Limp. Ocd? Advice Wanted Please

[joelle]

Ellie has been limping for a few days, we have kept her as quiet a possible but she is still doing it so off to the vets tomorrow.

I have checked the leg, foot, knee and shoulder that she seems to be limping on, (front left) but can't see or feel anything and she lets me handle it ok.

My question is....I read somewhere that if a dog limps it is actually the opposite diaganol (sp) leg that is sore So should I be checking her right rear leg, or is this an old wives tale?

Have others experienced a front leg limp and if so what was the cause?

Ellie is a x breed large dog whio has had a huge growth spurt recently, she is all tall and gangly, I dont know if that is a contributing factor. I know the vet will help tomorrow but our appt isnt til 4 pm and that a long time for me to be imagining the worst.

Any words of encouragement that all may not be doomed would be appreciated.

Also did I read on here that dogs can have human vitamin c tablets to help their joints

ETA: UPDATE

WELL its now September, Ellie is nearly 9 months old. We didnt go with the surgery. Instead, we crated and rested her. We gave her one very gentle short walk every other day. In her food we added 1 glucosamine tablet each day and gave her 2 fish oil tablets daily. I also started adding apple vinegar as a measure to stop her urine staining the grass. She slowly improved to the point of now she has at least 2 walks daily, at least one of those, sometimes both, is off lead, galloping round a huge dog exercise area. And I mean GALLOPING. If I have the kids with me, I keep them very close to me if Ellie is coming in our direction (Ellie forgets to stop )She runs as fast, hard and long as little petite neat Mollie and shows absolutely no sign that she ever had a sore leg. SO anyone who is quoted $3,000 or a death sentence, take heed. REST, REST, REST, GLUCOSAMINE, FISH OIL. Maybe the vinegar too, who knows?? Im not saying it will work for everyone but dont ever lose hope, I mentally was having Ellie PTS as I couldnt see any future for her. Now she is 110 %. I will continue with the fish oil and glucosamine until she is at least 18 months, possibly more, as a preventative. P.S she also had 10 days worth of antibiotics and 1/2 aspirin daily for the first 10 days.

Edited September 16, 2007 by joelle

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Any words of encouragement that all may not be doomed would be appreciated.

Also did I read on here that dogs can have human vitamin c tablets to help their joints

I'm sure she's not doomed, hang in there

Don't give Vitamin C tho', wait until you talk to the vet. If Ellie is a large breed and is in a growth spurt, an excess of calcium might be exactly the wrong thing for her. The best bet with large breed pups is not to feed any of the commercial puppy formulas and keep their diet pretty low key while they are growing.

If the vet can't locate any specific problem, try a canine chiropractor.

Let us know how she goes and what the vet says

[Poodle wrangler]

Calcium and vit c supplements can make some joint problems worse. Dogs don't need vit c the way we do.

If you feed kibble, it should be specific for large breeds. Before the "Puppy, large breed" formulas came along, people used to just feed adult kibble. If $ is an issue you may prefer to do that as some of the large breed puppy formulas are expensive. The usual puppy kibble has too much protein and fat for large dogs with big bones .

I was also told to keep pup lean and avoid over exercising while he's still growing. Also, avoid things which put strain on joints e.g. running up and down stairs, jumping in-out of utes/4WDs, jumping on-off lounges etc.

Hope he's OK . You're doing the right thing taking him to the vet .

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I have a dog with a problem leg - it's recent. I went to the vet twice in a month and just got given more anti inflammatories, dog was still limping.

Tried a canine chiro and he said the sciatic nerve was trapped - bingo, dog was walking around again but a month later, it's just gone again. He hasn't been walked much but I have a new foster dog and they rumble constantly I think and that's what's set it off but I'm also beginning to wonder if this is going to be a permanent issue now. We have another chiro app next week.

Such a worry aren't they?

[harper]

Only just read your post so you have probably already been to the vets and have your answer so hope all is well. It's not panosteitis is it?

[joelle]

Only just read your post so you have probably already been to the vets and have your answer so hope all is well. It's not panosteitis is it?

Been to the vets and she thinks its OCD.

1, Ellie is on large adult food and vet told me she should def be on puppy food, despite the fact it was her puppy kindy leader who told me to put her on adult food ASAP

2. Ellie is 6 n half mths and 30 kgs so def a larger breed

3. Cant pinpoint the site of pain despite poking and prodding - Ellie just lay down and went to sleep SHe is pretty sure it is OCD without an x ray but will do one just to confirm

She is so sure because of points no: 1 and 2 and the fact that she has a limp

HAs anyone experienced this before? If so what did you do? Is there an option other than surgery? Can we be certain its OCD?

We would value some input before making decisions, thanks

[kamuzz]

What sort of dog is Ellie?

My GSD had a limp when he was about 8 or 9 months old. Went to my regular vet who "suspected" OCD and wanted to take X-Rays to confirm. Fortunately I called Cordy and she told me to call my breeder instead of being an idiot and panicking.

Breeder asked me to take the dog to the breeder's vet for a second opinion.

Her vet diagnosed pano - all he needed was some antibiotics.

[joelle]

What sort of dog is Ellie?

My GSD had a limp when he was about 8 or 9 months old. Went to my regular vet who "suspected" OCD and wanted to take X-Rays to confirm. Fortunately I called Cordy and she told me to call my breeder instead of being an idiot and panicking.

