Baxter's angluar limb deformity (This time with a picture, I hope.)

[OnionPatch]

I posted about my dog's angular leg deformity a few months ago but didn't have pictures. I don't think many people even knew what I was talking about. Maybe the picture will help. I'm wondering if anyone here has had a dog who had angular limb deformity and whether they had surgery and if the surgery helped. We discovered it too late to fix it while he was a puppy, which is the preferred time, I understand. But they say a similar surgery could perhaps help him now. He's about a year old.

The deformity is somewhat common in dachshunds because of the breeding selection for short legs. Baxter is half dachshund. What happens is one of the long bones in the front legs stops growing prematurely and the other keeps growing, causing the foreleg to twist out. It can cause a lot of damage to the joints. Poor little guy.

I'd love to hear from anyone who had a similar issue with their dog. Thanks.

[Voice for Peace]

1. awwww.. I have seen this before, but no personal knowledge about it.

is it painful for him? what a grand dog.

[OnionPatch]

2. I think it probably is painful.

He limps a lot, sometimes worse than other times so yeah I think it must hurt him.

Thanks, he's a great little guy!

[livetohike]

3. Aww Baxter....so cute!

I don't have any information for you, but just support and for you both. If there is a surgery for it, it's probably better to get it done as soon as possible, while he is young. Please keep us updated

[OnionPatch]

4. We will soon.

The doc said once its too late for the puppy surgery it's best to wait until they're at least a year old. I guess because he'll be in a cast for six weeks and can't be allowed to be too active. We're trying to find a specialist now.

Thanks for the support!

[TorchTheWitch]

5. If you can afford it I'd say do the surgery

That's quite a major deformity and would be surprised if it didn't hurt him already but would most probably cause him troubles in the future anyway. Orthopedic surgery can do really amazing things these days.

I had an old neighbor with a Basset Hound that had a similar front leg deformity seeing as they're stubby legged dogs as well, but it wasn't nearly that bad. He got surgery to correct his leg (I think actually both front legs were done since the other one was messed up too but not as bad). Next time I saw him after he was all healed up I thought they got a new younger dog. He was suddenly so sprightly (I had thought he was just really old and arthritic), and after the surgery they didn't have to tie his long ears back behind his head anymore when out walking so they didn't drag on the sidewalk... having his front legs straightened lifted his whole front end up so that his ears came up off the ground as well.

He's a really cute doggie, and despite his deformity he still looks happy and healthy otherwise. I'd definitely see about having the surgery done if it's something that's affordable for you.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. I have no personal experience with this,

but from the picture, I would say that I would have surgery done on the leg. The surgery and recovery sounds like a difficult thing to go through, but I would bet that Baxter would be much better off after it is over. He is still young, and should heal well.

[get the red out]

7. Hoping for the best for you

I have seen a dog with that before, but did not know the owners except that they had just adopted him (they were the neighbors of a friend).

I wish you the best, he has just a wonderful little facial expression, looks like a great dog.

[OnionPatch]

8. Thanks. Yep, he's loaded with personality.

We love him like crazy. I hope they really can help him.

[dendres]

9. curious

I have a Dachshund puppy who seems to be developing the same condition in both front legs as Baxter (too cute!!!). She is only 9 mths old and it seems to be getting worse by the week. I am seeing an orthopedic this week to check into surgical options. I was curious to see if Baxter had his leg repaired or did you opt not to have it done? How is he doing now 9 mths since your last post? Don't think I can bare to see this 7 pound dog in pain for her lifetime as you can propably understand. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

[gopiscrap]

10. I grew up with a wiener dog

We lived in Germany, France and Pakistan before coming to the US...that dog was smart. It knew a few commands in 4 different languages. He died when he was 19 years old. I love Dachshunds!!!!

[gopiscrap]

11. BTW welcome to DU

[OnionPatch]

12. The orthopedist said that surgery may not help him.

His bones have grown curved, so even surgery may not give him relief and may even leave him worse off. Then we also talked to some people who had the same problem and the surgery didn't help their dog all that much, so we've been very hesitant to put him (and our wallets) though all that. If the chances it will help were better, we would do it. He's a rocket dog in spite of his deformity. It doesn't seem to slow him down a bit.

Are the bones growing curved on your pup? That's so sad. But I would definitely take her to an orthopedic surgeon and see what they say. It may be that your dog would benefit from the surgery. I wish you all the luck in the world.

[meti57b]

14. Our cats-only veterinarian, has several smallish pooches of her own.....

Each one of these pooches is missing a leg (front or back), she also has a pooch missing two front legs. To get around, the two-legged pooch stands on his back legs to take a couple steps, then lowers the front of his body to the floor, then does it all again. The three-legged pooches seem to have no problem at all in getting around. They all look happy and are enjoying life. She apparently adopts these special little dogs because she knows they still have a good life ahead of them.

If you cannot repair your pooch's leg, there are still options for him.

May he be healed and may he live a long, happy life with you.

[Sunlei]

13. If it doesn't slow him down & no pain, I would not do surgery at this time.

Sounds like you have a very good Vet specialist.

Such a beautiful dog, love his sweater!

[CitizenLeft]

15. what a beautiful sweet boy

I have no answers, but I wish you and Baxter the best, whatever decision you make. He looks like a real lover!

[Grateful for Hope]

16. Such a sweet looking boy

I know nothing about this but wanted to comment that he looks so happy. He is probably not even aware that this is a problem. It's obvious that he has been raised with much love.

I hope you find the answer you are looking for.

[Charlie Poo]

17. Did you ever decide on the surgery??

Hi,
I am going through the same exact thing with my 7 month old terrier mix Charlie. It seems like such a HARD decision to make. Did you ever decide to get the surgery for Baxter?

Please help!

[OnionPatch]

18. No, we didn't have the surgery.

Or I should say "surgeries" because it would have taken multiple surgeries (and thousands of dollars that we don't have.) There was no guarantee that the surgery would help much. In fact, the specialist said he would never have a normal leg. I may have tried to borrow the money or something if the chances for real improvement were better. We struggled for a long time with the decision not to.

I'm sorry poor Charlie is suffering from this. But maybe he has better prospects than Baxter does/did. Have you seen the vet? What did they say? I think if you do decide to get the surgery, it might be better to do it as soon as possible. And I would find a specialist who knows what they're doing. We couldn't find a good one that wasn't hours away from us, which was another part of our decision. Baxter doesn't ride well in cars. At all. But he's a happy, active dog and he doesn't let it slow him down a bit. We'll just have to deal with what comes along if he starts to have troubles.