Hip Dysplasia

[Michael Romanos]

Bunny hopping is a Corgi trait but bunny hopping in other breeds could be a pointer to HD. Unusual to see HD in puppies, not a common Corgi ailment. Here are plenty of other signs of HD: decreased activity, difficult in rising, rear limb lameness, reluctant to use stairs, reluctant to jump or stand on hind legs, swaggering gait, pain from manipulation of the hips, decreased range of motion in the hips, soreness after lying down or after heavy exercise.

[TheGoldenCorgi]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Bunny hopping is a Corgi trait but bunny hopping in other breeds could be a pointer to HD. Unusual to see HD in puppies, not a common Corgi ailment. Here are plenty of other signs of HD: decreased activity, difficult in rising, rear limb lameness, reluctant to use stairs, reluctant to jump or stand on hind legs, swaggering gait, pain from manipulation of the hips, decreased range of motion in the hips, soreness after lying down or after heavy exercise.

He is very active. I noticed that he loves to play wrestle with other dogs in the house and he is always chasing them and having incredible bursts of speed that looks hilarious. lol

We don't have stairs but when we bring him out he is reluctant to step down but my guess is because he doesn't like going outside since its hot in sunny Florida.

He does jump on me or if I have treats, he will jump around.

I can't tell if he gets sore from laying down or heavy exercise but I do notice that after a long run he will just lay down with all legs out and he'll look at you like he's tired. lol.

All of these signs seem pretty healthy to me, no?

[Louwants]

All legs out....that is a typical corgi splat, as some of us call it. They will lay down with their hind legs completely straight back. Sounds to me like you have a healthy, normal corgi puppy.

The other way they sleep when they are little, is with their arms straight to their sides. It is so adorable! DO get a picture of this while you can, because they don't do it when they are grown. They will still seem to like sleep on their backs, but not with their arms straight down

[Michael Romanos]

It is really the act of going up stairs that poses a problem for early stage HD dogs rather than going down.
I agree with others, you have a perfectly normal Corgi pup.

[Michael Romanos]

I thought I should add a rider that it could be physically dangerous and the ruining of a Corgi's good front, to allow a Corgi pup of under six months, to regularily go up or down stairs.

[BannaOj]

In my opinion, while going up the stairs may be worse on the hips, going down the stairs is much worse on the front (as far as impact goes) on a young dog, so if you can't physically carry them both ways, at least carry them down, if it is more than a step or two.

AJ

[Michael Romanos]

From my athletics angle, running downhill at speed is more stress and strain on an athletes legs and thighs and stomach than is running uphill. So too with dogs.

[ColColt]

Speaking of Hip Dysplasia, I've begun to get a bit concerned about all the steps Bubba climbs daily either going up and down the staircase from the living room to the downstairs area (14 total) and then his going up and down the steps on the deck to the yard (12 steps). He jumps up and off the couch as well. Will this contribute to his possibly getting HD over time? The steps inside are carpeted but of course, the deck steps are not.

[Michael Romanos]

Why we are told not to let Corgis run up and down stairs and do any significant jumping until they are at least 6 months old are for reasons of protecting their backs, their legs, their hips, their movement and their front. Many Corgis fronts have been ruined by prematurely allowing them to regularly climb up and down staircases and multiple steps and in regular lengthy jumping such as jumping on and off couches and beds.

[ColColt]

Bubba's three years old and to my knowledge, he's never done that as his breeder didn't have stairs. My concern is down the road...3-5 years. I may move from the current residence this upcoming year sometime and at that point, it won't be an issue as I don't plan on a two story house again. I'm just thinking about him doing it for the past couple of months and until I move.

[Michael Romanos]

THe danger of physical damage is when a Corgi is under 6 months.
If a three year old Corgi shows serious signs of discomfort when climbing up and down stairs etc, a house of a single floor and/or preventing the Corgi from using any stairs/steps etc is important.

[glencorgi]

Hip dysplasia is genetic, inherited from his parents. IF he is dysplastic. Because of its polygenetic nature (more than one pair of genes is involved), even non-dysplastic parents can produce dysplastic offspring. However, screening for dysplasia and breeding only passing ratings to passing ratings helps increase the odds against affected offspring. Now there can also be some nurture contributors such as improper nutrition, improper footing for a puppy, and various other things along those lines. At three, Bubba's growth plates are closed and there is no risk of the damage concerns being discussed earlier; those were in regards to puppies.

An adult corgi with no extenuating health issues should be able to handle stairs just fine with no long term ill impact, especially the short time frame you are talking about.

Debbie