Leg Length Question

    • Gold Top Dog

    Leg Length Question

    I was looking at a rescue dog, who is a beagle mix and noticed her hind legs are longer that her front. Like her rear end is higher and her middle sort of archs down. It was't straight across like other dogs. She's two years old. Does this sound like would be any sort of health issue either now or in the future?
    • Gold Top Dog

     Does her back sway down, or is it straight, just not flat?  I wasn't sure which you meant.

     Some mixes do have shorter front legs, so they slope down to the front, lol.

     

    • Gold Top Dog
    I guess sways down, like it's high at her rear, dips down and then comes back up a bit again. But she also slopes a bit. lol
    • Gold Top Dog

    Coke is "butt high" (his butt is higher than his wither).  He is six and has no known health issues.  I had his hips x-rayed about a year ago and he's no dysplastic (not that conformation really has anything to do with that, it is genetic).


    • Gold Top Dog

    Depends on how pronounced it is -- certain breeds like bulldogs are "sloped" and a lot of stairs can be a huge issue for them.  My Luna is unbelievably "long" and I try to keep her really lean because she could easily tend to skeletal problems if she wasn't. 

    Any clue what this dog is mixed with?

    • Gold Top Dog
    Beagles can have a form of dwarfism that is harmful to certain extents...depending on how affected the dog is. MLS, or Chinese Beagle Syndrome. Usually there is a slant to the eyes....hence the UnPC name, and crookedness and stunting to the front legs...stiffness in the rear legs. Sometimes there are permanent folds in the ear leather than can seem strange. Arthritis can be an issue as well as skin conditions. If you want to google it, its something that comes up from time to time...and there is actually a genetic marker test for it as well, now. BUT all that being said short upper arms are a common thing in Beagles and actually this can be OFTEN seen in the common mix of Beagle and Basset Hound. So there is also that possibility. In a dog built this way issues with arthritis could be present...in the arms them selves as well as the neck since it will be carried differently...and perhaps some spinal issues later on down the line. Beagles in general, can be prone to neck and spinal conditions as they age...so its all just something to consider. Then ask yourself is a spot of arthritis, especially later in life...a "problem" really? Or just something that happens to us all?