HI Everyone,
I have a huge GSD (7 months and 70 lbs.) He was the largest male in the litter and is not a fatty but I am super worried about his legs, hips and tendons. I am also starting to loose faith in my vet so any help would be great.

This has happened to my puppy atleast four times. HE WILL BE STANDING AND HIS BACK LEGS WILL START SHAKING UNCONTROLABLY FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. It usually happens after he has been laying down for a while. Since he got spayed last week it has happened two more times. Is this a sign of HD, I know he was xrayed as a puppy could he still have it. I know he is more at risk because he is such a big boy but now I worried that perhaps I have been over working him or that maybe this is a symptom of Lyme's disease (my friend told me that). My vet said he cold have weak tendons too...

Is there anything I can do to help? I try massaging him and stuff but I am at a loss.

It could be many things. But I have not seen this before; maybe someone else has.

It sounds for one like he is too big and wobbly.

Is he American lines?

When was he x-rayed?

What did the vet say about ligaments when he had is puppy exam (did he say loose ligaments -- that is a major problem in some types of GSDs, particularly American)

What do you mean by excercising him too hard?

Puppies should not have any forced excercise other than free play and no serious jumping until at least 18 months.

Could you take him to another vet? You really need a professional to look at him.

Is he from American show lines? I've seem some pups from those lines that walk very shakily in the rear. Supposedly it fixes as the pups age.

Have you spoken to the breeder? You may get the most help from them about this being 'normal' in their lines (or not).

A friend of mine has a 14 month old working line gs. This dog was as big at 8 months as he is now! Because he grew so fast he has been lame for all but 3 months of his life so far. His injuries were dew to his fast growing coupled with i expect the dogs 100 mph attitude. But the main cause were growth pains.
It could be that your boy has just grown to fast and is a little wobbly on his long legs.
Reduce his exercise to swimmimg. This is simply the best exersise for a growing dog as it puts no stress on his joints but will develope the muscles around the joints giving good strong healthy joints. His growth will eventually stop and he will develope into his body. JMO!

Thank you very much for your feedback. My puppy is not american bloodlines. His daddy is a german. I have been taking him hiking with me just because he has an enormous amount of energy for two hours or so at a time. His four year old poodle 'brother' and he play pretty rough and honestly unless I tie weights to his legs I have no idea how to stop him from jumping.

I hope it is growing pains I jsut though maybe not because it seems to correlate with the getting up from napping. He got x-rays when he was 9 weeks old. I just wanted some feedback here because I want to make sure I can do everything in my power to prevent HD. Speaking of which does anyone have advice on how to know if your puppy is fat because mine is long haired so it is so hard to tell.

Long haired or not, you should be able to feel some ribs- especially the last few. The dog should have an obvious tuck up when viewed from the side, and depending on how much of a coat he is, you should also see a narrowing behind the ribcage when viewed from above. With pups it is always better to err to the side of thin than fat. If you can feel the spine or the hips are easily palpable then the dog is too light.

I am not sure why you would x-ray a 9 week old pup? The earliest that OFA or Penn Hip will even allow a preliminary report is 4 months, because before that point there is too much change occuring to make a preliminary diagnosis. The closer to a year the dog is, the more valuable (medically speaking) the prelim.

Honestly, I would be suspicious of something neurological that is going on from your initial description, not structural. While I agree to limit overuse is necessary for some dogs, you shouldn't have to treat a puppy like glass either. If you wouldn't take a preschooler on this hike, you probably shouldn't take the pup.

Deanna
(who's male pup didn't keep four feet on the ground unless he had a ball in his mouth)

My question about excercise was along the lines of what an acquaintance did to his dog against all common sense -- running 6 miles a day with the puppy on asphalt, jumping over competition jumps (not the logs the woods), etc.

I know forced excercise of this type is not good for pups.

I have taken my growing GSD for hikes similiar to yours since she was 12 weeks old and she's never had shaky legs like you've described. And the 'growing pains' are very common with these dogs (yup, Bretta had them a bit) and is technically called Panosteitis (or pano). Some info to read up on it is below.

http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/depano.html

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/9911/pano.htm

CALL YOUR BREEDER!

Stephanie

I have a pup at much the same age as you - and i would never dream of taking him for a 2 or so hour hike. Maybe its just me but i think thats way to much exercise for a 7 month old - espesailly one waying 70lbs - maybe his legs are wobbling through pure exaustion - he may well have tons of energy but that doesnt mean his body can keep up with his energy levels. You say that you want to do everything in your power to prevent hd - i would start by cutting out the 2 hr hikes and limit his exersise - its ok for your dog to have energy, you dont have to run him into the ground to get rid of it. Also like i said previously incorporate swimming into his routine - he will benifit greatly from this. Take it easy until hes at least 1yr+ and even then you need to watch his exersise until about 18months.
Also what are you feeding him with and how much
- could it be that your over feeding - some foods contain to much protien for a large breed pup and will make it grow to fast - this could well be a factor to take into consideration.