Don't give up on your boy! Swim therapy is still a good idea for strengthening the legs, but the hardest part is over, so congratulations on that.He will be wobbly for a few days to a week but should quickly catch up with his peers now. Thus, vets would normally tell fur parents to ignore them. Have you introduced any solid foods yet?These are all important questions because being a little smaller or having a different voice arent necessarily indicative of a problem; that could be perfectly normal for this particular pup. Since she was so sick we bottle fed, and I think this is what went wrong. The first step to treatment is beginning as soon as possible. They can rapidly crawl using their front legs when mama is around, and they do not have any rib cage abnormality either! I have a hard time picking him out of the crowd now. But they don't cause the problems that ribs that have broken into pieces can. You are doing everything right! Do you think it's because he is a little fat for his age?Thanks againYvonne. Hes going 8 weeks next friday and you cannot see hes ever been disable at all!I used an old sock most of the time and made holes for the legs and neck. Hello don't give up I have a 12 week golden that just start to run,,have the kids throw toys and let him chase it..make sure they play with him on a rug,,baths will help his legs hold him so he can swim,,i can call you if you need any help let me know..i did not tie his legs up. puppy moves with legs splayed out to the side in what has been compared to a swimmers breast stroke. However, the twisted stomach is sealed off and although the dog retches or attempts to vomit, he brings nothing up other than drooled saliva. We are forcing him to lay on his side, and are starting to keep his legs together with tape and velcro. $30.99. I hope you never experience it again, too, but as you said, if it should happen, you have the tools to fix it quickly and save all your puppies. I have read all of this info aswell as other sites & it seems that my boy has a problem with both front & back legs, both are splayed. There can be several causes of a lump on a dog's rib cage and the only way to know for sure what you are dealing with is having the vet evaluate the lump. I hope you are having success with the tips we've posted here, Marilyn. And do they feel too loose? Have you had a vet check her hind legs? Please let me know if I can help you at all. I'm sorry for your lost puppy, but we can save this new one!Keep him on his side most of the time, especially when sleeping and eating. I dont see any improvement yet. This is most obvious on the left side. Im going to continue the swim therapy every day until he is actually walking well, it wont hurt. It sounds like hes doing fine with just the hobble tape, so I would continue with that for another day or two -- or three -- until hes stronger. I will contact Coreen. He was so very tense and stiff, and by massaging him I was able to release the muscles and get him to relax into a normal body position. Thanks for a great blog!/Maria. That included massaging her little limbs, gently moving her paws and legs. the hand. But in this article, youll find the answers. Willupdate you. The puppies never stayed on their side, always on their stomach and their chests are flat+they do not walk/stand so it is without a doubt swimmer syndrome. Any pharmacy should have some brand of it.Position the pup on its side and straighten the hind legs down and away from the belly in a typical standing position. Most of the ideas are for older pups He is so tiny I dont know if I should try the sock method I am kinda panickedI put him on his side while nursing that works for awhile,, but then he crawls away and lands on his belly. Even though you may consider the deformed concave chest to be exceptional, it is more common than you think. Pearson JL. Exaggerated lowness interferes with the desired freedom of movement and should be penalized. At this age, you may be able to simply hobble the front legs with a bit of surgical tape. Though one of them is active and nurses on his side and even sleeps on his side sometimes, he's still mostly splayed and not many attempts to get up or walk. . Before realized what was going on with them I would put a wet cloth underneath him and this would help him and he would breath normally. The most common indicator of the condition is a dent in the chest. When a kitten is flat chested they often suffer from another condition known as pectus excavatum (PE) which is . Thats exactly why I maintain this blog. Thank You, Thank You,My Grandpa called me tonight and said that it looks like he has to put down one of his 4 wk old Golden retreiver pups (out of ch bloodlines no less) cause his rib cage is flat and his legs aren't normal. They can diagnose the situation of the skeletal construction correctly. The risks of pectus excavatum in puppies are nothing to be messed with. Sock method: This is similar to putting a life vest or harness on the pup. Have tried to have them in a smaller bow where they can not lie full length on their bellies but they crawl on the sides and fall asleep like that=on their stomach. He just wants to lie on his belly and his ribs are definitely flattened, one side much worse than the other. Thanks again. Dont let your puppy suffer and live badly. His chest is round now also. Nevertheless, a study has registered the hereditary occurrence of inverted chest deformity in littermate dogs. The only known reason why its shorter is to have a link to their spinal cord. Was it there all this time? Practice makes perfect.Please let us know how your boy is doing, and good luck.