Author Topic: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...  (Read 8811 times)

Offline Maggie's Mom

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I guess I never really paid much attention to it, I just thought it was cute or whatever, but now I'm worried about Maggie's hips!  When she sits (or lays down), her entire rear end is literally about 2-3 inches off of the floor.  It's like she's sitting on her legs, and just the legs touch the floor.  No part of her butt comes anywhere near the floor.  Her rear levitates over the floor.  Is that normal?  Does she have hip problems, is this my first clue?  I'm really worried now...
Stacy, Wes, and Maggie (Great Dane)

GR8DAME

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2006, 11:30:22 pm »
Merlin's butt has not hit the floor since he was about 4 months old and grew legs. He is 5 years old, and his hips are fine.
Strider has legs just as long and his butt makes three point contact in a sit. He is 17 months old. He was diagnosed with mild/moderate hip dysplagia at 6 months old. He bunny hops and when he is tired will drag his back feet instead of picking them up properly.
I would not presume to diagnose Maggie, just passing along my observations on my two, since one is normal and one is not.
Stella

Offline ZooCrew

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2006, 12:16:23 am »
Gunther's butt has never touched the ground when he is in a "down" position.  I haven't payed much attention when he sits, but I would presume it's the same.

He doesn't sit back on his butt, but supports himself more on his legs.

Offline The Brindle Pack

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2006, 07:03:02 am »
This is a very good question and one I was going to ask many times but never got around to it.  I did take Tyra to the vet last week for x-rays because of her reluctance to sit.  The x-rays show that she has a very mild case of dysplasia and a small bone spur on the right.

Tucker who is my dane/lab mix was diagnosed with severe bi-lateral hip dysplasia at six months.  I have to say recently he sits and gets around better than Tyra.  Sometimes I think she is just a big drama queen.

If you are worried than it would be a good idea to have x-rays done.  At least you will know what you are dealing with.  Also, the younger HD is caught the more surgical options you will have.

I really wish Tucker had been a good candidate for surgery but due to his epilepsy and temperament we did not feel surgery was in his best interest.  Each case is different; if Tyra had needed surgery we would have done it without hesitation.

Good luck and please keep us posted.
Cindy

P.S.  I will get video of Tyra when she has been told to sit to give you an idea of just how reluctant she is or how she almost always goes straight to a down.

Offline GreatDanz

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2006, 10:12:41 am »
Merlin's butt has not hit the floor since he was about 4 months old and grew legs. He is 5 years old, and his hips are fine.
Strider has legs just as long and his butt makes three point contact in a sit. He is 17 months old. He was diagnosed with mild/moderate hip dysplagia at 6 months old. He bunny hops and when he is tired will drag his back feet instead of picking them up properly.
I would not presume to diagnose Maggie, just passing along my observations on my two, since one is normal and one is not.
Stella

Stella, just a thought, but have you had Strider checked for wobblers?  Those symptoms seem awfully severe for a young dog with mild/moderate dysplasia.  Those were the symptoms that Mickey had when his Wobblers started showing, I just didn't know it at the time.
-Ericka

Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable.  Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. -Albert Einstein

Offline newflvr

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2006, 10:15:14 am »
Is her tail cropped?  I just read an article in Whole Dog Journal that said that dogs whose tails are cropped don't sit all the way down because the end of the tail is sensitive.  Could that make any sense?? 

Hopefully it's absolutely nothing!!

(....and Happy Mother's Day!!) ;)

Offline VdogLover

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2006, 10:37:33 am »
None of my dogs sit with their butts on the floor. Grant you 2 of them have HD (and docked tails ..lol) but the 2 who have normal hips and natural tails sit this way also.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2006, 10:38:03 am by VdogLover »

Offline Kermit

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2006, 11:47:35 am »
Our Danes: Leeloo is very reluctant to sit, Sammy only sits for a second and then slides into a down, and Connor has a *somewhat* normal sit. Maybe it is a Dane thing? Leeloo would rather stand for hours than ever sit her butt down. The only time any of the three of them sit is when I ask them too, and even then they really don't seem to want to.

It is odd, isn't it?

GR8DAME

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2006, 12:17:16 pm »

Stella, just a thought, but have you had Strider checked for wobblers?  Those symptoms seem awfully severe for a young dog with mild/moderate dysplasia.  Those were the symptoms that Mickey had when his Wobblers started showing, I just didn't know it at the time.

