I have a litter of pups over a week old. close.
1 pup seems to be flat around the brisket/rib area.underneath.
I don't ever see him laying on his back or on his side. He is nursing fine.And active.rarely cries.

When you pick up puppies they are rounded underneath he is flat. His front paws seem to stick up at the ankles, I don't ever see him put his front legs behind him at his side like the others do.

I have never had one like this.And with this one we have those crooked back legs going on.
Which I know he needs to just get walking to straighten them out. Anyone ever seem to have this.?

Called a swimmer pup. There are alot of posts on this.

Oh That actually was going to be my original question.
I thought of putting some egg shells down. Does it get better when they get there eyes open and start moving around better.

It's not going to get better unless you do something to keep him off his stomach. Put the egg crate foam under the bedding with towels over it. Put a "t Shirt" on him and every time you see him on his stomach roll him back on his side. If you want I can send you a picture of a pup with the "t shirt" on and how to make one.
Aloha,
Jackie

Jackie,
Can you share a link on the t-shirt and how to make them? I would love to have it for future reference.
Thanks,
Marci

yes i would love to see a picture of this.sock. He and all the other pups are on the green whelping pad.

Thanks Jackie you can email me this picture of the sock.Anything else that could be helpful to
gotlabs2007@yahoo.com

TIA

I also recommend putting some bathmats in your whelping box but turning them over so the rubber backing is face up. This will provide the swimmer pup and the others with some added traction and really helps to get them moving well.

I find the mats pretty cheap at Ross', which is like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, depending on where you live. I use them in the box and when pups are off to new homes I use them in bathroom, under the dogs water bowls and in crates when I ship dogs between our islands. Being that they're so cheap ($5 or $6), it's no big deal to throw them away when they're worn out.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your swimmer.

Aloha,
Kim

I don't have a link to the picture Marci but i've sent you the picture and instructions through email, I don't like the idea of those rubber bath mats as the pee would stay on the surface and not absorb so I think that would cause staph infections on the bellies of the pups.
Aloha,
Jackie

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Jackie,
Can you share a link on the t-shirt and how to make them? I would love to have it for future reference.
Thanks,
Marci

If your puppy is really a swimmer, what people are saying will help. The problem with swimmers is that the longer the problem persists the harder it is to fix. I am not sure how old this puppy is, but you might want to consider taking it to a vet. Almost any vet I have ever encountered knows how to make a brace with tape that is effective in combating this problem. Sometimes these braces have to be done a few times a week. I have now realized you said a little over. It would not surprise me if the problem corrects itself in a few weeks.

***Joan of Tulgeywood***, can you post Chance's page to show "My Inquiring mind would like to know" how bad a swimmer pup can get if the problem is not addressed immediately?

Joan took in a puppy from someone halfway across the US and got him back up on his feet with A LOT of work and expensive physical therapy at an older age. I don't think anyone expected things to go as well as they did for him given the amount of time he was allowed to lie there and nothing at all was done by the family that had an accidental inbreeding

Fortunately, today he is healthy and with a wonderful family thanks to her hard work, the hard work of the Michigan Labrador rescue and their friends and donations.

I would suggest you put excellent footing down, massage the ribs in a downward motion gently with your thumbs several times a day in your lap and try to have the pup sleep on it's side as often as possible. (you can roll a washcloth behind the pup once on his side) Once he's moving more build hills and valleys with carpet and different sized can's under it for example and help him move up and down them. Also, try not to let the pup become overweight allowing more free movement. If things get worse you may have to "hobble" the pup, something I never had to do but other breeders are more familiar with and have had great success with.

The sooner you address the issue the better the outcome and the faster it will be. Feel free to email me if you need futher assistance and I will do as much as I can i.e. refer you to other breeders familiar with swimmer pups. If you're unsure what to do get to your vet asap for addtl assistance. There is a very high rate of success, the sooner it is addressed (immediately) the better.


I assume this is not your first litter, you have just never seen this prior. It can happen in any litter, I addressed it twice with great success very early and all worked out fine. Also try to Google the term "swimmer pup" and you will get a lot more information.

Best of luck and again get working on him ASAP please.

Thanks oy vey,
Instead of towels to place on his side I am using rice bags.They don't unravel like a towel can.
And I put the little fellow on his side so far several times since i posted this earlier. I had someone email me the sock they put on theirs. And tomarrow when I go to the discount store I will pick up some bath mats.

