Puppy Sometimes Walks Strangely

[Grum 'n Gurk]

Fifteen week old puppy walks fine most of the time, doesn't appear to be in any pain. Runs around and plays with other dog. But I've noticed that she walks with a very slight limp, or kind of off center when we have been out walking for maybe 10 - 15 minutes. She walks fine, it's only when she's trotting. when she gallops it looks normal, but her trot goes a bit weird after a while, her back left leg looks more unstable than the rest of them.

I'm wondering if this might be something serious, or if she is just young and gets tired quickly and needs more time to get stronger. At her vet check last week, everything was ok, the vet checked all her joints, although I didn't mention this issue because I hadn't noticed it yet.

How long should a 15 week old puppy be able to walk for, before needing to rest?

[Rugbysmom]

If she has another vet visit coming up anytime soon, you could ask the vet about it then. If you are able to, take a video to show the vet. It could be luxating patella, where the kneecap slips out of place. If it is that, sometimes if it is mild no surgery is needed, but if it is severe, sometimes surgery can be done to correct it. Good luck & please let us know how she does.....

[Lu Ci and Ri Ki]

Totally agree with the above. A quick Google search yielded this: A good rule of thumb is a ratio of five minutes exercise per month of age (up to twice a day) until the puppy is fully grown e.g. 15 minutes (up to twice a day) when 3 months old, 20 minutes when 4 months old and so on. Once they are fully grown, they can go out for much longer.

[Wonka & Nilla]

It could just be that she strained a muscle a bit from jumping/running/playing too hard. I would watch and see if this continues for more than a few days or if it gets better/worse. Maybe reduce her exercise time for a couple of days and see if that helps.

It's also possible that this is just "how she's built" My Wonka used to have a mild "crabbing" gait, nearly all the time. As if his "wheels were out of alignment" with a subtle shift of the rear end toward the right. That was just how he was built. Also, when he was tired and when he got older, he quite often had a "pacing" gait where both of the left paws moved and then both of the right paws moved, it caused him to have a much more "wobbly" look when walking.
This video shows "crabbing": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hExlQWS2k3Y
And this video shows a variety of dog gaits, with the "pacing" starting at the 2 minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7AkrsLd-AQ

If it continues or gets worse then she might need another vet visit. It could be a multitude of different things: luxating patella, elbow or hip dysplasia, or possibly even Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease - which causes a distinctive hind-leg limp and weakening leg muscles.

[Grum 'n Gurk]

Thanks for all the comments. I will keep an eye on it and mention it at next vet visit if it hasn't improved. I think I may have been walking her for too long.

[Grum 'n Gurk]

Thanks for the links.

[Grum 'n Gurk]

@ wonka & nilla Thanks for the links.

[Grum 'n Gurk]

Update: Gurkin's back leg seems to be fine now, but now her front left leg looks slightly bowed and strange when she's walking/running. Like with her back leg, it doesn't seem to bother her. It gets worse later in the day and after we go for a walk. She has started sitting down and refusing to move after we have been walking for a few minutes.

After doing a bit of research I've learned that this is not unusual in puppies, but more common in larger breeds that grow fast. Growth and weight exceeds the capability of developing bones and they start to bow under the weight pressure. She has increased weight very fast, too fast I expect. I was also probably taking her for too many long walks. Too much good food and too much weight bearing exercise were most likely too much pressure for her unusually long legs (for a pug). So I've cut her food down and no more walks for a while, just free play, so she can rest when she needs to.

In the wild, food is often scarce, and so puppies grow slowly, giving their bones time to strengthen before they reach their full weight, unlike what happens when we feed them too much, high quality food, thinking that it's best for them. Articles I read said that improvement can be seen in as little as 5 days if changes are made, we are on day 2 and it's not any worse, maybe slightly better, but that could be wishful thinking. Sometimes the problem is caused by inadequate diet, or an imbalanced diet, which is not the case here. There are genetic causes too, and can result from injury not healing properly. But I'm trying these lifestyle changes, before taking her to the vet for tests and scans.

[Suri]

A 10 to 15 minute walk seems fine for a young pup, my Lucy who is now a year would do zooms then hold her back leg up for a little while, it was on and off for about 3 weeks, she hasn't held her leg up now for about 4 months so it must have been a sore muscle. I did get a video but overtime I was getting ready to make a vet appointment she was fine, I felt her leg, paw, all over and she was fine, hopefully your baby will just outgrow it.

[Lu Ci and Ri Ki]

Thank you for the update. You are such a good Pug parent to be so observant and to make changes in her diet and exercise. I expect you will see improvement from those lifestyle changes. Let us know how Gurkin gets along, please.