Nikon's diagnosis (and happy birthday)

 Happy Birthday to both of you!!

I'm glad there's no restrictions for Nikon. What a relief this all must be for you!!

Happy belated birthdays !

I, too, am glad that there is nothing majorly wrong with Nikon.  So his pelvis is a bit wonky.  It won't stop you both from doing the things you love 

Happy birthday you two! It must be a relief knowing what's going on and knowing it isn't serious.

Happy Birthday to you both, Lies!

I am glad, but that is a shame. Does the breeder pull puppies? You mentioned the dam had large whelps. You might let them know that if they are pulling they might want to stop...because I could easily see this occuring from a pull rather than the normal birthing process. Pups are seldom wider across the hips, than they are at the head so if it were an issue of birth other pups would have been likely affected in a similar fashion. But as you say...a misplaced paw could also be to blame...but I would think a crying pup that is crying from pain like this would have caused, would be pretty evident.

Just some things to consider from a breeder side. I am glad that right now all is well and you two can pursue the things you want to.

Happy Birthday you guys !!!

Deb W.

 Happy birthday :-)

I had no idea there was anything "up", shows how little i'm on these days :-(  glad it's mostly good news... it's a real shame about  his pelvis, but to see/hear about the way he leaps about, you'd never know it to look at him, and he's utterly gorgeous besides!

Here's hoping he has a long, happy and active life and Psssh!! to the pelvis!

Gina, I'm not really sure.  I was there once when the same dam was giving birth but we were just watching (in fact the breeder was cleaning something so me and my friend stayed by the box and just watched, we weren't told to do anything, and I think all those pups came out fine on their own).  I did notify the breeder right away, she already knew we had an appointment.  Her husband is a very well known radiologist and I will be sending the films to him, and possibly having him try his own films later this winter (they live hours away and right now we have a vacation freeze at work so I just can't get over there to have x-rays done, otherwise I would have gone there to begin with).  Knowing the breeder personally I would guess she'd be one to let things happen as naturally as possible, even if that means losing a pup every once in a while.

It could be genetic/he was born with it, but the vet seemed to think some sort of injury early on was more likely.  Who knows?

Some of the other littermates have been x-rayed but this is the only one I can find (I think the breeder's husband did the others and they were sent to Germany for a-stamp ratings).  This is a female littermate, positioning is terrible, the vet didn't really know what s/he was doing, but enough to see there is no dysplasia and she doesn't have the same problem as Nikon.

http://24kgsd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/2PIEKA.jpg

Nikon has a half-sister singleton and she is OFA Good and a1 (highest rating from Germany) with a ZW of 75 (very good).  Since he just turned two, the other puppies from the same dam haven't been OFA'd yet, I'm not sure they are even old enough for prelims (can't remember when she was bred after Nikon's litter).

Overall I'm happy that it's something I don't have to treat and won't interfere.  I am a bit disappointed though that I spent a lot of money on a nice show dog (not just the price of the dog, but all the training, showing, getting all the appropriate papers and good handlers...) and now I will not be able to do a Breed Survey with him because with this pelvic problem I can't get the hip rating and you can't breed survey without the hip rating.  And he has a noticeable overbite which likely would have prevented him from getting KKL1 even if he had perfect hip conformation, and possibly prevents him from getting a V rating though it depends on the judge and how closely they look.  But, puppies are a crapshoot, for sure!  Neither of these "problems" effect his working ability whatsoever.  I just really wanted to show him a lot more...

I'm sorry that the news wasn't all good but so glad that it wasn't all bad either. It sounds like you've got a positive attitude about it all and hopefully Nikon can have a full, happy life.

Happy belated birthday and I think you both look beautiful and healthy

Happy Birthday both of you!!!!  Glad the news was not horrible and also glad that you can continue your training.

Liesje

But, puppies are a crapshoot, for sure!  Neither of these "problems" effect his working ability whatsoever.  I just really wanted to show him a lot more...

Oh they sure are! Don't I know it! lol. I am glad you can still work him Lies, and you are doing a great job with all this. Kudos!

Great to hear things aren't as bad as they could have been!! 

Happy birthday to both of you.  So cool to be able to celebrate together!

Happy Birthday, you two.

You kind of answered the question I had. So, the doctor thinks the malformation is due to birthing accident, as opposed to genetics. Nikon is still capable of doing everything he has ever done but now you can't finish him in his sport because of invalidated hips? And what, of course, would this mean for breeding him? If the deformity was from accident and not genetics, one would think he could sire just fine. And he has a part sibling that is rated well, n'est pas?

I don't intend to breed him even if this is not genetic, but if I did, I wouldn't because no one can say for sure and it's not a good practice to breed without hip ratings (even though most GSD people are perfectly capable of looking at the x-rays themselves and seeing there is no hip dysplasia).  I can finish him in any sport, but I cannot Breed Survey him because one of the requirements along with a show rating and Schutzhund title is the German a-stamps (hip and elbow ratings).  It costs $135 for the a-stamps plus the cost of the x-rays...to me it's a big risk for $300 when there's a high probability the x-rays won't even be accepting for a rating because of the deformity.  I may be able to still get a V rating for him in show because he moves normally, but he'd have to get a Schutzhund title within the next year (must have titles to show in the working class for the V rating) because a dog showing in the working class age 3 or older must also have completed a Breed Survery.

I plan to finish his UKC championship as soon as there are shows in my area.  If other people can finish their spooky nervebag excuses for German shepherd dogs then I can finish my deformed dog! 

AgileGSD

 

Glad to hear he can still work! I will be curious to hear about the other opinions on this. This is the second GSD I have heard of having this and the other one didn't show any noticeable signs of injury as a puppy either. I'd also be quite curious if OFA would OFA him or not, since the hips look good.

 Happy Birthday!

Can you tell me about the other one?  I can't find any information on this anywhere but I don't know where to look.  All the key words I enter just pull up pages about hip dysplasia, or problems with a female's pelvic structure.