Is Having Webbed Feet Dangerous For My Dog?
Dogs with webbed feet enjoy various advantages. However, they can also be dangerous to their health. Dogs walk with their toes, so having webbed feet can lead to limping and some health conditions. Here are some health conditions that can occur in dogs that have webbed feet:
In some cases, dogs with webbed feet have a cleft palate. Usually, such dogs also have genetic abnormalities. In normal dogs, their mouth roof is stuck together, leaving no blank space. However, if a dog has webbed feet, instead of their mouth roof being stuck together when they were an embryo, their feet became stuck instead.
The tibia and fibula are the two bones in the lower part of your dog’s legs. They are situated at the back of their leg. These bones are linked to the premature closure of the growth plate. The same gene responsible for webbed toes may also cause the fusion of the tibia and fibula. Shortened tibia and fibula is very dangerous for your dog as it can cause limping and bone fractures. Fortunately, this condition can be corrected with surgery.
If your dog has scoliosis, its spine bends to one side instead of straight. If you want to know if your dog has this skin condition, run your hands through the back of your dog. You can also verify this by checking how your dog carries its weight. Scoliosis is usually associated with limping or difficulty in walking. If this condition is left untreated, your dog can become permanently paralyzed. Since webbed feet and scoliosis are caused by spinal and bone malformations, it’s not surprising that dogs with webbed feet are prone to have scoliosis.
Why Some Dogs Have Webbed Feet
While many dog breeds have skin between their toes, not all have proper webbed feet. Webbing is a characteristic that is only present in specific dog breeds.
Dogs with webbed paws have a highly developed, thick membrane between each toe on their feet.
Webbed paws are most beneficial for dogs bred to swim. The extra surface area on their paws helps them easily push through the water.
Dogs with webbed toes have more agility in the water and can move through the water more quickly.
In addition to water dogs, canines who live in harsh terrains, like areas with a lot of mud or snow, also benefit from having webbing between their toes. Again, the surface area of their paws makes a difference and gives them more stability when running in these environments.
Some popular dog breeds with webbed feet include:
Do Pitbulls have webbed feet?
Pitbulls do not have webbed feet. Many pit bull owners conclude their dogs have this feature, but this is a wrong observation. Though their toes are connected, they are not webbed feet.
A thin lining of tissues exists between their toes. This lining helps them swim, float in water, and paddle in mud.
Labs, Portuguese Water Dogs, and Poodles are common breeds that possess webbing, making swimming extremely easy for these dogs. The pit bull breed rarely includes webbed vertebrae.
Pitbulls have inherited features from water dogs. Since they own the genes of water dogs, they can have webbed feet, but this is rare. Pitbull owners often misunderstand the connective tissue with webbed feet.
All dogs have these connective tissues between their toes. If you see lines between the toes of the pitbull, do not confuse it with webbing.
Pitbulls were mostly considered hunter dogs.
The feature of webbed feet was of no use for them.
Hunting and sport fighting are activities for which Pitbulls were used in ancient times and do not require paddling feet. So, Pitbulls were historically not bred with water dogs and did not inherit this trait naturally.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the world standard of dog registries does not recognize Pitbulls as distinct breeds. Dogs having short legs, big heads, and largemouths are all clustered in the category of Pitbulls.
Due to this, many Pitbulls have a mixture of various characteristics. Mixed breeding might have led to the evolution of webbed feet in your pitbull.
The puppy that you adopt can have genes of different breeds. Many pitbull-appearing dogs are crossbreeds. For example, a bull-like pit puppy can result from the mating of a Labrador and a Staffordshire Terrier.
If your pitbull is crossed with breeds like Labrador Retriever, Newfoundland, Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog, Otterhound, and Irish Water Spaniel, there are good chances of inheriting webbed feet as a trait.
Another reason for webbed feet in pitbull can be a genetic abnormality. This characteristic has resulted from the unique genetic background of the pitbull.
Sometimes due to a genetic disorder, a dog’s feet get fused, giving it a webbed feet-like appearance. Breeders agree this trait can be due to genetic mutation.
However, other reasons include formative or developmental issues, bone malformations, and degenerative bone issues like dysplasia or luxating patellas. Get your pitbull checked by a vet so that you can avoid future complications.
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Webbing can lead to health hazards. Webbed feet ease swimming for dogs that can easily float in water and paddle through the mud. But this feature of webbing comes with some health dangers too.
Since dogs use all four legs to walk, webbed feet can lead to limping. Some other conditions that your dog can suffer from due to webbed toes are as follows.
The lower part of the dog legs consists of two bones, namely the tibia and fibula. They occupy the back portion of the legs. These bones have a high role to play in the premature closure of the growth plate.
The genes that stimulate webbed feet are also responsible for the fusion of tibia and fibula bones.
Shortening of these two bones can cause limping and bone fractures. However, these conditions can be treated well with surgical operations but can be dangerous for your dog.
The Cleft palate gets accompanied by webbed feet in many cases. Cleft palate syndrome is not alone as such dogs also have other genetic abnormalities.
Webbed feet result when dogs are an embryo inside the belly of their mother.
Usually, the mouth roofs of dogs are stuck together, and there is no blank space. But in dogs with webbed feet, instead of the mouth roof being stuck together, their feet get joined.
The problem with cleft palate is that it gives more access to bacteria and viruses inside a dog’s body.
It opens a wider path for the entry of pathogens through the mouth. It is an unnatural opening between nasal passage and mouth, making your puppy more prone to pneumonia and many other respiratory deficiencies.
Related:
Another condition that occurs due to webbed feet is scoliosis. Here, the spine of a dog bends to either side instead of being straight. It leads to one side of the spine getting stronger than the other.
This condition also leads to limping and improper walking. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential; otherwise, your pitbull can become completely paralyzed.
The condition can get diagnosed easily by checking how your dog carries weight.
You can yourself verify it by touching the back of the dog. You can observe this condition in any breed at any stage. But since scoliosis is related to bone malformations, dogs with webbed feet have higher chances of being affected.
Whether webbed feet are good or bad is a complex question to answer. To put it in simple words, it varies from fog to dog. While some take immense benefit from webbing, some might develop health conditions.
Is there any solution to problems that get created because of webbing? Yes, surgery is an option when your dog is not able to walk because of his syndactyly.
If his webbed feet do not trigger any spinal injury, it is outstanding, as there is no need to consider surgery.
But if unfortunately, any such situation occurs, operational treatment is the only possibility. Removal of webbed feet is a tedious process and has a long recovery time post-surgery.
If your dog has developed any bone problems, it will be wise to focus on that particular bone treatment rather than the webbed feet removal. The best is to seek the advice of your vet as she will guide you perfectly. Look into all present and future complications before you take a final call.
FAQ
Do bully breeds have webbed feet?
- 10 Dogs People Mistake for Pit Bulls. There is so much controversy these days about pit bulls. …
- The American Bulldog. …
- The Presa Canario. …
- The Cane Corso. …
- The Bull Terrier. …
- The Boxer. …
- The Dogo Argentino. …
- The Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
What dogs have webbed feet?