# ? re: legs/hips ... running on 3 legs?



## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

Hello all~
I have a 5-7yr old foster chi who runs on 3 legs. When I asked the rescue people they said they thought it was just a funny little chihuahua quirk. He's been w/me a bit more than a month and is still doing it. Not always the same rear leg is lifted when he runs ... sometimes he switches mid stride. I've been reading here off and on for the past week and have read some very scary, sad tales about knee caps out of joint and expensive surgery on hips, joints, etc. He doesn't seem to be in pain so I thought I'd just ask if anyone else has a chi that does this cute funny little thing? I did read about one who stands on 3 legs when he/she eats :lol: !
Thank you!


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

If you want to check for hip problems, pick up the chi's back legs and stretch them straight out towards the back end of the dog. It should look like he's trying to fly... if you can pull them both back to be almost on the same plane as his back, his hips are okay. (My vet showed me that trick.)

With Cooper, I put my hands on his knees and bend them back and forth. You should be able to feel anything wrong - you will feel the kneecap going in and out if he's got luxation of the knee. If you think something's wrong, I'd take him to the vet and let them look.

He may just be a crazy chi with a crazy "thing". Hopefully, that's the problem. :lol:


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## LuvMyChiwawas (Sep 1, 2005)

Most Chis have some kind of little quirk...that's part of their charm but I would try the tricks Cooper suggested just in case.


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## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

Thank you!
I suspect it may just be a silly little thing he has going to make him even cuter than he already is.
Thanks for the tip re hips and knees ... I tried it and both seem absolutely fine. The only time I've taken him to the vet is when the rescue people set up his neuter and he had a tooth pulled at the same time. Because he is a foster dog, I have to get them involved and drive him to their vet 35 min away and they don't like to make appts unless it's an emergency. 
I am trying to talk my husband into agreeing to keep him (not easy, he's a big dog guy) and if I am successful I will take him to our vet for a through check up. No one at rescue even seems to know how old he is, let alone any other issues he may have. 
I just went on a local board and searched for chihuahuas ... I was shocked and horrified at all the people passing these dogs around for breeding and then selling tiny puppies for 800.00 - 1,500.00!!! Good grief! There also seems to be a "my puppy is smaller than your puppy" thing going on out there .... the smaller the dog the more $$ Does no one care that the dog may have a sweet disposition or is a total love? I nearly posted looking for someone to adopt him but decided against it. There were also tons of people selling chi's they no longer have time for. I have the impression that people get these dogs, find they're a handful and after a few months dump them. I'm sure that's how I ended up w/this little homeless guy  
Poor babies ....
T


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

I would suggest getting him checked. I have never heard of a quirk where a chi hops on 3 legs. It is usually luxating patella. It sounds like he has it in both knees. If he's limping it's because it hurts.
Get an x-ray done and find out for sure. If money is going to be a deciding factor for you it can cost anywhere from $600 to $2000 for each knee depending where you are and what vet does the surgery.


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## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

He's _not _limping .... he simply runs on 3 legs and is not in pain. When he first came to me I stopped all the time and would feel his back legs and check him out to be sure. when something hurts him he is not shy about letting me know.
I was already told by a woman at rescue who has a hairless chi that it's just a chi quirk ... I was curious how many others do this. Apparently not many though it looks like some do when they eat


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

:shock: :wave:


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## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

OUCH!
What's the matter with you?
I wasn't trying to be smart and no, I'm not a vet.
Sheesh ... I already said I will take him to my own vet when I've adopted him. When I initially picked him up it was from their vet because he had a nasty case of kennel cough. I asked if there was anything else I should know and the vet that treated his kennel cough said that other than the cough and needing to be neutered he was healthy and that he was aprox 5-7 yrs old.
I am not an expert on chihuahua's which is why I came to this site. 
I have however fostered over 75 dogs and do know a limp when I see one.
Please don't be rude to me ... I'm trying to be as pleasant as possible and do all I can for this little guy.


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## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

And by the way ... he doesn't run on 3 legs all of the time, just part of the time.
I'm going back to my corner now


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## Rachael Polachek (Feb 19, 2005)

Ms_P said:


> Oh sorry I didn't know you were a vet.
> And thanks for the information about chi quirks, I'll be sure and look for mine starting to do it. :wink:


Uncalled for, in my opinion. This woman is doing her best to provide good care for this dog and the last thing she needs is sarcasm. :x


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## nabi (Nov 25, 2004)

I'm sure you can turn your husband into a" small dog " man LOL...mine thought he preferred big dogs until I bought him a terri-poo for his birthday...she is his constant companion...then we got Bella...and she has him wrapped around her little paw ...shouldn't take that little fellow too long to turn your hubby about LOL


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## xfayex (Apr 4, 2005)

I agree - go easy shes just trying her best.  