Breeder asked me to take the dog to the breeder's vet for a second opinion.

Her vet diagnosed pano - all he needed was some antibiotics.

ellie is... large breed... ;) thats all I can tell you, 30 kgs at 6 n half months so prob same size as bull mastiff - she does have a look of one of these too

Other friends have suggested Pano too, so poss a 2nd opinion you think?

thank you

anyone else?

[shellbyville]

I would try a canine chiropractor as well. I had a lab that was intermittently showing signs of pain in a front limb. After many visits to the vet with xrays etc we couldn't really find anything definitive. I took her to a chiropractor and he said it was in her shoulder. With some rest and some ultrasound therapy she came good.

[Ittybitty_]

Shark cartliage is excellent for these things. We had a bitch diagnosed with OCD. We had it operated on.. which didnt really do anything, so we put her on Shark cartliage capsules. She was great guns, and is now a detection dog.

[Tibbiemax71]

My GSD Elka developed a limp when she was about 6 months old, my vet advised me to give her strict rest which meant crating, it came good then a bit later she went lame again, I got her desexed and the vet did ex-rays to check for Elbow Dysplasia and I think for OCD at the same time, the ex-rays came back clear, so it was back to strictly resting her. I took her to a chiropractic and he said she had mussel wastage around her shoulder and he though she had maybe ran into something. She is 3 years now and haven't had any other trouble with her, touch wood

[kamuzz]

Other friends have suggested Pano too, so poss a 2nd opinion you think?

It is interesting to see the difference in style between vets. My regular vets will run every test under the sun, and they are expensive (surprise surprise). They wanted to X-Ray Coda to prove whether or not it was OCD.

The breeder's vet had a totally different style. She was like - well it is probably pano and the cure for that is 6 weeks worth of antibiotics. How about we try that first and if that doesn't work, then we take X-Rays. He was better at 6 weeks so he stayed on the full course which was about 3 months.

When I told this to my regular vet he started to spit chips & said she was just taking a guess and got lucky - no real basis for a diagnosis.

All I know is that it saved my dog from having a GA and my pocket from the price of X-rays.

Guess at the end of the day you have to trust your vet though.

[joelle]

Shark cartliage is excellent for these things. We had a bitch diagnosed with OCD. We had it operated on.. which didnt really do anything, so we put her on Shark cartliage capsules. She was great guns, and is now a detection dog.

Where do I get this? I am also going to try fish oil vitamins.

Thanks everyone for replying, it is all appreciated keep it coming as much info as poss pls everyone

I dont have a crate but she is confined now and resting. ;)

[joelle]

It is interesting to see the difference in style between vets. My regular vets will run every test under the sun, and they are expensive (surprise surprise). They wanted to X-Ray Coda to prove whether or not it was OCD.

The breeder's vet had a totally different style. She was like - well it is probably pano and the cure for that is 6 weeks worth of antibiotics. How about we try that first and if that doesn't work, then we take X-Rays. He was better at 6 weeks so he stayed on the full course which was about 3 months.

sounds much better than full on x rays and test, test test,. Ellie is on anti inflammatories for 10 days "until we make a decision"

[Staff'n'Toller]

If you're really worried and unsure- ask for a referral to a specialist Orthopedic Vet and get them to take and read the X-Rays.

Particularly if the Vet X-Rays and is unsure- go to the experts- it's your right to do that!

Mel.

[CavsRcute]

I have been through the same thing with my girl and spent many thousands of dollars to end up with no definitive diagnosis except loose shoulder muscles. Took her to a vet who did acupuncture and trigger point therapy. It took about 4 sessions before I saw any improvement but now she only goes back every 3 months for a "tune up"

[~Archie~]

I have a friend who has a Dogue De Bordeaux and she is only 9 months old, she is giving it Joint Guard as a preventative and to give the dog extra support!!

Might be worth looking into.

Her vet said there wasnt any problems doing it, her vet thought more people should be doing it!!

[Poodle wrangler]

Shark cartliage is excellent for these things. We had a bitch diagnosed with OCD. We had it operated on.. which didnt really do anything, so we put her on Shark cartliage capsules. She was great guns, and is now a detection dog.

Where do I get this? I am also going to try fish oil vitamins.

Thanks everyone for replying, it is all appreciated keep it coming as much info as poss pls everyone

I dont have a crate but she is confined now and resting.

Supermarket for human stuff e.g. Glucosamine and chondritin. JointGuard etc. for dogs. Sorry, I'm sure about dosages?

[~Archie~]

Shark cartliage is excellent for these things. We had a bitch diagnosed with OCD. We had it operated on.. which didnt really do anything, so we put her on Shark cartliage capsules. She was great guns, and is now a detection dog.

Where do I get this? I am also going to try fish oil vitamins.

Thanks everyone for replying, it is all appreciated keep it coming as much info as poss pls everyone

I dont have a crate but she is confined now and resting.

Supermarket for human stuff e.g. Glucosamine and chondritin. JointGuard etc. for dogs. Sorry, I'm sure about dosages?

Joint Guard is Bovine Cartlidge.

Cartlidge contains Chondroitin in it.

[Tibbiemax71]

I use "Joint Food" - (Glucosamine, MSM & Chondroitin) made by "Natures Way" I get it from Safeways.