Arky Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Hi, in the last couple of weeks, I have noticed that my Cavalier King Charles dog limps sometimes, and it is only when he gets up from sleeping. It's quite odd. After walking around a bit, the limp goes away! I took him to the vet the other day and she couldn't see anything wrong at the time, there were no tender spots or anything like that. She offered to give me some anti-inflammatory med and I said it wouldn't be necessary. He will be 6 years old in July. My questions: can they get pins and needles? Is this possibly what's happening? Is his leg going to sleep on him now that he is getting older? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Many thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Hi, in the last couple of weeks, I have noticed that my Cavalier King Charles dog limps sometimes, and it is only when he gets up from sleeping. It's quite odd. After walking around a bit, the limp goes away! I took him to the vet the other day and she couldn't see anything wrong at the time, there were no tender spots or anything like that. She offered to give me some anti-inflammatory med and I said it wouldn't be necessary. He will be 6 years old in July. My questions: can they get pins and needles? Is this possibly what's happening? Is his leg going to sleep on him now that he is getting older? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Many thanks in advance. You don't mention if the limp is in a front or back leg. It sounds as though it could be arthritis. I would certainly have accepted the offer of anti inflammatories. They are necessary if you wish to relieve the dog of his pain and he does have pain or he wouldn't be limping. I guess the anti inflammatories the vet suggested would be either Rimadyl or Metacam. Why take the dog to the vet if you're not prepared to accept the medication and advice offered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 Thanks for your reply. He wasn't limping when I took him. Why take the dog to the vet if you're not prepared to accept the medication and advice offered? To get information about the problem at hand first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 It appears to be at the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Did the vet give you a diagnosis? It could be muscular but it sounds like arthritis to me in it seems to improve when the dog has warmed up and is moving around. There are good supplements available for arthritis but first you need to know what the problem is before you can treat it. I would have accepted the anti inflammatories because it could break the pain cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Yes it does sound like arthritis. Is your dog overweight at all? If so getting some weight off will be a big help. You could try him on some glucosamine to see if he benefits at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haven Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 It appears to be at the front. What do you mean 'appears to be', are you unsure? Limping only after resting was what my dog did after she ruptured her cruciate ligament. This is something I wouldn't muck around with, especially if it is originating in the front end. I would go and see a Vet immediately. Are you confident in your Vet's diagnosis? If not I would get a second opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 (edited) Yes it does sound like arthritis. Is your dog overweight at all? If so getting some weight off will be a big help. You could try him on some glucosamine to see if he benefits at all. Hi Arky's owner :D I used to give Joey glucosamine when his leg went lame a couple years ago ( and i also used to gave it to Jenna for her arthritis). It worked wonders on them, especially Joey ! :D Like us , 'if' there is excess weight involved, that will make any conditions worse, especially arthritis... (Don't i know, i speak for myself !! ) Hope you get a full proper diagnosis soon, 6 is still young. Renae will be also 6 this year .. Edited March 4, 2008 by JulesLuvsCavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 It appears to be at the front. What do you mean 'appears to be', are you unsure? Limping only after resting was what my dog did after she ruptured her cruciate ligament. This is something I wouldn't muck around with, especially if it is originating in the front end. I would go and see a Vet immediately. Are you confident in your Vet's diagnosis? If not I would get a second opinion. He's limping at the front. I wasn't confident in my vet's diagnosis, no -- another reason why I didn't take the anti-inflammatories at the time. My plan was to go back when it played up again and that seems now... Cruciate ligament... - I don't really know what that is, but when your doggie was diagnosed with it - was it tender when the vet touched her there? It seems strange that when the vet was feeling all over his body, there were no tender spots... So, if arthritis, what does everyone do to manage it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 Yes it does sound like arthritis. Is your dog overweight at all? If so getting some weight off will be a big help. You could try him on some glucosamine to see if he benefits at all. Hi Arky's owner :D I used to give Joey glucosamine when his leg went lame a couple years ago ( and i also used to gave it to