The only thing i could suggest is to check him out at the vet when you go - i wouldn't probably have a clue but im sure your vet can offer some advice and probably explain what is happening here.


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## ilovesadie (Jun 1, 2004)

Well, it sounds like a luxating patella to me. It looks more like a skip than a limp. If he alternates legs there may be something wrong with both knees. I would definitely take him to the vet. They will be able to determine if it is indeed a luxating patella and what grade it is. Then they will also be able to tell you if surgery is necessary. Sadie does this while walking too but she is probably a grade 1 or 2 so she doesn't need surgery right now. It's just something to be aware of just in case it gets worse. Let us know how it goes! :wave:


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

I saw the show Pet Star on Animal Planet the other day and the Chi was on the show for this particular reason, because it skips.


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

LOL I saw that... Cooper watched it like "what the HECK is that dog doing?!" It was hilarious!!


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## TuckersMom (Jun 29, 2004)

First of all I would like to welcome you to the forum! Glad that you found us.  Thank you for the work that you do fostering God's creatures who are without a home of their own. We need more people like you in the world.

My Chi, Tucker, did have to have knee surgery. But his knee was locking on him, so-to-speak. Actually, what was happening was the knee cap was slipping off to the side when he was walking and then Tucker could not move his leg out of that position. But when running, both worked fine. So it may not be patellar luxation, and you may just have a sweet little skipping Chi.

By the way, does your boy have a name? "Skippy" or "Skipper" would suit him, I would say! 

P.S. I adopted Tucker from a Chihuahua rescue group.


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

I would also like to take the time to welcome you to the forum. Did the rescue say anything about your little chi having surgery in the past? Sometimes (especially with little dogs) if they have had surgery on a leg, they will tend not to use it. I know they told me Tequila had a good change of not using her leg after her knee surgery, but since I worked at a rehab center for dogs I was able to rehab her.

I can kindof picture what you are talking about. I have seen dogs who walk normal, but when they run they favor a leg...again it might have to do with previous injury or surgery.



> Oh sorry I didn't know you were a vet.
> And thanks for the information about chi quirks, I'll be sure and look for mine starting to do it.


I am sorry about this comment that was made. I assure you that the majority of our members arent this rude.

When you finally adopt this little angel I would have his legs x-rayed...check his hips and knees. The x-rays should be able to shine some light on if its an old injury that never healed/ a post surgery, or a current injury. By playing with the knees and hips the vet will also be able to tell if there is any laxisity (wow I cannot spell tonight) or popping in the joints.

Again I just want to say welcome and congrats on your almost chi adoption  I think it is wonderful that you are doing the work you do...I just wish there were more people out there who would/could open their homes to that many fosters. You will find that this site can offer tons of great information!

-Jessica


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## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

I have tried to post a thank you for the positive feed back and support 4 times now and crashed my computer every single time!!! 
I'll just say thankyou for tonight from Max and from me, and hope it works this time!!!


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

LOL yeah computers can be a real pain cant they!

Please update us as soon as you can! Best of luck!


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## reedgrl1 (Oct 3, 2005)

OK ... let me try this one more time!
Thank you to all who posted positively to my original post ... I really appreciate it  
I think perhaps luxating patella may be right, just a low grade? 
Tonight we went out to dinner (not a normal occurance) and when we came home Max was so happy to see us that he glazed over the happy dance and went straight for the greyhound races, lol! He'd stop to lick my feet and run off again at such high speed that I feared for his safety! I noticed that he uses all four feet at top speed and hope he isn't sore or injured tomorrow! He has been with us longer than any other foster dog we've had. Usually, they are adopted by the time they've been here 4 weeks or so ... Max (as he's known on foster/adopt papers) has been here something like 6 weeks ... I've lost track. I think the bad case of kennel cough slowed down his process. For a while he coughed so badly I thought he would choke to death  I carried him in a baby sling on my chest for an entire week. This may also be why he's so comfortable here and really starting to show us his personality ... I love that part  ! That said, I have also had my moments with him ... the not being house broken, running away, trying to mount the cat, being rude to prospective new adoptive parent(s), ... you name it I've been through it with Max and I've been frustrated beyond words! In spite of all my frustration he has managed to win my heart in a BIG way.
I have always intended to have him checked by our own vet if we decided on adoption. 
I'd love to turn my husband into a small dog! 
Oops! I meant small dog _lover_! I think he's already coming around though  
Of the many, many, foster dogs we've had Max is one of only 3 we've seriously considered keeping ... my husband made the last decision ... I think it's _my_ turn! Our lab is great because she's like mother Teresa/den mother/goodwill ambassador to our fosters .... Max will fit right in ... he gets along with all other dogs and is like the Mayor of this big house, lol!
Again, thank you to all who responded in a positive way!
Max and I appreciate it so much!
Tamara


