# Front legs shorter than back..



## paris

Can anyone tell me if this is something I need to be concerned with? It looks like Paris' front legs are a little shorter than her back legs. Is this something that is common when they are still growing?


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## dhodina

It was in our lab and horses. That is how we knew they were going thru a growth spurt. Their butt would all the sudden be up higher than their shoulders.


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## kab

Sugar is almost 2 years old and her hind quarters are a little higher.


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## jmm

As puppies grow, they do tend to go through the "uglies" where their front and rear ends grow at different rates. Most commonly, it is the rear being higher than the front. 

A common conformation fault in Maltese is being high in the rear. It is usually fairly subtle but easy to tell by the dog's gait as they bounce in the rear instead of trotting like they're floating.

There are also chondrodysplastic conditions that can occur where the front leg bones don't grow at the proper rate or have curvature (grow in the wrong direction). For some affected dogs this causes no problems. Others require orthopedic surgery for their comfort and to be able to walk normally. To be sure you usually have to wait until 4-5 months and x-ray then (radiographs before then aren't great because of the open spaces you would see).


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## charmypoo

Sparkle also went through a funny growth stage where her rear was higher. She has now balanced out and has a great topline.


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## NC's Mom

Little C has a high rear end. Since she is already over a year, I'm guessing that won't change any now. She doesn't have the same kind of walk that Sir N has. He kind of glides while flipping his front feet high...hard to explain, but looks SO cute. Actually, I just took a good look at her, and her rear end seems abnormally high. I never realized it before because I hadn't looked at it as a fault...but now I'm worried that she might have some kind of problem because of this. I wonder if it makes walking painful now, or maybe in the future. YAY! One more thing to obsess over!


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## Theresa

Sence I got Summer cut you can really see that her back legs our alittle taller than the front But I know she's still growing so hopefully the front will catch up with the back







She looks so funny and little


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## paris

Tanks for the replies...at least now I know my little fur baby isn't the only one like this. As she is almost eight months old, I wonder if, or when, the front legs will grow some more.


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## GSix

Wow... I had never noticed before I read this thread... but Bailey's back legs are higher than his front also!







It is not a huge difference but still I can tell that he is a little "uneven". He is a little over 8 months, so maybe he will even out if he grows some more.


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