Geman Shepards

Question
We just bought a 3 month old supposely purebred shepard. On her front legs the forearm is bony and big about halfway the forearm. WHen it his the knee it looks normal. The bump is about      1 1\2 inches. Can a shepard be registered when it doesn't look like it? The mother was registered. I saw the papers but the shepard was odd colors and she seemed awkward and blotchy. The pup was also shy timid and scared of noises or swift moments. Also is ther any way to cure mainge?

Answer
Hi Laurel,  Unfortunately they don't require proof of what a dog looks like to register it.  Are you sure the mother wasn't a sable?  There are red sables & grey sables in GSDs.  That color does have blotches and not the typical saddleback Rin Tin Tin look.  Mange is curable, but there are different types of mange, which are treated different ways.  You need to get a skin scraping of the mange to identify what type it is to find out how to treat it.  The leg almost sounds like she had the startings of rickets, but you would need a vet to take a look at the forearm.  As far as shyness, that is probably from the lack of socialization, she needs to be taken to parks to be around people and get use to a lot of activity around her.  Hope this helps,

Dawn