Flat chested puppy - Page 1

Hi guys, just wondering if anybody has had a puppy with a flat chest. When I hold him from the bottom his chest is flat, like an english bulldog. He has been to the vet at birth, he is two and a half weeks old.  Always laying down on his chest too. Anybody ever heard of this?

Sounds like a "swimmer" - needs special handling.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2105&aid=884



Google "swimmer puppies" and you will get tons of information.

yes, some people refer to this as a swimmer.  It is where the chest has been in a bad position in the womb and has been flattened or squashed.  In any way eventually the elbows will not allow the animal to stand properly and usualy they have to be put to sleep.  I have had 1 only in my years of breeding, ie 40 years or so but it is very glad.  If you can swim the puppy in a basin of water ever day just by holding it up with a piece of cloth there is a slim chance it can come right.  I have known it come right for other people's pups but whether they are 'ok' in every respect in the long run is anyone's guess.  Sorry you got this!

BTW, there is thought to be a genetic component and these dogs should probably not be bred again.

Thank you everyone, I've looked it up and taken some steps. I've bought a foam "egg carton" looking mat for it, He quickly stood up. I'm goeing to try the swimming too. Thanks all

Thank you everyone, I've looked it up and taken some steps. I've bought a foam "egg carton" looking mat for it, He quickly stood up. I'm goeing to try the swimming too. Thanks all

Good luck with your special little guy, make sure and lets us know how he does.

I encountered "Swimmers" with one litter of Akitas.. Mama had a LOT of milk and just two babies... the footing wasn't as good as it should have been, and by 4 weeks both pups looked like there was a board under the skin.  I began only allowing supervised feedings durring the daytime, changed the footing in the broodbox, and fashioned a harness with tape that prevented the front legs from going out to the sides.  WIthin 2 days the pups were walking normally, within a week there were no signs of any problem at all.   This breeding was repeated with 6 pups, and there was no problem at all. 

  I'd never heard of a genetic componant but definately body weight and footing are involved

I had a swimmer pup in a litter 5 years ago, the bitch had a litter of 6 pups, 2 of the pups came really close together one was 650 grams which is really large, the other was only 238 grams which is pretty small, I was afraid she wouldn't make it but she did. The vet said the bigger one was probably stealing from the little one in the womb. Well anyway, about a week after they were born I noticed the big one was always sleeping on its stomach and its chest was flat. I did some research and found out about swimmer pups and how to save them. I used the sock method and it worked great and she was back to normal in about a week and a half. She is now a wonderful 5 year old 100 lb beauty.  Yes she is bigger than her father who is 85 lbs or her mother who is 75 lbs. The bitch had 3 more litters after that and not another swimmer in the bunch! Here is the link that saved my puppy and good luck:

 http://www.swimmerpuppy.com/