Hi everyone,
My GSD bitch delivered 7 pups ( 5 females & 2 males ) on Sept. 2nd, 2006, one day difference from Sage/Nathan's litter. The pups now are 52 days old. Just two days ago, I realized that my first pick of the litter amongst the males is limping and he sways his hind when he walks. He has become less energetic and he has some difficulties when he tries to stand on his four limbs from the sitting or down position. His food intake also has diminished, and when his siblings bumps into him he falls, he is not as sturdy as they are. I took him to the vet and he told me nothing more to what I new before going in. " Maybe he pulled a muscle or he slipped, give him ibuprofen 10mg/kg ( 50mg)", he weighs 5,300 mg. I am not so sure of this diagnosis, it is definitely the easy answer out. If anyone knows of a medical problem or a similar case please let me know ASAP, cause I have the first pick amongst the males and need to decide within 24 hrs. I have isolated him from the litter and he is put in a crate to limit movement.
Thankx in advance for your help.

Is there a chance this pup got into something toxic? Could he have gotten knocked on the head? Has he been vaccinated recently? I would be worried about neurological sypmtoms like swaying and difficultly standing. The loss of appetite would be cause for alarm also.

I would find another vet, and have them look beyond the limping.

Ditto. That is a ridiculously inadequate diagnosis on such a little guy. They can go from bad to worse so fast at that age, esp. if they're not eating, that IMO, what your vet said is completely unacceptable. Call me a cynic, but based on my recent vet experiences, I go immediately to the specialists, regardless of distance.

Get a 2nd opinion ASAP.

I'm with these guys! Get another vet, period, sounds like to me. I'm thinking along the same lines as Cindy; maybe concussion? Surely if it were a toxin he wouldn't be the ONLY pup to find it.

FInd another vet for sure. I agree with Cindy, it's something neurological or toxic. Maybe an insect bite. I have had my share of idiot vets lately so seek another, your puppy needs someone who will take your situation seriously.

Hi Again,
I took by your advice yesterday, and I seeked another vet’s opinion today . The litter has not been vaccinated, and to my knowledge, no toxin was ingested, and a concussion I doubtful. As I mentioned before my pup is 53 days old, and the new vet’s diagnosis is sub dysplasia. I don’t know if they can diagnose it this early, but this is what they came up with. No X-ray was taken, just from the way the pup was walking, swaying his hind, and some feet shuffling. It was more obvious today,when he gets tired from little walking, he stumbles and falls, and he stays down. If you call upon him, he picks himself up, and walks towards you. They mentioned that he is a bit on the heavy side ( 5.8Kg = 12.76 lbs.). He has the biggest head and paws amongst his siblings. They suggested to bring his weight down to 5kg (11 lbs.), keep him under supervision, stop the 50mg/day of Ibuprofen that the first vet has recommended, and give him no medications. Have him X-rayed at 3 months of age. Should he be dysplasic, a surgery is performed for his hips. He is eating very minimally now. I don’t know if he is overweight at this age. I feed the whole litter the following: * 4 lbs. of ground beef/day . * 3 L of a shake/day constituted of the following: 1500ml of Similac L.F baby formula or goat milk. + 8 tbspf of mayonaise + 1500ml of whole yoghurt + 6 egg yolks. The litter is made up of 7 pups. If you think this is too much or it is not adequate enough, please let me know. Three of his siblings are close to his weight, and 3 others are a bit lighter. Thank you all for your answers, and for taking the time helping me decide how to aid this little helpless fellow.

P.S: * His temp is 38.3 C.
• His urine looks normal.
• His feces is logged shaped, and looks normal too, although I didn’t see him take a dump till right after I removed the thermometer.

Hi Again,
I took by your advice yesterday, and I seeked another vet’s opinion today . The litter has not been vaccinated, and to my knowledge, no toxin was ingested, and a concussion I doubtful. As I mentioned before my pup is 53 days old, and the new vet’s diagnosis is sub dysplasia. I don’t know if they can diagnose it this early, but this is what they came up with. No X-ray was taken, just from the way the pup was walking, swaying his hind, and some feet shuffling. It was more obvious today,when he gets tired from little walking, he stumbles and falls, and he stays down. If you call upon him, he picks himself up, and walks towards you. They mentioned that he is a bit on the heavy side ( 5.8Kg = 12.76 lbs.). He has the biggest head and paws amongst his siblings. They suggested to bring his weight down to 5kg (11 lbs.), keep him under supervision, stop the 50mg/day of Ibuprofen that the first vet has recommended, and give him no medications. Have him X-rayed at 3 months of age. Should he be dysplasic, a surgery is performed for his hips. He is eating very minimally now. I don’t know if he is overweight at this age. I feed the whole litter the following: * 4 lbs. of ground beef/day . * 3 L of a shake/day constituted of the following: 1500ml of Similac L.F baby formula or goat milk. + 8 tbspf of mayonaise + 1500ml of whole yoghurt + 6 egg yolks. The litter is made up of 7 pups. If you think this is too much or it is not adequate enough, please let me know. Three of his siblings are close to his weight, and 3 others are a bit lighter. Thank you all for your answers, and for taking the time helping me decide how to aid this little helpless fellow.

P.S: * His temp is 38.3 C.
• His urine looks normal.
• His feces is logged shaped, and looks normal too, although I didn’t see him take a dump till right after I removed the thermometer.