~LabMama, Hi, I have a litter of only 2 staffy pups & just realized yesterday that the boy is a swimmer. PLEASE do not harness the puppies yet; nine days old is much too young. However someone who didn't know about his past couldn't see or feel anything abnormal.He now has an owner who has been waiting for a puppy from this bitch for a long time - this was the bitch's last litter (no swimmers before, now a really small litter for a retriever - only two pups) so the owner is happier than ever that he became normal :) And so are we :)So thank you Labmama for your support!Best regardsAnna. See how the foam is wedged against his leg from shoulder to elbow? I just kept putting him on his side several times a day (actually just put him between two of the other pups to help keep him on his sides for a while anyway) it wasn't even a complete week and hes sleeping on his side now all by himself. The idea is never to lay her on a flat surface. If you dont have a carpet, egg crate liners have been shown to help promote ease of balance and increase traction. I am going to try to box/basket trick aswell as massaging as he is very rigid.I would really appreciate your advice, I am so worried about losing him. Sign up and discover how you can improve your physical and mental wellbeing once and for all. I was told he had a hard time going up stairs when I picked him up on 10-17. If the lungs are accidentally penetrated, that may result in pneumothorax. Its the other one that I am worried about. Ok thank you. I know he wants to so badly run around and play, and he just can't. Also bear in mind that 3 1/2 month old pups -- especially larger breed pups -- are awkward and uncoordinated because they are growing so fast. Thank you. The male is straight now so no need for that on him. You only need to leave him this way for about two days; he should adjust and start doing it on his own after that. He has a squishy lump on his side by his rib cage. The girl stood up today and walked with the help of the harness. I added a picture.. you can see how his back legs are splayed out. 1989;25(5):595605. The earlier you treat the symptoms, the more promising the outcome for your pup to live a healthy adult life. I might just give her a couple more days to show some room for improvement as i m a little worried about getting the rig wrong and causing more problems.Thank u so much for the reply i ve tried everyone including 2 vets and their attitude is if she doesnt learn to walk on her own there is nothing much they can do for her. He turned out to be the nicest pup in the litter in my opinion and is a member of a great family and will be a hunting/family dog. It a sign of severe underlying lung disease or damage, so the symptoms generally relate to the cause. I forgot to mention he is 6 weeks today. Its rainy season here in India(sultry/humid-hot or clammy-cold) and we cant really get him in water for any water-therapy. And to make this easy, imagine this scenario: Your playful pooch is running along the stairs. You can squeeze it and he doesn't seem to be in any pain. He started screaming so bad that he was gasping for air. The ribs don't curve in the normal way but curve back outwards again. Please tell me what I am doing wrong or what I can inprove on. I thought perhaps there was a structural problem with the hind legs causing some of complications - but only if they could walk on their own. Apocrine Cysts: These cysts are caused by obstructed skin glands. He gets them under him but them one hind leg will sort of give out and then he falls flat over again. The males are still wobbly. They are always flat on their tummies, with all 4 legs splayed out. Sophisticated testing may be needed to determine whether the whelp actually suffers a defect in the I'm keeping it on her just a few days longer, then she won't need it any more.I can see why this works so well. Common sense says, dont breed a swimmer. a potential swimmer and should be watched. The dog's chest appears concave or flat. He has been walking for a few days now. Do you think she needs them taping or shall i let her try ro strengthen them for a few days and see if time improves the issue? Did "fudge" ever do this? I started tying their feet together as you talked about at 3 weeks. If you have any questions or problems, please don't hesitate to post hereI get notice of new comments so I should be able to respond quickly.Your 'baby' should have a long, healthy life ahead. Floating ribs are easier to spot in these 11 breeds compared to others. Watching your swimmer pups diet is necessary to ward off obesity. Are there litter mates to compare this pup with?Ill help you any way I can but I need to understand whats happening. Should I hobble the back legs or would that be counter productive for a puppy who is already moving around? I kept putting them on there sides and working with them and all of them are just fine clean bill of health! This issue happens if the bones arent properly aligned. You may need to bottle feed her if shes having problems. The diaphragm is a muscle flat sheet of muscle that helps a horse breathe. }. I have been massaging him, laying him on his side, doing swimming therapy and supporting him in a sling suspended so that his feet make contact with the ground. If his hind legs are splayed, you may be able to *fix* him with a bit of surgical tape by wrapping it around the back legs. Thus, it seems to react along with your poochs spine. What if my dog seems to be in pain? I dont know if I have done it right, and i am worried that he may be in pain as he was shaking before, maybe because he is uncomfortable.. Little rosie is doing alot better. Pectus excavatum in the dog (a case report). Specialists also listed two other less critical post-operative problems. The sternum, or chest bone, is a long flat bone located in the center of the thorax, and the costal cartilages are the cartilages that connect the chest bone with the ends of the ribs. I have tried and tried to get him to lay on his side while nursing and he fights and screams and flips right back to his stomach. Thanx, Labmama! So I went to another one. They can assess whether your dog can recover with regular treatment or if they need more than that. It is otherwise known as a funnel chest. Removing him from the litter and putting him on his side (you might try the basket/box method) is also a great idea.I would give it a while - perhaps even a week or so - to 'sink in' with your pup. My husband is having surgery in the morning and we have been frantic trying to prepare everything for him. Im thrilled to hear your success story; thanks for sharing it! Thank you for updating all of us on the success of your pup. We only had a H U G E girl which looked too fat and she cannot move easily. thank you,,beckey. I put the sponges on her side of the rib cage as the vet advised me that their breathing causes the sternum (breast bone) to go into the body, not like ours' that goes out. Dogs born with pectus excavatum often exhibit breathing difficulties. full time. :-/, Hello, my mother is a miniature schnauzer breeder and our litter is 4 weeks old. 2022 [cited 2022 Dec 4]. Will this correct once he gets up on his feet and moving well? If you have any other questions or concerns, let me know. The puppy is unable to stand or walk by three weeks of age; Because the chest flattens, the heart and other organs are pushed up into the pleural cavity. he walks only with his front legs dragging the rear part of his body. I made him a shirt with an ankle support and foam and that lasted about 3 minutes. Is there some kind of sling that will help her use the back legs. Also, now while wearing it, she sleeps more on her back than her sides, is that okay? The keel, also known as the body, is the bone between the dog's front legs, while the xiphoid process takes up the rear of the sternum. We use a womens sock with sponges at their chest and sides. In appearance, the middle of the chest appear to be flat or concave, rather than slightly convex. Hi there! I have no pictures of the hobble tape technique because I didnt use it with Fudge, but I will try to describe it well enough for you to do it yourself. HiWe have got two four day old pups which we are hand feeding every hour or so, on demand!.Their mother is a very small Maltese Shitzu (5 yr old) first time mumShe has rejected them since a few hours after ceasarian birththe pregnancy was accidental.the apricot male pup - Wilbur is doing very well moving around very swiftly, but his sister, Sheeba (black) is much smallerWe have noticed that Sheebas two back legs are splayed out at the back & don't move now since day 2, looking alot like frog legs. Its another day of enjoyable bonding with your dog. Become A Charter Member! I live in France and the disease here is more or less unknown so seeing a vet will not do any good. It has been suggested to me to have her put down but I cant, she is so gorgeous. He should quickly (3-4 days) get the hang of it, and once he is sleeping and nursing properly, the ribcage will correct itself as he grows.You are SO