Thanks, Erica, I had not thought of that. I will mention it to my vet the next time I have him in, or if he starts getting odd again.
Originally he was misdiagnosed with HOD, and they were ready to PTS-Literally, the needle was in her hand when I said no way, I want a second opinion.
I went to another vet and they diagnosed with Panosteoitis and HD. They said the HD symptoms were rather more exagerated because of the pan. But I will have them check him out for wobblers. Needless to say I have not been back to the first vet.
Stella

Offline Maggie's Mom

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2006, 12:24:28 pm »
Those are all good points.  I will have her checked for HD, I just didn't think that you should do that at such an early age.  She's just at 8 months now.  She doesn't seem to show any other signs- she's a nutty little thing.  I can't keep her off the bed (it's a super-high King-size), and she's constantly up and down the stairs.  She doesn't have any problems after exercise either.  The only thing that I've noticed is the butt-not-hitting-the-floor thing.  I'll keep you all updated, thanks for the advice.
Stacy, Wes, and Maggie (Great Dane)

Offline GreatDanz

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2006, 12:50:35 pm »
Quote
Thanks, Erica, I had not thought of that. I will mention it to my vet the next time I have him in, or if he starts getting odd again.
Originally he was misdiagnosed with HOD, and they were ready to PTS-Literally, the needle was in her hand when I said no way, I want a second opinion.
I went to another vet and they diagnosed with Panosteoitis and HD. They said the HD symptoms were rather more exagerated because of the pan. But I will have them check him out for wobblers. Needless to say I have not been back to the first vet.
Stella

Are you serious?????  Mickey had Pano AND HOD as a pup, and never was there a thought that he should be put down, that is just insane.  I would seriously consider reporting that vet to the licensing board in your state.

The fact that he's had growth problems as a pup rings alarm bells in my head.

Wobblers is notoriously hard to dignose without an MRI or Myelogram, both incredibly expensive and the Myelogram can be dangerous as it involved sticking a needle into the spine.

I would suggest getting a side and lateral view of the neck and sending it off to Dr.Durkes in Marion, IN.  I seriously had 5 vets review Mickey's x-rays and yet none of them could commit to a diagnosis of Wobblers.

Anyway, I will think good thoughts for you.
-Ericka

Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable.  Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. -Albert Einstein

Offline macybean

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2006, 08:10:24 pm »
I've wondered about this with Sadie. She doesn't hover. She will sit regularly (on her butt) only when concentrating on something (birds outside, for example). If I ask her to sit or she sits on her own, she sits to the side, more on her hip than on her butt, with both legs out one way.

Riley sits like Sadie sometimes and on his butt more often. He'd really rather just lie down, though. He's a bum.

Sadie also isn't bit on laying down sometimes, but she'll definitely do it, especially b/c she sees Riley do it and get a treat (if I ask him to do it). She doesn't like to sit on tile, but I think that's a traction thing. She'll sit on sidewalks or on dirt or whatever is outside.

Offline macybean

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #12 on: May 14, 2006, 08:10:55 pm »
I've wondered about this with Sadie. She doesn't hover. She will sit regularly (on her butt) only when concentrating on something (birds outside, for example). If I ask her to sit or she sits on her own, she sits to the side, more on her hip than on her butt, with both legs out one way.

Riley sits like Sadie sometimes and on his butt more often. He'd really rather just lie down, though. He's a bum.

Sadie also isn't bit on laying down sometimes, but she'll definitely do it, especially b/c she sees Riley do it and get a treat (if I ask him to do it). She doesn't like to sit on tile, but I think that's a traction thing. She'll sit on sidewalks or on dirt or whatever is outside.

cricket36580

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #13 on: May 15, 2006, 06:15:42 am »
With Fos and Baloo, I noticed it was "uncomfortable" for them to sit or lay down....They didn't act like they were in pain, just they didn't want to do it.  Both went straight to the chiropractor and neither do it anymore.  If the dog is growing and has been playing, it's more than possible that she has subluxations both in the axis area and in the hip area.  Just a thought...

Offline Maggie's Mom

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Re: QUESTION ABOUT HOW MAGGIE SITS... I DON'T THINK IT'S NORMAL...
« Reply #14 on: May 15, 2006, 12:18:08 pm »
With Maggie, it's not that she doesn't want to sit, or can't do it, it's that when she does she's just not totally on the floor.  Whether it's tile or carpet or dirt, her butt just doesn't touch.  I talked to my breeder last night and she said that most of her Danes' butts do not hit the ground, and they are all hip-ceritfied and such.  I don't know.  Maybe I'll talk to the vet.
Stacy, Wes, and Maggie (Great Dane)