[jaleely]

Is it just my Bowser, or do they all have them? What I mean is, like when I ask him to shake. Instead of using his whole leg to reach out and place his paw in my hand, he just lifts the leg, and lets the rest of it dangle...limp wristed...
When he steps over the wooden ledge on the outdoor "potty box" (since we have a concrete back yard) he lifts one front leg at a time, and each time he does it just "flops" over the ledge and into the box *lol*

It's sooo cute, but i imagine not all bassets do it, since he has problems with his elbows : (

But maybe...anyone else notice floppy paws?

 

[MollyMcFrecklesMom]

Winston has incredibly floppy paws...they are gigantic. I like making him "shake them like he just don't care." Molly's are very petite. Not floppy in the least.

 

[Annie714]

Annie has very large "chunky" paws and they are quite floppy as well LOL.

I remember being amazed at the size of them when she was a baby dog and have a picture somewhere of the comparison of her paws and my hands.

 

[Mikey T]

I am certainly no expert But I would believe knuckling over and excesively floppy paws could be related as exsesive laxticity in the tendons of the carpal (wrist) eplains both

 

[jaleely]

Mikey, i kind of figured that after i thought about it. I'd like to get him into some swimming or something to strengthen his paws! what do you think? I've thought about that for a while, but have NO place to do it in. He hates the water, but he'd deal with it after a while if he had his life vest on ; ) wish there was a pet friendly pool around here.

 

[Mikey T]

how old is the dog. Basicly we are not talking musclularture so exercise is not likely the answer. There is an advocate of wraping the dog leg as a treatment, In general tendon tend to tight with lack of use so I can see some posibilty but I am not expert in canine rehab. Which by the way with the increase on dog sport are becoming more common You may want to investigate if there is a facitily in your area


I know when I broke my hand it is in a cast for 3 week. I could not move my finger (beacuse of where the breaks were the cast prevent moving the finger which is not the case with all casts of the hand) I had to soak my hand in warn/hot water to loosen the tendon and ligaments, so I could then do exercise to stregthen the muscles. So that is my theory any way hold the carpus ridged over a period of time will cause the tendons and ligament to tighen. The quest also is not just if it willactual work but weather it would be a lasting effect as well/

knuckling over

Flexural deformity
in a Dalmatian puppy:


Canine carpal conundrums

CARPAL SUBLUXATION and WEAK PASTERNS

 

[Mikey T]

listing of physical therapy /rehab location in CA

 

[vb3]

Breezy's paws are kind of dainty - we assume it's the beagle somewhere in her distant lineage. Rosco and Layla both have big paws and when they shake it's almost like they are giving you "five" in that they smack their big old paws into your palm.

Layla has learned recently that if she shakes with both her paws at once she can spring up and snatch the treat out of our hands. Why bother to do the lay down and roll over part?

 

[jaleely]

Here's bowser's legs/paws. I've tried to take/post these pics before, but this time i had my husband help me hold him still so it worked a little better *lol*

what gets me is one of those websites you posted mikey, said that they've treated a dog that was 7 months old and when bowser was this age, i took him to the vet about it, and they said he was too old to treat with braces or splints or anything.
I know at first I came on here and we thought it was pano, but really i took him to three different vets and then just kind of gave up and tried to do his diet, and glucocamine suppliments, and not letting him on stairs, etc. He's just over a year now. I wonder if i could still try binding or something..

 

[Wworm]

poor Bowsah's legs.... : (

in a couple weeks, i'm gonna, see some specialist here too... cause me leg joints bother me sometimes... we're gonna ask about bracing/wrapping too. Mikey T gave a site before about a place that makes leg braces-- they need a prescription from a vet, so we're gonna look into that.

i just turned 1 too..

btw, methanks u for the birfday cake recipe! i'll post some pics soon of it...
--Worm

 

[Mikey T]

The nature of basset to have bent forelimbs the thing is the are supose to mone together in a way that works sometimes that is not the case. What you need is an orthopeadic specialist that under stands basset. It is angular limb difrormity effecting the carpal joint as well are they two seperate issue, It is one of those think while not conformationaly coorect is unlikely to geive the dog problems in the future. a lot of of the Orthop[eadics now are associated with or have there own physical therapy centers as will. which include treadmills, swimmills, hydrotherapy and balance ball among other techniques.

There are some ralatively new no surgical procedure to deal with a varietly of joint issues as well. stem cells and the like,

 

[jaleely]

ah, i'm full of excuses. The main one is there's not really anyone in my area that I would feel comforable with saying they "know" bassets. The last consult I had they told me, without seeing bowser, that he needed at least 3,000 worth of surgery and to phiscally SEE them it was $160 just to have them view bowser...xrays, etc etc was of course extra.
I figured it would boil down to me traveling quite a ways to see someone good, and it would probably mean surgery.

well anyway, he's been doing pretty well. His limp has stopped, unless he really pushes himself playing which i really stop him from doing.
other than that, it IS pretty cute the way he flops his paws!