Jenna for her arthritis). It worked wonders on them, especially Joey ! :D Like us , 'if' there is excess weight involved, that will make any conditions worse, especially arthritis... (Don't i know, i speak for myself !! ) Hope you get a full proper diagnosis soon, 6 is still young. Renae will be also 6 this year .. Thanks for your reply JLC :D Hmmh, he's not overweight. He weighs about 8.5kg now... Ta, what is glucosamine exactly? I don't know my medicines - I prefer alternative methods normally but that is not to say that I am not taking this seriously - which is the vibe I am getting from some of you here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haven Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 It appears to be at the front. What do you mean 'appears to be', are you unsure? Limping only after resting was what my dog did after she ruptured her cruciate ligament. This is something I wouldn't muck around with, especially if it is originating in the front end. I would go and see a Vet immediately. Are you confident in your Vet's diagnosis? If not I would get a second opinion. He's limping at the front. I wasn't confident in my vet's diagnosis, no -- another reason why I didn't take the anti-inflammatories at the time. My plan was to go back when it played up again and that seems now... Cruciate ligament... - I don't really know what that is, but when your doggie was diagnosed with it - was it tender when the vet touched her there? It seems strange that when the vet was feeling all over his body, there were no tender spots... Yes, she was sore but only when the Vet manipulted her knee a certain way and applied pressure. It's not the issue here if you're sure the lameness is in the front end though. I'd get a second opinion pronto if I were you. I don't want to scare you, it could be arthiritis or it could be something easily fixed, but it could also be something nasty that needs immediate attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 What area are you in? Perhaps someone can recommend a good vet in your area? You'll read all sorts of bad things about anti-inflammatory medications. Like all drugs they can have side effects, but they give excellent pain relief for arthritis (if that is what you're dealing with ). Talk over side effects with a vet you trust, rather than dismiss these drugs entirely. My understanding is you didn't feel confident with the vet's diagnosis, so didn't want to accept the medication- fair enough. Sometimes vets will try medication first to see if this makes a difference- kind of a backwards diagnosis. If they work, they can make some educated guesses. To do XRays often requires a general anaesthetic, so are $200+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm trying some homeopathic medicine at the moment as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 No offence intended, but do you have a diagnosis? For arthritis or an injury, I would only use homeopathic medicine as an adjunct to conventional vet medicine. It would be sad to have your dog in ongoing pain when medication can easily solve the problem (once you find out what the problem is!). Again- keep your dog very lean (not just "not overweight")- it helps with prevention and management of any joint problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks for your input. I think I'll just leave this to the professionals--I'm not sure why I posted here in the first place. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 How old is she? Eddie limped after resting on the front after he damaged his sesamoids (cartlidge in the paw) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hi there. Arky will be 6 in July. Was that fixed with anti-inflammatories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Anti imflammatries at first, when we werent sure what it was, it took a while to get a good diagnosis and everytime we thought it was ok it would flare up again. He ended up getting xrays (which I wish we had done sooner), and spent 4 weeks (I think) crated, or on lead to pee. His sesamoids were fractured. During that time and for a long time after I swam him so he could still exercise, and he has been as good as gold for nearly 2 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks for your input. I think I'll just leave this to the professionals--I'm not sure why I posted here in the first place. ;-) You already rejected the advice of one professional you consulted and you've had sound advice from people here. Your dog is in pain, the vet offered you anti inflammatories to relieve the pain and you refused them. Now without a diagnosis you're treating the dog with homeopathic medicine but you have no idea what issue you are medicating for. What did you want to hear? Obviously not anything we've said here. I would follow the advice of the professional and get the dog onto some anti inflammatory drugs and treat the pain and then go onto supplements. I have an arthritic dog I treat with supplements but I had a diagnosis and treated her with anti inflammatories before I relied on supplements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks for the additional info. Seeing that the first attempt to diagnose him was useless, we are booked in for a second opinion with another vet tomorrow morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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