Bunny hopping, but not due to HD small update

edited September 2010 in Food, Nutrition, & Health
Saya Bunny hops she is cleared by the vet they felt her and they didn't feel anything wrong when she was eight weeks old.

At 6months during her spay the vet did x_ray on her and they found nothing wrong with the hips I wished they had called before doing the X-ray so I could have told them to investigate more, but they did the X-rays without permission which is fine I guess they can do that, but I wish they let me know before..

Well at the Madison Wisconsin trip Pat Doescher had a look she felt Saya because she thought the hopping might be HD, but she said it felt fine and she thought it could be Neurological.

Which I think she is right I looked up spinal trauma in dogs and it does sound about right.

Where I got my information.
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/spinal-trauma-in-dogs/page1.aspx

I guess I should be posting this on the shiba side, but I go here more and feel I might get more help/advise here.

She has been bunny hopping at 8 week she was like that when we picked her up from the breeder at a taco bell in Michigan. I thought she was being nice meeting me halfway..

I'm kinda worried that she gave me Saya knowing she had this injury. she told me she couldn't keep her because her husband was ill, but I dunno.
I could be wrong, but still she was hopping when I got her from the breeder sadly I have no videos of her doing in while on our drive home for proof just videos of her walking in the yard or in the house.

I'm not trying to bad mouth the breeder she seemed really nice and stuff.

I thought I picked a good breeder Brada got Kona from her so I thought her shiba inu would be well bred like her kai ken. I'm very sad from this I love Saya very much and will do anything to help her out.

I'm afraid there's no way to fix her and she'll never walk like a normal dog like Bella or the other shiba inu at the picnic..

Is there anything I can do to help her? Any recommendations on a good vet in the Lafayette Indiana area? I don't know too many dog owners here so I don't know I'd like to get a new vet..

Is there a site I can use to search for a vet that specializes in spinal and numerological damage?

Sorry for asking so many questions I could probably find them by googling, but right now I'm still a bit tired from the six hour drive and what I've learned about Saya..

I'll keep you guys updated once I get her into a vet.

She has a health guarantee, but I'm sure it's expired or whatever even so I wouldn't give Saya up I love her, but is there anything I should do? What should I say to the breeder about this?

Comments

  • Koda bunny hops at times. No injury, no HD, no issues. He just does. The only time that I can diagnose why is when he has to poop and he's holding it.

    Koda's b-fri a shiba bunny hops too at times. She's totally healthy as well no known injuries.
  • I would take her to a boarded Orthopod and have them check for a luxating patella or a cruciate tear. LP is really common in Shibas.



  • I'm guessing if it's neurological, it would be persistent and probably progressive. Does Saya ever walk normally? Is it getting worse as she ages? Your regular vet should be able to do a basic neuro exam and determine if she needs to be referred to a specialist. If you feel the need to bypass your regular vet on this, you can look up a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine that specializes in neurology here: http://www.acvim.org/websites/acvim/index.php?p=3.

    I will say one thing though: "opinions are like assholes, everybody has one." Don't be so fast to jump to conclusions. It's surprisingly easy to retroactively fit the symptoms of an ailment you fear to the behaviors you observe in your dog. Especially when somebody that sounds like they know what they are talking about points you in a particular direction. Vets are trained specifically to learn the subtleties of diagnosis, how to differentiate among possible causes, and if or when to be concerned. So before you work your self up too much, take Saya back to the vet and have a frank talk with him or her about your concerns.
  • I would recommend that you have pet insurance before you start delving into this process. I've had Koda's pet insurance since he came home. I think there was a 6 week wait before it would pay for tests like these. Koda has been fully checked out by an orthopedist and a neurologist. He's fine and bunny hops. I'm not trying to diagnose Bella. Koda it's just him. Not sure why he does it...other than the needing to poop thing. The boy can hold it even when it's about to come out. ha ha ha.

    Ofcourse these issues are less prevelant in Kais than Shibas.
  • She bunny hops when she runs and walks fast if she is walking slow she'll walk normally sometimes she'll bunny hop slowly too. My internet it so slow so I can't post videos of her when she was a puppy and now. =\

    She doesn't seem to be in any pain she can go up can down stairs no issue runs around fine she does the shiba 500 very fast poor Bella can't keep up with Saya when she does it..

    I'll have a talk with the vet to see what he thinks.
  • Small update on things Saya went to the vet for rabies shots and fecal sample. I asked the vet again he checked her hips, knee, her range of motion and everything is fine a solid.

    I told him if it's Neurological and he said no then he checked the x rays he took when she was spayed and he did notice something with the spine.

    She is fine other wise she plays, wrestles with Bella and other dogs at the dog park and does her shiba 500.

    We plan to get her another x ray in a few months to see how things look.

    She is on a raw food diet which has helped her a ton I think she has grown a little taller need to find my measuring tape..

    I've been giving her chicken feet which is a natural source of condrotin and glucosamine which she really loves them.

    The chicken feet seems to help I think she now will jump on my bed with no problem before she would want me to put her on the bed.

    I'm glad she is fine and stuff.

    It just worries me because people are always asking me, "is she OK?", "Why is she hopping like a bunny?", or "That poor puppy."..

    I really don't see her as an poor pup she is just as energetic as Bella and I think she has more energy than Bella most of the times.

  • What exactly did he see on the spine? Did he recheck those xrays? I would ask him to.

    Please keep us posted. I miss my Shiba buddies.
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