take it back to the breeder.

I feel sorry you can't find good breeders in your area, but I wouldn't be put off driving some distance to bring your pup home, even if he/she is sick it won't put them off going in the car.