# From flying nun to laundry on a line...



## EverInRaptures (Feb 17, 2016)

Her ears change every day. It's a new surprise every morning to see what they have decided to do. She is a mix so there's no guarantee they will totally stand upright but for now I'm enjoying the daily ear lottery.

Today it is half and half


Yesterday...


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Cute, looks like they will stand eventually. It could be the angle of the photo and I don't want to cause you to panic but checkout to make sure her front feet are not knuckled over. Just want to point it out in case they were and you can still do something about it if needed. Others may chime in as well.
. See: Knuckling Over and HOD - Developmental Orthopedic Disease | GREATDANELADY.COM


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## EverInRaptures (Feb 17, 2016)

Thank you for your concern and sharing the link. I have been watching her joints very closely lately. On the one hand I think the two above pictures are a poor representation because she is thinking about jumping up in both pictures so she isn't sitting square. However I have been concerned because she is growing at a rapid rate and everything on her is so awkward in the puppy stages that I can't tell if it is something I need to be concerned about or not.
How do you determine what is normal and what is not? 
Let me know what you think...


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## EverInRaptures (Feb 17, 2016)

Also, since the article mentions nutrition and exercise...
She has had blue buffalo grain free large breed puppy food kibble with some canned food (canned is the same line as the kibble) since she was 6 weeks. She gets freeze dried liver treats, blue dog bakery grain free treats and kettle creek farms all natural grain free treats.
(...did I mention grain free...writing it all out like that makes me feel like a crazy person....) I go mama bear crazy on anyone who gives her random crap to eat.
She goes everywhere with me including work so she is never stuck on slippery hard tile or wood floors. I won't even put her in a shopping cart without her foam pad... Our house is carpeted everywhere except the garage and kitchen, one of my jobs has carpet and some tile but she is usually on the carpet, and the other is a ranch so there is dirt everywhere. Needless to say she gets plenty of exercise.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

I think her front legs looked bowed and knuckled over, too.


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## EverInRaptures (Feb 17, 2016)

Ok thanks, I will ask the vet what she thinks.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

When raising a pup I take him/her to my vet every two months in their first year to monitor growth and structure. I just want to make sure everything is going well, even when I don't see anything worrisome but I a not a vet, just had and trained dogs for more than 30 years. Keep us posted please.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Her legs look just fine to me. In the first two pics, she's "tippy toes" as mentioned ready to leap. 
She is incredibly cute, the ears are amazing. I'm not so sure that she is not PB. But that's just looking at pics. 
I would encourage you to wean her off the large breed puppy and on to adult food. About 66% of the time when I've fed puppy feed (large breed or not), I've had dogs with pano. Not good.


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## kaslkaos (Jan 15, 2003)

She's adorable and super cute. Really makes me smile. (and I know nothing at all about knuckles, but here there are many experienced eyes)


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## EverInRaptures (Feb 17, 2016)

Thank you guys again for your concern. I really do appreciate it. I have never had a GSD so there are so many of these new breed quirks to learn, but I absolutely adore her. I want to give her the best start I can, like any pet parent.
Middleofnowhere, Yes! Thanks to this forum and the puppy feeding threads I am already on that! I definitely do not want to risk any issues from too much calcium etc and growing too rapidly. She is already growing at an incredible rate!
I will be taking her in for a physical and I will ask the vet then just to be safe.


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## EverInRaptures (Feb 17, 2016)

Oh...and to stay on the subject of the ears...today and yesterday we have been making only left hand turns.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I hope you keep giving us "ear updates". It will be fun to watch.


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