Do his legs look normal? - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

Shell81 · 01-24-2013, 02:12 PM

I know...I'm a tech, I should know this but when it comes to Bruce I lose all sense of logic. He was sitting kind of funny earlier today, and ever since then I have myself convinced he is knuckling over. I have stared at his legs for so long that I have lost perspective completely, so I took a couple pics for your opinions. Hopefully I am just losing my mind. You know how when you say a word over and over it loses all meaning? That's how I feel with how much I've been obsessing over his legs today.

avianantics · 01-24-2013, 02:28 PM

He looks fine to me. Nice tight feet and judging by the size of his knees, he's got some growing to do. That said -- I had problems with Lola knuckling over, but initially it wasn't apparent all the time. One minute I would think she was knuckling over and then the next minute she looked fine. After a day or two it became apparent she was starting to knuckle over all the time. It happens quickly, but it also is fixed just as quickly. I followed (some of) the Great Dane Lady's recommendations (I only did the food change & probiotics) and within a few days she was back to normal.

Just watch him or maybe make some changes proactively. Hug to you both.

tucknroll · 01-24-2013, 02:32 PM

I'm a bit lost... What exactly is "knuckling over", how does it start and what are symptoms? How does one fix it?

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Sam1491 · 01-24-2013, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucknroll

I'm a bit lost... What exactly is "knuckling over", how does it start and what are symptoms? How does one fix it?

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Carpal Flexural Deformity, aka knuckling over or bowed legs

**Brandy&Melanie** · 01-24-2013, 02:57 PM

Does anyone have a picture of what tight feet look like as compared to splayed feet?

LindaH · 01-24-2013, 02:59 PM

N.O.R.M.A.L
rrreeelllaaaxxx....you're reading tooo much DT

**MeadowCat** · 01-24-2013, 03:05 PM

Funny - I was doing the exact same thing with Richter, then realized it was all in my head

Shell81 · 01-24-2013, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avianantics

He looks fine to me. Nice tight feet and judging by the size of his knees, he's got some growing to do. That said -- I had problems with Lola knuckling over, but initially it wasn't apparent all the time. One minute I would think she was knuckling over and then the next minute she looked fine. After a day or two it became apparent she was starting to knuckle over all the time. It happens quickly, but it also is fixed just as quickly. I followed (some of) the Great Dane Lady's recommendations (I only did the food change & probiotics) and within a few days she was back to normal.

Just watch him or maybe make some changes proactively. Hug to you both.

Thanks

I think I'll just keep an eye on him for now. I am super gun shy about changing his food. The one time I tried to change him we wound up with a flare up of pano (started in the left leg, then flared up in the right leg a few days later), and a UTI. Now I know that it may have had nothing to do with the food, but combine that with the fact that he started getting itchy,and shedding more, and I freaked out and put him back on TOTW (high prairie puppy).

It was a good quality food we tried also, but he just seems to do better on TOTW. Although it has 28% protein so that gives me something to obsess over as far as the knuckling over lol. Poor Bruce has an OCD mom who knows too much (I swear being a tech sucks when it comes to my own pets, I think waaaaay too much about stuff).

Quote:

Originally Posted by LindaH

N.O.R.M.A.L
rrreeelllaaaxxx....you're reading tooo much DT

haha, yes I think I am. I don't really know what put the thought in my head today, but I just couldn't shake it. I still keep looking at him, and then have to tell myself to chill out lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeadowCat

Funny - I was doing the exact same thing with Richter, then realized it was all in my head

Lol, we can be paranoid together.

jdd · 01-24-2013, 03:36 PM

Don't see any knuckling over at all. If anything, just the opposite. A little down in his pasterns. But really just looks normal.

AgileDobe · 01-24-2013, 03:43 PM

Nice feet

Everything actually looks quite good.

If he was beginning to knuckle over you would start to see a sloping of the pastern (the short portion of leg immediately above the foot). The pastern would be tipped forward and would be angled over the toes. Your boy has a slight slope to his pasterns (good direction), if it was angled the other way, that would be knuckling over. Knuckling over happens as there is instability in the wrist joint (at the top of the pastern) which causes it to flex or bend as seen in dogs who are knuckling over.

For Splayed vs. Tight feet:

ETA: Take a look at the bottom of this page: http://www.dpca.org/JEC/illustrated_...requarters.htm
It includes several illustrations for correct and incorrect pasterns and feet, including one that is knuckling over.

Shell81 · 01-24-2013, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdd

Don't see any knuckling over at all. If anything, just the opposite. A little down in his pasterns. But really just looks normal.

I notice that from time to time with him as well (that he is a little down in the pastern). I was actually just looking at that now as he ate his dinner lol.

Thanks everyone for reassuring me that I am just crazy, and obsessing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AgileDobe

Nice feet

Everything actually looks quite good.

If he was beginning to knuckle over you would start to see a sloping of the pastern (the short portion of leg immediately above the foot). The pastern would be tipped forward and would be angled over the toes. Your boy has a slight slope to his pasterns (good direction), if it was angled the other way, that would be knuckling over. Knuckling over happens as there is instability in the wrist joint (at the top of the pastern) which causes it to flex or bend as seen in dogs who are knuckling over.

For Splayed vs. Tight feet:

Thank you for this description! If anything his pasterns slope a little too much at times, but they certainly are not angled the other way.

dglvr · 01-24-2013, 06:43 PM

I agree.. I see no knuckling.. but I think we must all have gone through that imaginary puppy stage where we think we see it and then a week later, they look perfectly normal again.

Shell81 · 01-24-2013, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dglvr

I agree.. I see no knuckling.. but I think we must all have gone through that imaginary puppy stage where we think we see it and then a week later, they look perfectly normal again.

I have to admit it's nice to know I'm not the only insane dobe parent here

I embarrass myself sometimes...being a tech I absolutely should (and do) know better, but when it comes to Bruce my mind goes into overdrive. I swear I stared at his legs for so long today I didn't even know what I was looking at anymore, let alone if it was normal lol.

RedFawnRising · 01-25-2013, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shell81

I have to admit it's nice to know I'm not the only insane dobe parent here

I embarrass myself sometimes...being a tech I absolutely should (and do) know better, but when it comes to Bruce my mind goes into overdrive. I swear I stared at his legs for so long today I didn't even know what I was looking at anymore, let alone if it was normal lol.

It's always different when it's one of our own.

I can be the calmest, most rational emergency handler ever...with other folks' pets.

With one of mine, I can't do a quick banamine dose calculation, even. Have to use one of my lifelines, every time

And I'll just ditto--he looks fine.

Shell81 · 01-25-2013, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedFawnRising

It's always different when it's one of our own.

I can be the calmest, most rational emergency handler ever...with other folks' pets.

With one of mine, I can't do a quick banamine dose calculation, even. Have to use one of my lifelines, every time

And I'll just ditto--he looks fine.

Yep, that's me. I actually thrive in the (crazy busy) emergency setting, but if it's one of my guys...heaven help me I'm useless (at first, I can usually bring myself around to assess the situation but it takes a lot of concentration).