Our darling 15-week-old Pembroke, Emma, has a limp. We noticed this
for the first time when she was about 5 1/2 weeks old. At that time,
it was a very pronounced limp - you couldn't miss it. It seemed to be
her front left leg. She received an x-ray, which showed nothing out of
place. As she has gotten older, the limp has become MUCH less
noticeable - to a point where my husband and I sometimes think it's
gone! The only time we really notice it is when she has just woken up
or after a long walk (in which she runs the entire second half home).
She has NEVER seemed to be in ANY sort of discomfort from it. She does
hop more often than other corgis and only uses her legs independently
if she is walking – much faster than that and it’s a hop (both front
legs together).
As mentioned previously, she is now 15 weeks. I
took her to the vet this morning to finish her vaccinations. They kept
us there a few minutes after giving her shots just to make sure she
didn't have any severe reactions, during which she decided to take a
little nap. About 15 minutes later, one of the other vets walked in to
see her (EVERYONE there loves her) and he noticed her limp. I
explained to him that she has always had it and so on and so forth. He
bent her front legs back as much as he could - they wouldn't bend back
(at least not very far). That's where he thought there was a problem.
He said her (front) legs should bend all the way back at the joint and
neither of hers have ever done this. Now he wants to X-ray her legs,
have a radiologist possibly look at them and see if we can do anything
about it. while it is expensive, the money isn't my primary concern. I
don't want to put this dog through unnecessary treatment if it's just
"the way she is."
SO... I guess my question is - Do your
corgi's front feet bend all the way back at the joint (at the
"knee"/wrist" as opposed to the two upper joints at the shoulder)? How
far do they bend? I really appreciate any input you are willing to
give. I love my dog and I want what’s best for her - I don't want to
make a mountain out of a molehill...
Thanks!