Q: I notice that several of our newborn (3 weeks – 1 month old) puppies cannot walk around like their siblings; instead their legs (front and hind) do a paddle motion, with their legs sprawled like a swimming turtle, to get from place to place.
Need we be worried? Will the pups grow out of it?
A: The pup(s) has (have) what is described as the Swimmer Puppy Syndrome (SPS). In practical, scientific terms, this abnormality is associated with underdeveloped muscles, muscles which are used to pull the legs together.
Although this condition (splayed legs) can be exceptional, vets do encounter this problem too often. When I started practice, more than 50 years ago, hardly more than 10 litters would be presented annually with this deformity. Nowadays, vets are confronted with such cases more frequently than we would like to see.
Other names for this Swimmer Puppy Syndrome are documented by Google as swimming –puppy syndrome, flat-puppy syndrome, turtle pup, and so on. Once you, as the caregiver, see this pathetic condition you will recognize it.
Under normal circumstances, the normal newborn pup should be standing and walking, albeit with a wobbly incoordinated gait, by 3 weeks of age. By 4 weeks the gait is much improved. If the splayed legs condition continues, other attendant problems may arise. Since the pup(s) cannot stand, then the chest and abdominal areas are pressed perpetually on the ground. This compromises the breathing and later the improper and insufficient ingesting food. Vomiting and constipation are not uncommon, nor are consequential joint deformities.
So in a nutshell, yes, the caregiver needs to be concerned.
The next part of the question asks whether the condition will improve as the pups get older. Since, I have not often experienced improvement – without veterinary intervention – the answer has to be “NO”.
The real questions now must be: (i) Should we allow the afflicted pups to continue its life?
(ii) Can something be done to improve the pup’s continued existence, by getting the sprawled legs to function better?
Let us address the first question. I dare say that the desire, inherent in the question, is not to “put the pup down” (euthanasia). Before we deal with this question, allow ne to return to the statement made earlier, namely that we are often seeing this condition much more than previously. Has this empirically observed increase in SPS have to do with improper breeding techniques?
The literature may make varying statements about SPS. Some authors document that small breeds are more likely to exhibit this condition. This may be true. On the other hand, it cannot be dismissed that pups of the larger breeds (not lastly Rottweilers and German Shepherds) are also exhibiting this syndrome with greater frequency. The literature seems to be clearly leaning towards the conviction that this ailment has its origin in hereditary genetic anchorage. In other words, the SPS affected puppies are born with the congenital defects. This latter argument is supported by the fact that not often do dog “breeders” renew their breed’s genetic material by importing new, proven animals. Consequently, what we are confronted with is incest, likely on a large scale. Inbreeding will be dealt with in detail in a later discussion.
If we agree that SPS is a disorder that has its origin in genetic elements, then the caregivers should be advised to spay/neuter SPS pups, around the age of puberty, so that the condition does not perpetuate itself.
Now, we come to question # 2: Is SPS treatable?
Well, the answer is: Yes. The situation is not hopeless.
TREATMENT
The main approach used by most veterinarians is to hobble the sprawled legs by using a strong tape or bandage material to place the legs in the correct (normal) position. (See photo # 2) Your vet could show you how this technique can be implemented at home. Subsequently, it may be preferable for the caregiver to bring the SPS pup(s) for a weekly check-up over a 6 – week period, at least.
It would be favourable and supportive to the young SPS pup(s), if the caregiver could implement the following pieces of advice:
(i) Build a simple harness/sling (a soft cloth with 4 holes) which can suspend the pup(s) in such a way that its paws are just slightly touching the ground for about 15 minutes. You can place it/them in your home-made device once every 6 hours or so.
(ii) The container in which these SPS pups are placed and the surrounding area must not have a smooth (=slippery) surface. Some traction is needed.
(iii) If the pups are kept in a special bed, then the container must be lined with soft, fluffy material.
(iv) One Ms. Emma Williams writing in The Dogington Post has shared the suggestion to enclose the pup in a sock with holes for the sprawling legs, thus creating a vest into which one can pack thin strips of cotton wool where the pup’s chest and abdomen are. Ah well, lets use/try anything that can ameliorate the situation.
(v) Encourage the pup to nurse and sleep on its side. This, of course, will require (much of the caregiver’s) time and effort.
(vi) Tickle the deformed pup’s paw-pads every 2-3 hours. This stimulation would encourage the pup to instinctively/reflexively use its legs.
(vii) The caregiver could also massage the tiny pup’s body a few times daily, using gentle, unscented moistening cream and applying it with the thumb and forefinger.
(viii) Lift the pup slightly, with its legs touching the ground, and simulate a walking motion. One can encourage the movements when the pup is suspended in the sling (See # (i) above).
N.B. (i) Do not overfeed the affected pups. In this particular ailment, we clearly do not want
the pup to become too heavy, too quickly.
(ii) The caregiver has to keep the young pup clean and not contaminated by its own faeces (stool) and urine.
Undoubtedly, the restoration of the function of the legs over a lengthy period (as long as 6-8 weeks, or more) calls for time and patience and dedication. But, in the end, I can guarantee that the joy of achievement will make the whole exercise worthwhile.
