[HIrwin]

Over a month ago Gabe started with a slight limp in his right hind leg 3 days after jumping off our bed. (Previous threads on slight limp and update on slight limp.) After 2 vet visits he was diagnosed by X-ray as having Legg Calves Perthes Disease, a rare hereditary disorder which affects puppies @ 3-13 months old. We waited 19 days for first available appointment to consult an orthopedic specialist who took one more X-ray and confirmed the diagnosis. Gabe has now had the surgery where the head of the femur has been removed and just had the stitches removed yesterday, nine days post surgery. He is doing well and will hopefully begin to use the leg more in the next few weeks. All 3 vets who examined him during this time period have assured me that the jump had nothing to do with the condition. At the most, it only sped up the onset of the symptoms.

After all of the process was complete I contacted the breeder and informed her of the problem since it could be devastating to her breeding program. She was shocked by the news as she said that none of her other litters have ever reported this same problem. She told me that she would immediately take steps to further research the source of the problem.

Hopefully, this is the end of the story. The orthopedic surgeon made the remark that "in six months it will never be apparent that there was anything wrong."