Is it normal if my dog only uses front paws to swim, not back legs?

Hello. It is very possible that the elbow joint has some significant arthritis in it. You are already doing the best type of rehab for her by taking her swimming daily. Overtime, the joint may become a bit more mobile, but as long as she seems happy, I would not be too concerned. Besides swimming, gentle range of motion exercises ( moving her leg in a circular motion gently extending & flexing the joint ) and using warm compresses on the joint 2-3 times a day will certainly help. Make sure she is on a good glucosamine chondroitin sulfate supplement, too. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If you’ve checked her paw and it’s normal she may be holding her foot up because she has injured her knee and doesn’t want weight on the leg. Knee injuries are common and when first injured dogs hold it up like you are describing. If it’s a knee injury it can heal with rest if the cruciate ligament isn’t fully torn, if it is torn then she may need surgery to repair it. I recommend leash walks only for potty breaks for a week. If she isn’t using the leg normally after that time then please bring her in for and exam and diagnosis. If she’s currently painful then certainly bring her in right away so they can find the problem and get her on pin medication. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pup.

What you are describing can be normal in a hyper growing puppy that is still perfecting his coordination; however there are a few developmental disease that large breed puppies can get that can cause some altered gaits and intermittent lameness. Exercise will help if it is normal but may make it worse if there is a developmental problem. I would schedule an appointment with your vet to have Clive checked for an development disease

I'm not exactly sure I understand what you mean by frog pose but I assume this means her rear end is sinking down when she stands? I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. Take pictures or video of her standing or walking down the stairs. Make sure the veterinarian checks her nerves in her hind legs. This could indicate a neuropathy, a disc problem or it cold be related to her arthritis. It may be time for her to start medication and supplements to see if she improves. I hope this helps.

Hi there. Usually splayed feet indicate that they are not using their limbs fully, Ruby is sore on one leg so she's compensating and using the other one more, therefore putting pressure on that side and causing the toes to splay. Both sides do look splayed, so it may be that she's also sore on the hind limbs and putting more weight on the front. I would start her on a joint supplement, I like Dasuquin advanced because it's FDA regulated to have the right amount of ingredients in it to work. You can also take her in for xrays to identify what's going on and perhaps start some anti-inflammatory meds from your vet.

Hello, It's possible R has swimmer's syndrome or any number of anatomical deformities. I'd recommend an x-ray and a physical exam from a veterinarian to evaluate further. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I suspect this is a congenital abnormality. I recommend to get Ares examined by the veterinarian. With puppies, sometimes there are treatments available since they are still developing but sometimes there are not any options. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.