ahead of the game by catching it early! I started this website in 2015 to share my pectus excavatum story with the world. I also massaged her legs and the bottom of her back.Thank you so much! I just wrote an article about Swimming Puppy Syndrome and I linked it to this blog. [The Ultimate Guide], The Best Veterinarian Near Me: Your Search Ends Here, The puppy is unable to stand or walk by three, Because the chest flattens, the heart and other organs are pushed up into the pleural cavity. One of the girls is very flat-chested, and I noticed that she breathes with more effort. We took everything off and constructed a new variation of your sock method, by sewing the padding on the outside of the sock, therefore allowing the chest to expand, but also by keeping the puppy off her chest and onto her side. If you notice the following symptoms, contact your vet immediately. If they do have this, try touching the area. These deformations can compress the heart and lungs, lessening pulmonary and cardiac capacity. I just realized last night that one of my puppies is swimmer. Thanks again for all your help and hope these pictures help some others with the same problem. that is big enough for the pup to lay on his SIDE, but NOT big enough for him to lay on his belly. Thank you. Diagnosing pectus excavatum deformity in dogs can be done in three ways: The clinical symptoms are associated with heart and lung compression. External splinting for treatment of pectus excavatum in a dog with right ventricular outflow obstruction. The ear is closed at birth but the inner ear is rich in nerve endings that send electrical impulses to the infant brain. There are other possible causes for her lameness that could be ruled out by an x-ray and/or physical exam.Does she lay on or sleep on her side? But now I notice she will pull her self up with from legs and when I hold her she will use her back legs and pop but she don't seem to have stringht to walk with them. In addition to reporting for a major newspaper chain, she has been published in "Horse News," "Suburban Classic," "Hoof Beats," "Equine Journal" and other publications. Our female just had one pup (other litters were 9, 9, & 6). That's because the rib cage, made up of 12 pairs of ribs, doesn't fully attach to other bones in the same way at all points. That is the normal and natural position for nursing pups. This may take more than a few tries. I found out about this syndrome the same way you did; our vet didnt even know what he was looking at.Im thrilled you found the information useful - thats why I maintain this site. I found this site, and made the t-shirt 'rig', today which works well. As you can see, the skeletal abnormalities of the pectus excavatum will lead to the squeezing of the organs in the breast. I just want to kiss every little snout! Loin short. Thanks a lot. and here are some pictures of before and with the rig on. Jo. Carole, that is wonderful news! 1. In fact, all dogs have them too. Swimmer Puppy Syndrome is most commonly seen in small or dwarf dog breeds. Yes, in rare cases they can cause pain in dogs. I will try to help you. Barbara J. Andrews, Publisher TheDogPlace.org. All the best. Hi, Thank you for your reply. :-(, No problem at all. I massage his legs everyday. And that would be: having a swollen chest. Get up to $60 off. If I bind the hind legs together, will they be able to move and try and walk then? You are SO far ahead now because you recognized a potential problem early and did the intervention. I realized 1 pup had the problem at 3 weeks of age and by the next week he was walking with hobbles on his rear legs then a few days later was all caught up with the other pups. He is a fat puppy (only one in the litter) and I think it takes a little longer. Youll see that they have 13 ribs. Thank youStacy (Australia), Stacy, I had a similar situation with Fudge. i need advice, i have a 4 week old shih tzu with the syndrome. According to research, a case of floating ribs leads to severe pain. The costal cartilages and the sunken breastbone are more flexible in younger dogs. ( found it on that cocker spanial site as well). Due to their overexcitement, they missed a step. And now, if you look at the bone structure of dogs. A dog normally has 13 pairs of ribs that come down from the spine's thoracic vertebrae to the breastbone, or sternum. I have a swimmer who is just 4 weeks old. It is believed that rib flaring is caused by the diaphragm pushing the lower cartilage of the rib cage outwards. Warning: If their chest feels soft, theres a chance that their lungs got damaged. I started using the t-shirt method today but he is slipping out. Thanks for replying. I am 35 weeks pregnant and about to lose my mind. his hind legs are laid flat spreading out perpendicular to his body. You are trying all the right things and I will help you in any way I can. 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