Back in February, Waffle got sick!  His ultimate diagnosis was bacterial gastroenteritis, IVDD between the L3 and L4 vertebrae, and hip dysplasia (CHD) in his back left leg (the right leg if he were facing you).  Five hundred dollars later, he was better, but I had a sour taste in my mouth about the whole thing.  I called my breeder and told her what they said, and she said we would get him looked at by her vet because she didn't like how they diagnosed CHD from a spinal X-ray. Diagnosing CHD in a Corgi can be tricky because good hip joints in a corgi are classic CHD in a non-dwarf dog--shallow acetabulum (the socket) and flattened femoral head (the ball).  I pretty much ignored the skeletal aspects of his diagnosis, and treated him only for gastroenteritis and the nausea accompanying his antibiotics.  All was well, except I now forbid Waffle from eating raw chicken.  Because Waffle was not experiencing any skeletal problems, we put off investigating his hips further.  I've included the X-rays below and pointed out the areas of concern.  

Fast forward to August, we went on several really intense hikes and after each one of them, he spent the next day or three limping.  He favored his back left leg, the leg diagnosed with CHD back in February.  So, we stopped going on intense hikes in the mountains and I was a little concerned.  When we go on long walks or runs, though, he is perfectly fine.  I suspect it had something to do with the up/down and cragginess of the hiking trails.  We started Agility, too, and that is going fantastically.  We finished the Foundations class and moved up to the Beginner class.  The first day of Beginner's Agility, we did a lot of A-frame, and later that night he was limping. Oh no! That prompted a major freak out.  Obviously he had hip dysplasia and the fact that it is happening now when it didn't used to means it's terrible and he needs surgery ohgod.  Or maybe he tore a muscle and that needs surgery too. Ohgod.  Basically, I came to the conclusion that Waffle was permanently crippled.  My breeder, concerned at his consistent limp, scheduled an appointment with her vet to look into it.  And we did.  I've included those X-rays below, too.

Look at that!  This is obviously a Corgi that does not have hip dysplasia.  In fact, the vet said his hips are quite good.  Upon palpitating his legs and moving him in funky ways, the vet also concluded he did not have a torn ligament.  Looking at the rest of his leg, there are no problems to be found. 

That's a nice leg!  If it isn't his ligaments or tendons and it isn't his hips, why is he limping?  What is wrong with Waffle?  Even though his hips and legs looked great, the vet was not completely happy with one part of Waffle.

Look there!  Between his 7th lumbar and sacral vertebrae-- it's shaped like a tent when the space is supposed to be mostly parallel.  The bone there is very dense when it isn't supposed to be.  The tent-shaped space, at my vet's best guess, is responsible for Waffle's limping.  It most likely pinches a nerve and makes his leg feel funny when he works very hard.  Does it hurt? I dunno.  Maybe.  It may get worse as he ages and it isn't going to get better.  There's nothing we can do about this except give him anti-inflammatories prior to a big hike or strenuous exercise.  I've started his anti-inflammatory dietary regimen again, too--omega-3's, vitamin E, and vitamin C supplements.  Hopefully, with good planning and management, it won't bother him very much or often.  I was so ready to sell everything, sacrifice my Christmas money, and fund a hip surgery or ACL surgery, and I am so thankful that I don't have to.

In my attempts to replicate the supposed spinal pain between L3 and L4 that caused the first vet to conclude he had IVDD, I always found that the pain was down by his hips instead.  I also noticed that his back rises up at that general area, as seen here.  This little issue explains both of those things!  I wonder what was going on in the February X-ray to make it so cloudy, especially because he only ever exhibited pain when you pressed on it hard.   Whether it was an X-ray error or something with him, I'm glad it didn't show up again!  I'm also glad I know what is going on in my dog's body.  Mostly, I'm very grateful for my breeder, who made it possible to get a second opinion from a trusted veterinarian.

To end, here's my non-crippled dog enjoying life.