I have an unplanned litter of lab mix puppies. Your pooch doesnt need it if the pain from floating ribs isnt severe. The next day she stopped walking altogether and has basically refused to use her rear legs since. Its the bone right in the middle of the chest. Is there a genetic component? do you know if I am doing enough? Hi there,Having 2 pups here with this problem, they are 4 weeks tomorrow. He will be quite eager to turn over or lay on his tummy, so he will use his front legs more. Thank you for writing about your swimmer puppy! The last pair of ribs is the floating ribs that bulge out. And thats because the issue often goes away with proper treatment. Watching your swimmer pups diet is necessary to ward off obesity. So will the heavy breathing. It takes some hard work, but only for a short time and they're worth it!Please post here again if I can be of any more help to you!LabMama, Thank you so much, you're an absolute angel giving your advice to us novices. her back legs are splayed but her front ones seem to be working. Hes not exactly sickly, but I think its extreme flatness of his ribcage that's preventing him from nursing properly. We really need more useful blog like this.p.s. My minature Dachshund puppy was progressing extremely well until week 3 . He was so very tense and stiff, and by massaging him I was able to release the muscles and get him to relax into a normal body position. I did however get him to lie on his side for a lil while on my lap. And in other cases, they cant even sit due to the pain. Dogs with pectus carinatum should not be bred. The pups are now 11 days old, she is not really having problems to breath but her ribs are definitely different to the other pups'. He was completely flat and his 4 limbs were completely rigid. In addition to putting the sock on, I have make up sponges under her belly and shoulders, I also did cycling exercises with her legs for about 10 minutes a few times every day and it worked. He is a fat puppy (only one in the litter) and I think it takes a little longer. You should enter the one of them on the hay bale in a photo contest! Lipomas can be surgically removed if they interfere with your dog's mobility or comfort, grow rapidly, or rupture (causing skin damage). Echo reformatted my whole post. There may be a genetic component related to embryonic development of the inner ear. Hi, I've just saved my 4 week old spaniel puppy, thanks to your wonderful t-shirt method. I have looked for help in various other ways and means but to no avail.Nicola, Today her walking is even better looks like she s just a little behind. You can e-mail them to me directly at labmama (at) sbcglobal (dot) net. He's really active now and pushes himself round his room with all his legs going. Due to their overexcitement, they missed a step. Their ribs. So, theres one more way to find out if your pooch has a broken rib. We put a rug under him so he doesn't slip, he runs back and forth, we get another pup out to play with him, and he sleeps in it. There is also a chance the protrusion may indicate a serious issue. One of the female pups have quite a flat chest or rib cage. :) LabMama, Hi! When the dam is ready to let her milk down, quietly put the suspect swimmer on a good nipple that he likes Thus, vets would normally tell fur parents to ignore them. It has been suggested to me to have her put down but I cant, she is so gorgeous. I am feeling very deflated after our trip to the vet today as I was told he has no chance as he is so flat chested that it is not likely he will come good. We were at the vet yesterday but she never heard of this syndrome so that did not help. The ribs don't curve in the normal way but curve back outwards again. The world's 1st site by/for dog show judges TheJudgesPlace.com educates on purebred dogs. How can we correct the flat chest ? In some animals, especially snakes, ribs may provide support and protection for the entire . And when the front legs are straight, eventually the back legs come up.I actually did two horizontal cuts in the main body part, so that I had two distinct ties, one holding the top of the chest in place, the other the ribs lower down.I gave up with the sponge wedges in the armholes as they kept falling out.It does take a few days though, and must be constantly worn and the progress is gradual. That's WONDERFUL news! With closer examination, I noticed that the third rib from the bottom . He has begun standing and attempting to walk but his legs are still a little splayed to the sides. Please write here again if I can help you with anything else.LabMama, Hi LabMama,thank you so much for all your help and advise I will let you know about his progress.Your website and this lab blog is so great, I'm sure you it helps a lot of breeder.talk you soonYvonne, Hi LabMama,Just wanted to post some updates, the puppy did start to stand up now, just after 5 days. Some studies have shown that swimmer puppy syndrome is highest in obese puppies. ~Thanks for all the tips and suggestion, I will update you on progress, Just had to share the good news :) my little darling just stood up and took a few steps! Swim sessions: Hit the pool three times a day. I have not decided what I will do, but thougth someone may have some insight. The one in your whelping box Swimmers were more common when puppies were whelped and reared on newspaper. It was my first time there. He now is using his rear legs and getting around pretty well. I've seen him try to push himself up on his front legs too. He should be still be able to move and take care of 'business' while wearing it. He turns around in a sure basket and absolutely doesn't stay on his sides, no matter what. My husband convinced me to try some therapy first. :-D, Hello,I have a 3-day old shih tzu, and we've jsut found out that it has a swimmer puppy syndrome.She's having trouble breathing. Hello don't give up I have a 12 week golden that just start to run,,have the kids throw toys and let him chase it..make sure they play with him on a rug,,baths will help his legs hold him so he can swim,,i can call you