My 8-week-old puppy has bowed, wobbly rear legs. Is it serious?

Question

5 days ago, I adopted 8 week old english working cocker. He is chunky and long legged & wobbly on rear. I noticed his rear legs point outwards from the top of his thighs when he walks (bowed) & he sits down alot. He doesn't seem in pain. His legs fall down in a straight line when held up. I took to vet for check & on table his legs seemed fine when she manipulated them, but when walking she noted it wasn't right but said she'd monitor. She tell me much & I'm concerned if it's serious. Pet's info: Dog | English Cocker Spaniel | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 29 days old | 3.48 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Congratulations on your new puppy Griff! At such a young age, it’s hard to say how things will develop and I agree that monitoring him is appropriate right now. He will see the veterinarian frequently since he is getting his vaccine series. Make sure they check his legs and hips each visit and watch him walking. You can get radiographs done but at such a young age, it may be hard to identify any pathology. Radiographs done when he is 9-12 months old will be more likely to be diagnostic. Sometimes a CT scan can catch bone abnormalities earlier. It’s very important that you feed him a puppy food and that he does not become overweight while he is developing. Royal Canin makes specialized puppy food based upon the expected adult weights so you might check them out. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My 8-week-old puppy has bowed, wobbly rear legs. Is it serious?

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