# CD?



## cmb627 (Dec 19, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

Brady and I are new to this site and I've been looking at previous posts about CD. We do have a vet appointment this weekend, but I wanted to get some opinions here as well.

This is my baby Brady. I am so unbelievably in love with him and I can't imagine my life without him. He is my very first puppy and I am a self proclaimed hypochondriac when it comes to all things surrounding his health. It's been pretty scary to read all about what could happen with CD and all the other health issues associated with it. I would love to hear your opinions on Brady. I'm hoping that it will give me peace of mind, and if it goes the other way, atleast I will be prepared to deal with whatever may come up. 

About 2 months ago, Brady was playing with a stuffed animal and tweaked his leg. I immediately brought him to the vet. I couldn't stand to see him limping. They told me he had a partial cruciate ligament tear in his right knee, and Grade I LP in both back legs. He's been resting for the past six weeks and this upcoming Saturday we start physical therapy to help heal the ligament and strenghten the muscles around the knee. 

Because he was sending so much time in the crate during his restricted activity rest period, I had the groomer trim him pretty short. I had always noticed his legs weren't straight, but never really looked into it more since they didn't seem to give him any problems. It's interesting to me, however, that when bowed legs/CD are mentioned on this site, it is pretty common that the dog also has LPs. 

We are headed to the vet for PT on Saturday and I will get him checked out for his front then as well. 

I would appreciate and love to hear your thoughts. I am attaching a picture of my sweet baby Brady <3 I always say he is the "flove of my life"


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

cmb627 said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Brady and I are new to this site and I've been looking at previous posts about CD. We do have a vet appointment this weekend, but I wanted to get some opinions here as well.
> 
> ...


You might want to PM Tom King and ask his and his wife's (Pam's) opinion. They are very experienced breeders. You're right that your little cutie has some pretty crooked legs. But not all crooked legs are CD. And even among dogs that DO have CD, while there CAN be other problems too, the majority live long and happy lives on their crooked legs. . So, certainly, learn all you can about it and if you haven't already, talk to your breeder about his legs. If they are consciencious breeders, they will want to know. But at the same time, don't worry TOO much, and continue to enjoy your little cutie!


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Just want to say how utterly cute he is!!


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

I second Karen's recommendation. And as a breeder, while I don't ever want to see legs crooked at all, his are actually not as bad as some I've seen. Sounds like you are staying on top of his health. Try not to worry. Looks like a sweetie.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

He is a darling little boy!


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## cmb627 (Dec 19, 2014)

Thank you to all of you for the kind replies! I can't even imagine my life pre-Brady. It's crazy how some little being that's so small can have such a huge impact on our lives. Brady weighs in at a hefty 7.5 lbs lol!

Thank you to Karen R, Evelyn, Karen C and Sheri! Your posts meant a lot to me. 

Karen R, where are you in MA? Brady and I are in Lexington for the time being. My fiance is a minor league ball player, so we move every 6 months. Brady has been to 5 states so far in his 2 years of being on earth! Frequent flyer fluff. 

I have contacted the breeder. I definitely don't want to bash anyone on here, but I made a huge mistake going with the breeder that we did. We got Brady when we were both 23. I wish I would have listened to my head when I saw the red flags from this breeder, but I didn't. And it turned out okay. I met my fluffy soulmate. I am praying that he lives a wonderful, long life on his little funny legs. Our breeder (when he finally responded, after about 4 emails spread out over a month) offered a replacement puppy. No. Thank. You. 

I made the mistake of reading the beginning of the "Preston's Legs" forum last night. Here I am, holding my fluffy guy, worrying about everything in the world that this could mean for us and feeling terrible for the Havs that were talked about on the forum. I finally made it to the end this morning, and am overjoyed that Preston and his mom are still doing great today (I think it was around a 6 year long forum...CRAZY!)

I love my Brady and his little legs. I just hope that they don't cause him any complications or pain/suffering in the future. He's only 2! I do have him on joint supplements (Cosequin) daily so hopefully that will help. We hopefully have a very long road ahead of us. <3 

I'm adding another picture of Brady boy. I work from home, which means puppy kisses all day long! So grateful to spend all day with my fluffball.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Brady is so cute! Love his big dark eyes. My first Havanese Sparky had very crooked legs which never caused him any problems. He did have a heart murmur that wasn't a problem until he was 14yrs old. Not sure if it was related. Enjoy you little one!
Here is a picture of my little Sparky boy when he was 14 yrs old.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

His legs look too long to be real CD. Dogs with CD have the distance from the floor to the elbow significantly less than from elbow to top of whithers. It's caused by the same gene issue that causes Dwarfism in people. That's just what is commonly called a "crappy front". It's not really a health problem, but should be bred away from.


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## andra (Aug 23, 2010)

Well, he is adorable and I can feel the love you have for him in your post. 

It is hard not to get scared when you read posts about various health conditions. You are doing the right thing by speaking to your vet. 

As hard as it is, you can not undo your decisions regarding the breeder so try not to spend to much energy on that. Instead, channel your energy in loving your furbaby 

andra


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

cmb627 said:


> Thank you to all of you for the kind replies! I can't even imagine my life pre-Brady. It's crazy how some little being that's so small can have such a huge impact on our lives. Brady weighs in at a hefty 7.5 lbs lol!
> 
> Thank you to Karen R, Evelyn, Karen C and Sheri! Your posts meant a lot to me.
> 
> ...


Oh! It's too bad you didn't come on the forum last week! We had a Havanese playdate at my house last Sat., with about 25 fluffernutters!  We WILL probably have some indoor play dates during the winter, though, so if you're interested, PM me with your e-mail address and I'll add you to our "Play Date list".

Yes, Preston has VERY crooked legs and is still going strong. I have another friend with an 8 year old puppy mill Havanese with very crooked legs. He was an awesome agility dog for most of that time, but his crooked legs have caught up to him with THAT level of activity. He no longer stays sound jumping, so his owner has stopped doing agility with him. That said, without the concussion of the jumping, he's still completely sound, healthy and happy.

Too bad about your breeder, but that's the problem with "replacement" contracts. NO ONE wants a different puppy...even if they've only had their puppy a few weeks when a problem is discovered. And, honestly, your breeder offered more than many of the not-so-good ones will. Many contracts I've seen will only either pay for treatment or replace a puppy if the problem is "life threatening". Neither LP or CD are "life threatening" in most cases, so some breeders with that kind of contract weasel out that way.

The only "health guaranty" that is really worth anything is when a breeder will help with medical expenses (usually up to the purchase price of the puppy) for any congenital defect. Even then, the BEST "insurance" you can get is ask a lot of questions and develop a good relationship with your breeder. Reputable breeders are worth their weight in gold in terms of the advice and moral support they can give you over the whole life of your dog!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tom King said:


> His legs look too long to be real CD. Dogs with CD have the distance from the floor to the elbow significantly less than from elbow to top of whithers. It's caused by the same gene issue that causes Dwarfism in people. That's just what is commonly called a "crappy front". It's not really a health problem, but should be bred away from.


That's kind of what I thought, but I figured you guys are the expert in that sort of thing. Isn't this what is called a "fiddle front"


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Brady needed a good and loving home, regardless of his leg condition ... and he has one with you!!! :smile2:


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I read a very interesting a 3 part article by Fred Laning: Osteochondrodysplasias, leg deformities and dwarfism in the canine.


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

All I can add here he that he is certainly cute. What a tiny sweetie! I love it. My little Lola is only five and a half months and is already 10.5 pounds of non-stop energy and spunk. She's beating up my gentle, sweet boy dog as I type.


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