if you need any help let me know..i did not tie his legs up. However, since you have stated she does not sleep on her side, that is a cause for concern. God bless you for trying! Pectus excavatum is an abnormal development of the rib cage in which the sternum (breastbone) grows inward, resulting in a noticeable and sometimes severe indentation of the chest wall. Too much weight gain will put unnecessary pressure on the joints. Once again, all dogs have them. he will right himself by rolling back onto his belly, thus putting pressure on the chest. Thank you so much for posting this on Google it has been such a life saver for my puppies. The human ribcage. Add some chicken or beef broth to the food to moisten and provide extra flavor. so I kept him with me on his side and then just brought him to nurse. what should I do?? If you remove the tape and he splays again, bind him up for another day and try again.Keep me posted, please. Thanks Lab mama xAnnette, Hello, first of all thank you so much for this useful site & blog, all your comments and experience are very valuable to everybody is dealing with a swimmer! I think I might have realized part of my problem. However, in practice, it mainly occurs in brachycephalic species. Can Vet J. They will need their hind legs free to sit up and stand.I also highly recommend the basket (or box) hobble technique I have explained here. Let him sleep with his mom at night. ( pups will be 3 wks on Monday). } Suddenly, you notice a bump on their ribs. She has improved by leaps and bounds. Do you think i should rig her up now or leave her a while to see how things go? In: Wikipedia [Internet]. They're worth it. These deformations can compress the heart and lungs, lessening pulmonary and cardiac capacity. My email is sarahcpurtell@yahoo.com. At first, the bones start long but gradually become shorter in the end. Broken ribs require emergency medical treatment, as the end of a broken bone can puncture the dog's lung. She displayed all the symptoms mentioned above. Does he have a fever? If your dog has been experiencing rib pain and discomfort around the ribcage, then that's probably a sign they have a broken rib or a complex issue. Stiffness. 7 vital things you should know about floating ribs. Flat-chested kitten syndrome 1 language Flat-chested kitten syndrome ( FCKS) is a disorder in cats wherein kittens develop a compression of the thorax (chest/ribcage) caused by lung collapse [citation needed]. Our swimmer babies have been seen by a vet, and we are proceeding with an attempt at "physical therapy". Thanks for replying. Figure 8 Rib Articulation with Vertebra (Illustration from Canine Terminology, 2012 Dogwise, Used with Permission) Most dogs can recover from floating rib pain without the need for surgery. Thanks for the help! I tried the socks method but she just can find a way to remove it.Then I decided to make her the rig as shown in this video(www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI9TVaJbhi8). And since it still serves a good purpose in our furry friends bodies. I really only did the shoe box method for just over a week but for much of the day she was mainly in with the litter. He manages to lift his frontal side up, his hind doesn't support him though, without the tape. He is very rigid though and if he looks off one direction his whole body will roll that direction. What Is a Lipoma? The sight can be alarming and leave you confused. Going to the vet but I just was kind of wanting to get all the information I could first. If that doesnt help, let me know and Ill walk you through the sock/t-shirt method. Im angry with the breeder, too! x. Yes, I absolutely would begin therapy now on the pup who nurses and sleeps on his side some of the time. She confirmed her theory and said me that with the right methods the puppy would be able to live without problems.When I arrived at home I started to do some internet researches and I found your website and the Coreen website. He will wobble and sway when you first remove it; think of how the *normal* pups topple around when first learning to walk. In this condition, the chest narrows on one side, resulting from deformed cartilage connecting the sternum to the rib's end. function enlarge(x) { I too " diagnosed" and ran to the vet. When he moved to his mother to nurse, he looked like a soldier crawling under concertina wire, scooting along on his tummy. Thus, theyll still play and act like everythings fine. I have a Husky mix i started bottle feeding at 1 week (wasnt nursing). This is a heart-breaking story. 1918.) Swimmer Puppy Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment, Symptoms & Causes of Swimmer Puppy Syndrome, Treatment Options for Swimmer Puppy Syndrome, Helping Your Dog Recover From Swimmer Puppy Syndrome. His chest is round now also. She is a long-time breeder of Cocker Spaniels and can probably help you figure out what is affecting your pup. I am usually on the thinner side, but it makes my ribs more pronounced, it has stabbed at my confidence. i need advice, i have a 4 week old shih tzu with the syndrome. I'm italian and I'm trying to save my 5 weeks old newfoundland puppy.I noticed the female puppy had a problem around the 3rd week, but cause she was the smallest of the group, I thought she would be able to walk with a little delay.At the 4th week she was not walking, she was still moving as a reptile. However, the twisted stomach is sealed off and although the dog retches or attempts to vomit, he brings nothing up other than drooled saliva. Is there anything else we can do and is there hope? Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! Holy cow! One week ago tomorrow we went for a longer than usual walk and she was running out front on the leash to such a degree that I had to jog to keep up with her. My swimmer pup is walking a few steps with the help of the tape harness on his hind legs, I have had it on for almost a week and though he still can't walk by himself, and his back legs are splayed, I see an improvement everyday. 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