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

For Max's sake, I hope your husband does come around and see the light! You seem to be a great doggy mom and I bet you'd make a fantastic chi mommy.  

I love all dogs (well, not poodles, but I'll save that for another day LOL) but chis seem to have a special something about them that makes them 10x more loveable than other breeds.

Good luck with your husband! Let us know when Max is officially a part of the family (because we know he will be).


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## rex&kostya (Aug 13, 2005)

hello!
I'd like to tell you my story about Kostya. 
He started to occasionally hold his rear right leg up. Took his to the vet - vet checked patella, fine. Said come back if it dosn't stop. A two months later i took him back as it didn't stop and he was holding it up all the time. Vet again checked patella - fine. Gave meds and said come back in a month if not right. A month later we came back, had an x-ray, and he had a bad hip.
He either bumped it or it was hereditry. On the x-ray you can see the whole of the ball of his leg is jaggard and worn!
Kostya never complained about his leg in that whole time.
He has had an op on his hip now and is still recovering (and holding leg up).
My point is, get the vet to check his hip! He might be very brave and in the meantime it's getting worse and worse.

Good Luck
Rachel


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## OzzyAndLilysMom (Mar 9, 2004)

> Oh sorry I didn't know you were a vet.
> And thanks for the information about chi quirks, I'll be sure and look for mine starting to do it.


OMG :shock: How rude can you get ?

I too am so sorry you have been treated and spoken too in this manner - rest assured this is not the opinion of anyone else on this forum in no way did you come across as if you were a vet etc - Maybe the author is having a bad bout of PMS :lol:


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## cindyjo (Oct 30, 2011)

*3 leg*



reedgrl1 said:


> OUCH!
> What's the matter with you?
> I wasn't trying to be smart and no, I'm not a vet.
> Sheesh ... I already said I will take him to my own vet when I've adopted him. When I initially picked him up it was from their vet because he had a nasty case of kennel cough. I asked if there was anything else I should know and the vet that treated his kennel cough said that other than the cough and needing to be neutered he was healthy and that he was aprox 5-7 yrs old.
> ...


Ive had 13 chi's, and all will run on 3 legs, even switching mid stride. I've looked for a reason, but none really seem to apply. My dogs werent in pain, or ill. I think it's a chi quirk, and cute as heck. Just another part of the most wonderful life as a chi.


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## nabi (Nov 25, 2004)

Thank you for taking in that little fellow.....I am sorry some replies have been less then helpful ....

I do have a chi with hip disease and luxating patellas...she has been assessed at the Uni of Guelph Vet school and had her films assessed at the uni of Pa....the advice I got from both radiologists and orthopedic surgeons was to not have surgery done until she was having uncontrolled pain and/or the disability interfered with her daily life.......what they did recommend was she get lots of exercise where her legs are at over a 25 degree angle....we have hills so thats wasn't a problem..also to make her stand up on her back legs for treats etc...these things all help to build muscle....also to give her glucosamine /chondrition daily...so far my girl is asymptomatic thankfully...

I hope your little man does just have a funny quirk....my one chi loves to walk on her front legs only if the grass is wet LOL..now that is a sight to behold


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Wow, this thread is OLD! From 2005, so I'm sure the original poster is not hanging around still.  

However, bringing up luxating patellas is always timely. If a dog is skipping about on 3 legs, there is a VERY GOOD chance that they have luxating patellas (where the kneecap pops in and out of the groove of the knee). This should never be ignored and passed off as just a "cute chi quirk". 

ANY chihuahua that skips in the rear or holds up a leg and hops on 3 legs should be checked out by a vet. Luxating patellas are extremely common in our breed. It's actually pretty rare to find a chi that has great knees as most of them don't unfortunately. Always take skipping and 3 legged walking seriously and see a vet.


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