German shepherd puppy with cow hock
angelo lamonaca
Germany. I would appreciate it if somebody can shed some light on this subject.
We have been getting conflicting information and are having problems sorting
this all out.
We got Hans in the beginning of December when he was two months old. When we
picked him up we did not notice that he had cow hock. As he got bigger we
started noticing that his rear legs had cow hock. We took him for his second set
of shots when he was 3 1/2 months old. We mentioned this problem to our vet and
he recommended that we should take x-rays of his hips to determine the extent of
his problem. He said that he had grown too fast going from 21 lbs to 46 lbs in
six weeks. He told us that it would be best to cut back on his food so that he
did not grow too fast.
When we got home, we called the breeder who imported Hans. She said that it is
normal for german shepherd puppies to have cow hock when they are young. She
said that they out grow that by the time they are a year old. She said that we
should wait a while to have Hans xray'd because it was not a good idea to knock
him at such a young age. She said for us to bring him back to her to have her
take a look at him.
Based on all this info we decided to wait and see what would happen with time.
Today was Hans first obedience training class. When the trainer saw Hans, he
commented that this was one of the worst cow hock he has seen. He also said that
his back appeared to look very weak. He said to make sure to have this problem
looked at and do what is best for Hans.
Has anybody had experience with a dog with cow hock? What is the best course to
take for this problem? We have all become attached to him and want to do what is
best for him.
Thanks in advanced for any information about this problem.
Angelo
Fshndgs428
Many German Shepherds have back legs that are somewhat cow-hocked as
puppies...and yes, many GSDs get better as they mature and get more strength in
their hindquarters.