Young female German Shepherd turns 1 year on 8/8?
Hello.
I’ve come back home to southern Arizona now,… a long way from the folk and GSD events where I found Mindy, in Washington state, this now nearly 1 year old, beautiful and very smart female.
I get so many questions about her gait/ walk. Even the old man veterinarian said "I don’t like the way she is walking (hind legs)" MOre than one person at the ball fields I take her to exercise have asked questions like: "Whats wrong with her?" And yet, the other evening, when I was away staying at a dog friendly motel we went to a dog park in Tucson and a smart young man heard someone make another comment about her walk, and he said, "He doesnt know what hes talking about. That’s the way they are supposed to be, with "a forward stance." (rear legs at the ready, one foot behind the other)
Before we left the area where Mindy was born and her siblings go to these confirmations meets, I spoke with a gal who told me that Mindy has what appeared to be a temporary condition that might have been making her uncomfortable. I think I wrote that medical term down somewhere, but haven’t found those note papers.
Mindy comes from two ladies who have co bred these dogs in Renton WA for about 35 years. They are bred for show; "grand victor; grand victus." Mindy was missing one of her 42 teeth and I was fortunate in being blessed with this dog. I had become familiar with the local club and I guess folk sensed I was OK. The breeder said "We want to give Mindy to you.
What I have been doing is giving Mindy at least every other day, a tablet of 750 mg of Glucosamine Sulfate with 600 mg Chondroitin Sulfate, crushed, and 1/2 adult aspirin, mixed with her dry Kirkland Lamb & Rice dry food, which I moisten (when I do this) so it goes down easier. I would like to know anyone comments on this, as well as any other things you may wish to tell me.
I really appreciate it. Mindy and I thank you.
Walt
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Tagged with: chondroitin • confirmations • dry food • forward stance • friendly motel • gait • glucosamine • grand victor • gsd • hind legs • local club • medical term • mg chondroitin • mindy • rear legs • renton wa • southern arizona • these dogs • two ladies • victus
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The word you wanted is Victrix, not Victus. It means the bit.ch winner of the National Show held by the GSDCAmerica or by the GSDCCanada, and demonstrates that her ancestry is the NAmerican Ski-Slope Dog deviation from the GSD.
http://www.leabashiba.com/fashion.vs.GSD.htm will show you some examples plus some genuine GSDs. Also some Prick-Eared Bassets, another deviation from the proper GSD.
Typical of the NAmerican Ski-Slope Dog is a huge too-deep chest, a steep upper-arm and very erect neck, a top-line that slopes steeply (despite that the AKC "Standard" is the only one in the world that calls for a LEVEL back!) and along which it is almost impossible to see which part is the whither, which part the true back, which part the loin, which part the croup. In addition, this deviation typically has far-too-long stifles, with sickle hocks (which means that the angle around the heel is a right angle, the hock forming the handle of an imaginary sickle, the shin & thigh forming the hook of the sickle), and often so weak around knee & heel that the rear-most knee is closer to the ground than that heel is, and the other leg’s hock is planted on the ground all the way up to the unprotected heel, instead of the dog standing on just the pads below its feet.
Yanks universally ignore the AKC’s rebel Standard. http://www.gsdca.org/Noframes/standard/Illo22.htm is the only part of it worth having. It shows the 1 position the fore-quarter should be, and the 3 positions in which a GSD’s hind legs should be for judging. A well constructed GSD facing to the handler’s right will have its left rear leg in the Show Stance position, with its hock vertical and those toes about 2 inches behind the root of the tail; and will have its right rear leg in the position called Four-Square. The angles around the knees should then be 90° (a right angle) around the right knee and 120° (1 & a third right angles) around the left knee and also around the left heel. Sadly, the NAmerican Ski-Slope Dog deviation typically has a stifle so long that its left rear toes are at least 4" behind the root of the tail in that position – and show handlers drag them back even further!!!!!
The extra length of stifle gives too much leverage to gravity/weight, and not enough to the muscles, so it is very common for NAmerican Ski-Slope Dogs to stand cow-hocked, meaning that their heels are closer together than are their toes. But, seen from behind, and regardless of what position the GSD is standing in, both hind legs are supposed to be dead straight and dead vertical!
The more parts of my NAmerican Ski-Slope Dog description that fit your girl, the sadder I feel for her.
http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/166A1991_en.doc is the International Standard of the GSD, the one that describes a TRUE GSD – you will note that it is MUCH more definitive than the wordy-but-vague AKC rebel invention!
Her walk COULD just be the result of the over-long stifles plus muscle weakness (are there sandhills near you that you can make her run up to strengthen her hind-quarters?), but if it is bad enough for a vet to comment on, fear the worst. What are the OFA categories for the hips of her parents & grandparents? – and are all those results actual Certificates, or are they Prelims?
I don’t LIKE OFA’s reporting method, but it is what most Yanks know about and so use.
I recommend that, once she reaches a year old, you arrange to have her hips & elbows scored under the BIF-scoring system – you have a choice of using the BVA or the NZVA. Both organisations report on 9 aspects per hip, giving you 18 times the information that OFA does. And each aspect’s score is based on MEASUREMENTS, not just an educated subjective opinion. FAR superior to OFA and PennHIP!
But if you don’t join my e-group you’ll probably need to contact me via this reply to get the 18 scores interpreted – your vet won’t be familiar with the system, and will need e-mailed instruction from which you choose (BVA or NZVA) as to the codings to flash into each plate when taking the xrays, and the type/level of anaesthetic to use. I hope your pet is either ear-tattooed or at least has a functional microchip in her, as that is one of the ID codes needed.
So far as diet goes, I regard kibbles as food from the devil. See the GDV-bloat part of http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source/links/Feeding__Nutrition__GDV_Bloat_001198556443/
and work out the 35 years in which that escalated, and see if it doesn’t match the period in which kibbles went from virtually unknown to virtually universal. (That group’s home page is well worth adding to your browser’s Bookmarks or Favorites.)
You should NOT have to give glucosamine, aspirin, etc. Their use is typical of breeders too cheapskate & stupid to xray.
Do join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with GSDs. Each group’s Home page tells you which aspects they like to talk about, and how active they are. Most groups also allow you to post photos showing your pet’s development.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Fr