Have anyone had a puppy with this problem ? She trys to stand but can't . She gets up on her front feet and then her back legs spin like wheels . IT SEEMS like she double jointed . She went to the vet and the vet said she was fine . Just needed to strenghen her rear legs . She is the biggest female in the litter very chucky ...Any ideas ???

Sounds like a swimmer, get her on flooring with grip, preferably indoor/outdoor carpeting and don't cut her nails, she may look like the biggest but i'll bet she doesn't weigh anymore than the others.
Aloha,
Jackie

I agree that she's probably a swimmer. Hobble her back legs and put her on bathmats with the rubber on the back. Have that has her surface for a couple of days. She'll be up in a day or two. At her age, I would do it as soon as possible.

I had this with a boy in my last litter. He was a very big boy- his weight was 19 pounds when he went home at 8 weeks. My vet’s conclusion was he was not a swimmer...he just did not have the strength in his hind legs to support his weight. I worked with him many times during the day, helping him stand on the rubber side of a bathroom rug. (Tip from this list) I would also exercise and massage is hind legs. Within days he was able to stand on his own, and taking a few steps on the rug. By then the puppies where old enough to have play time on the living room carpet, and he started walking- but tired faster than the other puppies. At 5 weeks he was right up with his litter mates running and playing- by the time he went home you would never had known he had such a hard time getting on his feet- he now keeps his family very, very busy. LOL! I understand how worried you must feel, if you would like more details on how I worked with him, feel free to email me.

I too had a pup like this, also the biggest pup, in a litter several years ago and thought I may have a swimmer pup, but a few people e-mailed me and told me I just had a fat puppy and sure enough in a few days she was right up on her feet.

Hello what does the hobble look like ? How would i put it on . What should it be made out of.

Please , Let me know the therpy routine ... Thanks so much ...

A hobble consists of a strip of surgical tape (the light weight sticky kind). YOu'll need to wrap the rear legs, one at a time, just below the hock. Then carry it across to the other leg and do the same thing. Leave enough space between the legs so that the tape doesn't restrict the puppy .... about enough space for him to be able to stand in a normal position. This action will make him rest on his side rather than his belly and when he goes to pull himself up onto his feet, they won't slip out from under him. YOu'll need to use a rubber bath mat or something similar so that he can get secure footing. Sometimes, they only need the rubber mat.

I've had lots of 'swimmers" over the years and have never hobbled them. I excerise their rear legs everyday, like riding a bicycle and never had a problem. Personaly I would never hobble a puppy, they seem to get stronger as they grow, I would be fearful I would not hobble them correctly and why do it?

I agree, I would never hobble a pup either unless it was absolutely needed.
Aloha,
Jackie

Interesting that there are different opinions on this subject. Guess I started out so long ago that the only thing offered was to hobble. I've hobbled a couple of puppies over the past 25 years and it's been very successful. The puppies have been up on their feet quickly. In addition, I've added a rubber surface for them be able to grab on to, not trimmed their rear nails, snaked towels under their bedding to create hills and valleys for them to rest against rather than be on their bellies and exercised their legs. Real swimmers need lots of options.

I would not hobble a puppy either. I had two in one litter. Some were up walking a little and these two still pulled themselves around. Did the egg crate mattress under the covers. Took them out to the carpet each day a couple of times. Let them crawl over the dog bed, big round bed. When I saw them sleeping flat would turn on side. At five weeks still not the best. But after that, they were up and you could not pick them out of the crowd. Over two now and fine.

When you say hobble just exactly what do you mean?
How would I do this safely? I work with her get her to stand for a few seconds then her back legs slowly go to the sides and she will crawl with her frount legs.
Thanks

Faith... What did you use to hobble them with ? This girl is a monster puppy and shes lazy . I hold her in my lap and do bicycle exercises and Hold her legs under her 4 about five minutes 3 x each day . I do bath mats and outdoor rugs so she can grip . I want to do both because exercise strengthens the legs and holding them together keeps her from doing splits .

To hobble a puppy, I use the light weight sticky surgical tape that comes in different colors. That's the best description I can think of. I lightly wrap the tape just below the hock on one side and snip it. Then I do the same on the other side. Lastly, I cut a piece of tape the width of the puppies natural stance and connect it to the tape on each leg. This is not cruel or mean. It helps the puppy to get up. If you need to do this for more than a day or two, you'll just want to snip the piece in between the legs and make it a bit wider. I've found that hobbling encourages the puppy to rest on his side as well as aids him in getting up and gaining strength in his rear legs. If I don't do this, no matter how hard I try or how often I turn him on his side, he still manages to flatten himself out again if he's not hobbled. I also put towels in the whelping box or x-pen, fluffy toys and anything else I can think of for him to rest against so he isn't flat. The other thing I do that really helps is to put a rubber surface down for the puppy to get a better grip. I, too, bicycle his legs several times a day and I rest him in the palms of my hands and gently turn him from side to side. There will be a slight pressure on his sides as you turn him and I was told that this would help also. Whether it's right or wrong, I've always had success hobbling when I've had a swimmer puppy. Muriel P. Lee's book on breeding has a good drawing of this. Google "swimmer puppies" and you'll find other ways of dealing with this also that use a sock. I could never get the hang of that though.

Hobbles are not neccessary 99% of the time.
Do yourself and your puppy a favor and get the egg crate foam pads for under a mattress and line the box with it. Your baby will be up in 3 days!
Hobbles are torture and stressful for the bitch and her puppy.