No I'm not new to breeding. But I have never had a Swimmer.This was also the first year I have had a Singleton so Something like this was sure to happen.

Thanks for your replies.

I just went through this with one of my girls, who is now 4 weeks and running and playing with her litter mates.

First off, you need to get your little on sleeping on it's side. I found this pretty easy to do, every time she nursed as soon as she was on a nipple real well, I would carefully turn her on her side making sure she did not loose the nipple, holding her until she was busy nursing and would stay. Sometimes I rolled a kitchen towel and placed it so she could not roll back on her stomach. When she was sleeping I would turn her on her side, held my hand over her for a minute or two, until she settled back into sleep, I did this every time I found her on her stomach.

When she was 2 1/2 weeks, she was just pulling herself along with her legs out behind her. I found helpful information here in the archives, of using the rubber side of a bathroom rug- thought it worth a try- and she stood and walked the first time! I went out a bought more rugs at Big lots for about $8 each, I also bought a 4x5 kids rug with a rubber backing for $10 and used that a couple of times a day, for exercise(making her walk to get to her mother)I think persistence paid off, when you pick her up now, her rib cage feels no diffrent from the others. You would never know, to look at her, that two weeks ago she had a problem.


You need to keep a watchful eye, for the flat rib cage may lead to aspirated pneumonia- which I lost her brother to, at 3 days- I wish I knew then what I do now- he might have still been here. Good Luck, hope your little one does as well as Aerial!

Patty

I have had many swimmers. To get them up and going I would take the swimmer and work with him at least 3 times a day. I make a path of bathmats with the rubber side up and then I put the flat pup at one end and I go to the other. I tease and call him--using rolled socks and rolled paper teasing the pup towards me, all the while putting those legs under him...one tiny step at a time. I cup my hands and hold them behind him so he can push off from them. They will do this even before their eyses are open.

This past year was also the first time I also wound up with a live singleton (litter of two at birth also a first) after all large litters. Anything can happen if anyone breeds long enough as has been stated to me more than once by a few long time breeders.

So glad to hear you've started to address the issue so quickly. This forum and others can be a great wealth of information for everyone.

You'll see or rather "feel" a difference in a matter of days, the chest will not be as flat (i.e. just from not lying on it.) By the time everyone is up on their feet you will probably have a hard time telling which pup it was except for any markings you have put on him prior.

Best of luck and health to your swimmer pup and the entire litter.


PS If the bag has plastic surrounding it I would wrap a something like a towel around it so the pup doesn't put it's face against something non pourous. Just a thought. I'm a neurotic puppy Momma

A long time breeder friend of mine suggested a treatment that sounded so easy, I didn't believe it could work. After over 25 years of breeding, I learned something! Had I not tried this myself, I would have never believed it could be so simple. I took photos in rapid succession. In the past, I had tried taping, rolled towels, eggcrate mattresses, physical therapy, you name it. This worked faster, better,and with the most ease, than anything I had ever tried.

Turn the rubber side of a rubber-backed rug up, and put it down in the box:
http://www.blueknightlabs.com/swimmerpup/index.html
After a few days, it was no longer needed.

I promise you that this was a swimmer -- flat/deformed chest, flat pelvis, unable to get his legs under him.

Dian Welle
Blue Knight

The Rice bag isn't a bag of Rice.Sorry should of explained it a little better. Actually a sock filled with rice. I have some that are made in flannel for me. field with rice and lavendar/cloves to heat in the microwave for sore knees and muscles.
Really takes the stress away......

But I will make some for this little one. Tube socks you can fill them with corn dried of course.
buckwheat or Rice. makes a nice little sandbag.!!!

Here is the link to the Chance pages. Don't let them scare you. Chance had to be totally ignored for a very long time to get in this extreme conditions.

http://tulgeywoodlabs.com/pages/Chance.html

It sounds like you are getting lots of useful advice. One note on hobbling - never hobble before the other pups in the litter are walking with confidence. Until then it won't help and will only frustrate the pup.

Another thing that was not mentioned, get the pup out in the backyard. The natural surface will provide lots of traction. The irregular surface helps the chest too.

Feel free to write to me if you have other questions.

I went to the link, literally have tears. What an accomplishment for he and his therapists. Good Luck to Chance may he have a long happy wonderful life.