Hello,
We recently visited the vet with Kelso for his annual check up. He's 14 months old.
Vet confirmed our fears - he's too thin, and he's physically very awkward. (The vet had been worried several months ago when he was sick with what she thought was lepto and now she feels convinced that he has a neurological disorder).
Regarding his weight: he weighs about 72 lbs. He tends to have diarrhea frequently. We're feeding him Royal Canin puppy food still. He gets liver treats, beef pizzle sticks and sometimes beef bones. I understand that chicken can be problematic for GSDs so I've stopped any kind of chicken treats. The vet directed us to buy Royal Canin gastro kibble and wet food and give him a combo of that. He turns his nose up at it. However, we've noticed that he is eating more lately (the regular Royal Canin for puppies), but only out of Sherman's bowl (our 12 week GSD). He has had a couple of days of lovely solid poops (hooray!). However, the vet recommends a broad spectrum fecal testing if his diarrhea persists and/or he doesn't gain weight.
Regarding his physique: I wish I could attach a video! We thought the awkwardness would go away as he got older, but it hasn't. He drags his back paws to the extent that we don't have to clip the 2 centre nails as they wear down on their own. Last week they bled after a longer than usual walk (I've attached a couple of pictures). His walking reminds us of frankenstein or a soldier marching with legs out (many of his movements remind us of our Wolfie, who we had to put down a couple of years ago, but he was 12 at the time). His back legs pivot quite a bit. He has a hard time to get up off of the floor, and he doesn't like to "sit", he always goes straight to laying down. He seems to run without a problem. Vet recommends a xray to check for hip displasia but she thinks it is neurological; if that's clear then an MRI to check for EPI.
It feels horrible that our Kelso is not well. Before we do the broad spectrum fecal exam, get xrays or an MRI we're looking for comments / advice here, and then we're going to get a 2nd opinion from another vet.
Thanks in advance for your help.
We recently visited the vet with Kelso for his annual check up. He's 14 months old.
Vet confirmed our fears - he's too thin, and he's physically very awkward. (The vet had been worried several months ago when he was sick with what she thought was lepto and now she feels convinced that he has a neurological disorder).
Regarding his weight: he weighs about 72 lbs. He tends to have diarrhea frequently. We're feeding him Royal Canin puppy food still. He gets liver treats, beef pizzle sticks and sometimes beef bones. I understand that chicken can be problematic for GSDs so I've stopped any kind of chicken treats. The vet directed us to buy Royal Canin gastro kibble and wet food and give him a combo of that. He turns his nose up at it. However, we've noticed that he is eating more lately (the regular Royal Canin for puppies), but only out of Sherman's bowl (our 12 week GSD). He has had a couple of days of lovely solid poops (hooray!). However, the vet recommends a broad spectrum fecal testing if his diarrhea persists and/or he doesn't gain weight.
Regarding his physique: I wish I could attach a video! We thought the awkwardness would go away as he got older, but it hasn't. He drags his back paws to the extent that we don't have to clip the 2 centre nails as they wear down on their own. Last week they bled after a longer than usual walk (I've attached a couple of pictures). His walking reminds us of frankenstein or a soldier marching with legs out (many of his movements remind us of our Wolfie, who we had to put down a couple of years ago, but he was 12 at the time). His back legs pivot quite a bit. He has a hard time to get up off of the floor, and he doesn't like to "sit", he always goes straight to laying down. He seems to run without a problem. Vet recommends a xray to check for hip displasia but she thinks it is neurological; if that's clear then an MRI to check for EPI.
It feels horrible that our Kelso is not well. Before we do the broad spectrum fecal exam, get xrays or an MRI we're looking for comments / advice here, and then we're going to get a 2nd opinion from another vet.
Thanks in advance for your help.