Ballerina feet

[rubysmom]

Do your dog’s feet turn out?  Our 10 month old pup has had a small limp recently on her right leg. We don’t know how an injury may have occurred tho it’s hard to keep her from running, jumping, and rough housing in fun.  We have been working with our vet and there are no none, ligament, or plate injuries or abnormalities. The pain seems to be in her wrist but it does not prevent her from playing or slow her down really.  Soft tissue injury takes a long time to heal.
 

But now we have been super paranoid about her legs. We have always commented on how she looked like she was standing in ‘first position’ because her little feet turn out a little bit. Some days I think her leg looks all crooked but then I see that it’s really the same as the other one. Our vet says that a lot of smaller stature dogs have ‘crooked legs’ and it’s normal - we just have to keep an eye on it. 
 

Anyone else have experience with this sort of thing - or are your cairn’s legs stick straight?

[pkcrossley]

I think I read this is a cairn trait. I don't know how extreme this is that you are describing, but there is something strange about cairn front feet. they are much too big, for one thing, and I do think they have something of a splay to them. 

[Hillscreek]

It's my understanding that cairn front feet are usually larger than the back feet. Also that at least one front paw, usually the left, but can be both, turns out to some extent. History says this is because of the intense digging they did in earlier times where their jobs were to dig out prey from dens for the hunters in wait. Paws like this - big and turned out help throw the dirt out to the sides when digging. 

I have read of this in early descriptions of cairn life and history when, like many breeds, they were working dogs. Regret I don't have references and pictures to hand but if you research early descriptions and see pictures you will notice this trait in cairns.

So I would think if there are no injuries then this is her natural and normal stance. 

[bradl]

Here's a random example (a puppy) I dug up in a quick search that shows the front feet turned slightly out.

[rubysmom]

It is sometimes difficult to get Ruby to sit still so this is a screenshot from a video and I am holding a treat but this pic might give you an idea.  She has had a little limp that we are taking care of. Apparently the wrist ligament can stretch a little if she jumps down on it and so that pronounces the splay  a bit more. It doesn’t slow her down tho. 
 

I had not read the info about the larger front feet but that does make sense.  She is definitely channeling the ancestral Cairn roots!!