Labrador Retriever Forum
I have a pup who always bunny hops at high speed also has difficulty with stairs, and I feared there was something wrong with the hips. X-rays suggest they are excellent!
So much for that! I always thought that bunny hopping was synonymous with HD. Apparently not.
Check his knees. Usually when a dog bunny hops there could be an issue with a knee for example a luxating patella.
Thanks! The vet did "elbows" at the same time and she said they were good. Would that be the same thing? I'd have thought they were on the front {LOL} This may sound foolish, but hubby took pup for X-rays.
No, the knee is the rear leg's big joint - the patella is the knee-cap and can slip, though not as common with Labs as with small breeds. Look HERE - it's the stifle joint on this picture.
Many thanks for the info. It would seem obvious that the vet would have checked knees in this case. I think hubby got it wrong, but I'll call the vet just to double check.
I'm sure the vet xrayed hips and elbows. The knee or stifle joint (rear leg) problems are mostly non-bony issues, so can't really be xrayed to determine a problem like hips and elbows. Either an MRI or arthroscopic surgery is required to diagnose most problems.
BTW - how old is this dog?
BTW - how old is this dog?
Oh thank you very much for this info. The dog is 16 months old.
Definitely check the knees, could also very likely be a torn or partially torn cruciate ligament.
Check hocks.
And if the vet who did the xrays did not check anything past the hips, I'd be looking for a new vet!
A Cruciate would be my guess, I have seen this several times.
I agree....most likely a partial cruciate tear....if the cruciate has a complete tear you would see more lameness or he would be on three legs. With partial tears the dog learns to compensate by hopping because the knee is not fully stable.
My dog with excellent hips and OCD of the hocks bunny hopped.
Honestly I doubt OCD of the hocks, almost without exception with OCD the hocks would be swollen and it would be very obvious there was an issue.
Mine with hock problems bunny hopped but was not swollen at the joint. And in another case what I was sure to be a hock problem mainly because the hocks were swollen turned out not to be at all. Go figure.
Took a good year for the swelling to show up with my dog. First symptom was bunny hopping. I hope you figure out the cause OP.
Thanks for all the suggestions. This dog has bunny hopped (only when running at high speed) since he was a little puppy. No limping, no swelling. He has been examined thoroughly by one vet and, presumably, examined by the vet who took the X-rays.
So much for that! I always thought that bunny hopping was synonymous with HD. Apparently not.
Bunny hop is the result of the dog trying to evenly distribute the weight because there is pain somewhere in the rear legs. Knees do not usually produce bunny hop. OCD in the hocks (ankle) does produce bunny hop type movement. It is very common to see very good hips in dogs with bad hocks. You can diagnose OCD in the hocks with x-rays. Most times the joint looks enlarged.
I finally talked to the vet who did the X-rays. She says she examined the rear legs and could not find anything physically wrong with them. I asked about hocks and patella's and she said the hocks were fine and that she would probably have noticed if the patella's popped out when she was positioning him for the X-rays, of which there were three.
So at least I knew the questions to ask, thanks to all of you!
I still have a dog who hesitates on the stairs and needs assistance getting into and out of the car, but we are working on some exercises to strengthen and bring more awareness about those rear legs.
Take him to a specialist. He is telling you that he has a problem, you just need to find it.
Good luck!
Good luck!
There IS something amiss. It appears there is not enough power in the back legs. If he really wants to get up the steps without thinking too much, he will power up them with most of the weight on the front because the back legs are almost dragging. When holding him up on those hind legs (standing behind) with my arms around the top of his chest, there is tremendous strength in the front legs which somehow grab onto my arms and attempt to lift him off the ground!
If it's a hock problem, can it be fixed with an operation?
I fear that it may be neurological.
Since the joints seem to have been thoroughly examined and cleared, and if it is an Orthopaedic issue, problem is likely to be in the spine. I would have more X-rays and/or MRI imaging done.
I agree with the person who said to take him to an orthopedic specialist. There is somnething very wrong and your vet is missing it.
Many thanks. I asked that the vet look at the spine on the X-rays that she took, just in case there was something visibly wrong with the spine in that area. Maybe she needed a picture from above, but it was a thought.....
MRI sounds expensive!!!
Complete cruciate tears don't always render the dog lame. My under one year old (at the time) female had a complete tear on her right side and a partial tear on her left. As someone who developed an eye for recognizing lameness through my life as a horse person, I could see her off-loading weight to her left side. To the lay eye, she was NOT visibly lame the majority of the time. The orthopedic surgeon who evaluated her (who is one of the foremost academics in canine orthopedics) was shocked at how slight her limp was and was surprised she was mobile given her injuries. She had bilateral TTA surgery shortly after the diagnosis and WALKED out to greet me when I picked her up at the end of the day.
ETA: I don't agree that bunny hopping can't be indicative of cruciate tear. A dog I bred had a torn cruciate and presented with a bunny hop. (And before anyone lays into me, the female I am talking about above is from totally different lines; I bought her and she is not related to the puppy I bred who had a cruciate tear.)
Good luck!
There IS something amiss. It appears there is not enough power in the back legs. If he really wants to get up the steps without thinking too much, he will power up them with most of the weight on the front because the back legs are almost dragging. When holding him up on those hind legs (standing behind) with my arms around the top of his chest, there is tremendous strength in the front legs which somehow grab onto my arms and attempt to lift him off the ground!
If it's a hock problem, can it be fixed with an operation?
I fear that it may be neurological.
Have the hocks been x-rayed?
The hocks have not been X-ray'd
That would be my next step.
"MRI sounds expensive!!!"
Make friends with an equine vet with some good toys!! An MRI will show a chip or tear that won't show up on an X-ray.
Good luck! Are you sure he isn't part Jack Russell and is just messin' with you??
Make friends with an equine vet with some good toys!! An MRI will show a chip or tear that won't show up on an X-ray.
Good luck! Are you sure he isn't part Jack Russell and is just messin' with you??
Will have to look out for that good equine vet!
He quite possibly could be messing with me! He's a bit of a slow starter and we suspect "linkage" (neuro) problems between the brain and the eyes and the brain and the rear legs. He has no problem finding his food dish and can run and play with other dogs just fine!
Seriously, he has a good life and seems very happy, it's just the steps and the car that slow him down and we help him so it's no biggie. We just worried that if there was something wrong and fixable, we should find out now.
Thanks to all who offered suggestions.
