A Visitor asked the following question on 12/22/2005
I have a 1 year old mastiff and when he sits down, its like his front legs are too short for his body, he ends up hunched over is that normal? Also when I was walking him today I noticed that he sways his back hips side to side a lot, his foot prints dont match up. His right front foot and his right back foot should hit about the same spot, same with the left. Since he sways his hips so much his right back footprint is hitting where his left front foot is. He also has a little bit of hard time getting up, but is fine going up and down stairs. Would this been a sign of hip dysplesia?
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12/23/05
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I doubt that this is hip dysplesia. He may have injured himself going up and down the stairs. He should not be allowed to go up and down stairs! He is young and growing fast, so his balance will not be right all of the time. Also grow your boy slow, do not try to put excess weight on him, this is very hard on all of his joints that are trying to hold up to his fast growingbody. The saying goes if he is going to be a big mastiff it will take longer for him to grow fully. Your mastiff is young and is still growing. His back end will shoot up and then his front will catch up, and then his head will grow. If you think that he has injured himself take him to your ver immediately.
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Bill
Bigfoot Mastiffs
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12/26/05
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Your Mastiff will grow differently than any other dog you have had. You need to understand their growth patterns and what they should and should not be doing at the age they are at. A Mastiff should NEVER use stairs on a regular basis, and if the do, they should be on a lead with supervision. At age one, you will notice a Mastiff will raise in the rear for a month or two, and if they are overweight, they will 'roll' when they walk. Please contact a Mastiff knowledgable person to become your mentor so you can discuss details with someone until you understand more about your dogs' growth patterns.
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Gail & Terry
Cypress Run Mastiffs
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