Dog Community

Shorkie with "flipper legs"

Posted : 6/14/2010 8:51:12 PM

I was interested in a shorkie puppy that is 8 weeks old. The current owner said that the puppy has flipper legs from being way over weight and that her vet told her that he will be fine as soon as he loses weight and grows a little older. Has anyone ever heard of this? The owner says that he is walking better and that he can walk just very slowly. Any information would be nice. Thanks

Liesje

Posted : 6/14/2010 8:53:46 PM

How is a puppy so overweight at 8 weeks?!? I've never heard of this condition, the cause, or a "shorkie"...

jennie_c_d

Posted : 6/14/2010 8:54:29 PM

I would be very weary, unless you are interested in a dog with lifelong mobility issues. I have never seen a puppy unable to move from normal, healthy, puppy fat.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 6/14/2010 8:55:14 PM

Lies, a shorkie is a cross between a Shih Tzu, and a Yorkie. I groom a couple. They're popular, around here, for whatever reason.

Pwca

Posted : 6/14/2010 9:00:14 PM

sThis SOUNDS like a swimmer puppy, which are VERY unusual, in general, in toy breeds (It's ntoed in my books as being associated with bulldogs, Frenchies, and mastiffs; I know of it occuring in corgis), and frequently associated with either singleton puppies (who get WAY overfed) or joint problems. A puppy who is not up and moving though, by the time it's ready to leave mom, is potentially a very serious heartbreaker. I would not EVER pay money for a dog with this condition, and I wouldn't take one on as a foster because of the potential for heartbreak.

Corgi-L (the main corgi mailing list) has a 'mascot' named Heidi, who was the inspiration for Corgi-Aid, was a swimmer puppy- and she DID make it. But her littermates were euthanized by the scumbag who bred them to sell.

rwbeagles

Posted : 6/14/2010 9:25:00 PM

Cait is right. Swimmers MUST be fixed up EARLY...Beagles get them from time to time and at EIGHT WEEKS that is to me...unbelieveably callous of the "breeder" to allow the poor pup to squish its innards and be basically deformed at that late stage when it is likely too late to fix. Run a mile...and if you want a mix...try the shelter...plenty of "poo" and "foo" mixes in ours right now!

janet_rose

Posted : 6/14/2010 10:27:10 PM

Recovery methods for advanced swimmer puppies: http://www.swimmerpuppy.com/methods/ I hope 8 weeks isn't too late for these methods to work.

The current owner and the vet both don't seem to know what causes "swimmer puppies". It is not being over-weight!!

The problem appears to be the same as that of an infant whose head is misshapen due to lying in the same position too much, but the results are much more serious.

http://www.swimmerpuppy.com/cause.html
"Occasionally one puppy doesn't want to return to a normal relaxed state on its side and insists or remains upright causing the flattening of the chest which, if left undisturbed, leads to swimmer syndrome and probable death."

erica1989

Posted : 6/14/2010 10:36:08 PM

We had a kitten with this, she did not make it