Lameness/limp Left Leg With Worn Pads - 7month Old Lab

[Misha09]

Hi, I have a 7 month old Labrador, pedigree. A week ago I noticed her limping favouring right front leg. After a few days of no improvement I took her to the vet last Thurs. She advised me that Misha has worn paw pads on all 4 paws particularly front left paw to the point it was weeping. Seemed to think she may also have sore left elbow. After examination couldn't ascertain cause or any particular issues for concern. Advised me to stop all retrieving activities which we hadn't been doing much of anyway and to rest for a week. We are currently holidaying at our beach house however she hasn't been anymore active than usual. We don't walk her on hard surfaces much at all and as we are very cautious about joint issues in the first 12 months we don't walk her for any more than 20 minutes or so every 2nd to 3rd day. She has longer walks when at the beach to have a swim and to socialise but apart from 2 short walks to the milk bar all activity has been in back yard or at beach. She's been in the back yard a lot as we have been painting the house and apart from her toys and a pile of sticks and branches in the backyard there isn't anything lying around to cause an issue. Vet assured me there was nothing stuck in paw etc. As all puppies are active it's difficult to get them to rest and not jump. We did our research on breeders and purchased her from a highly respected and sought after breeder. I would be very concerned if she develops joint problems as a result. Hip and elbow scores of parents were excellent.

Can anyone suggest possible causes and treatments if you have experienced the same problem, I've been advised to go back to the vet if it doesn't improve by the end of the week. So far two swims at he beach and walking in the salt water over the last few days have not improved the situation.

[Gretel]

I wonder if the sand is too abrassive? Does that sound silly?

[Tilly]

Maybe the beach sand is being a little rough on her feet Does she run around a lot at home or when she is "not being walked"?

[Misha09]

I wonder if the sand is too abrassive? Does that sound silly?

Hi Gretel, I did ask the vet about that and she suggested that it was probably the best surface for her right now, just advised to stay away from ashphalt, concrete, dirt tracks etc. Now that you mention it though, it did seem to be worse when we returned from the beach tonight. Think I will rest her completely in the backyard til Thurs and see how she goes. It's the jumping that is also concerning me, even if we ignore her she still jumps. Thanks for your reply!

[Misha09]

Maybe the beach sand is being a little rough on her feet Does she run around a lot at home or when she is "not being walked"?

Hi Tily, yeah she does run around a lot at home, even if we aren't with her, she's very active apart from the time she is sleeping. I asked the vet if I should remove all her toys for this reason and she said no.

[Tilly]

Sand would be like sandpaper ... and there might still be some on her feet when you get home. Even carpet can rub away the skin (carpet burn ).

Did they give you any cream or something to put on her feet? We used PawPaw ointment (red tub or tube at chemist) on our dog's feet when he had sore paws from running around on concrete.

Edited January 10, 2010 by Tilly

[Misha09]

Sand would be like sandpaper ... and there might still be some on her feet when you get home. Even carpet can rub away the skin (carpet burn ).

Did they give you any cream or something to put on her feet? We used PawPaw ointment (red tub or tube at chemist) on our dog's feet when he had sore paws from running around on concrete.

Mmm....we rinse her thoroughly when we get home including her paws but you might be onto something there. Will give the beach a rest. The vet said she wanted to leave it a week before exploring any treatment options but if the paw paw ointment worked for you, I will go and get some from the chemist tomorrow and give it a go. Thanks so much for the suggestion, cross my fingers and hope it works!!

[centitout]

I was going to suggest waterlogged soft paws and beach sand too.Also second paw paw ointment-i use it for my kids and dogs

I would also get her xrayed at the end of the week-will be a lot quicker to identify the problem,if nothing too worrying shows up -i would look into a chiro .

[poodlefan]

Misha:

As all puppies are active it's difficult to get them to rest and not jump.

Yet another really good use for crate training.

How much ball playing and retrieving does she normally do? Hard stops to get a ball can be very wearing on pads and joints.

What's her weight like?

[InspectorRex]

I agree with Centiout- if no imporvement x-rays done by a qualified Orthopaedic Vet( the ones that do the hip/elbow xrays )- they are more qualified that your normal Vet if it is joint related.

Also beach sand etc can be very abrasive( think back to you going to beach as a kid and the after feeling of sand stuck anywhere and everywhere ). If you really want to take her to the beach out dog booties on her- you can get waterproof ones.

[Stolzseinrotts]

I agree with the sand and wet pads theory. Some dogs have much softer pads than others.

Also you should be confining her and extremely limiting the exercise to allow her soreness to try and resolve. Constant exercise i.e.; running in the sand will only aggravate an injury, soft sand tends to do more damage than good and can stretch the ligaments more than when on a hard surface. It is not something I would recommend, swimming is OK as there is no impact on a joint but it can aggravate a sore shoulder

Crate rest and controlled minimal exercise for a light 5 minute walk 4 to 5 times a day (read toilet break) would be what I would do for a week.

NB - at 7 months you have major growth happening and you will have loose ligaments / tendons as the need to stretch / develop with the growth of the dog. Injuries including shoulders can and are very common at that age. I would recommend seeing a very good muscle manipulator, puppies can put things out easily at this age.

I strongly suggest you contact the breeder for advice, they know their dogs the best.

[shellbyville]

Quote "As all puppies are active it's difficult to get them to rest and not jump. We did our research on breeders and purchased her from a highly respected and sought after breeder. I would be very concerned if she develops joint problems as a result. Hip and elbow scores of parents were excellent."

I would be looking at confining her much more than just the back yard. A crate is the ideal thing to confine a young dog in. If not a much smaller area, such as the laundry or bathroom, and the only exercise for minimum of a few days would be best. The pads will take a while to heal, as for the sore elbow, rest and see if it improves, maybe it is just a strain, if it continues you will need to investigate further.

Also you should be aware, that even though you bought the puppy through a respected breeder and even though hip/elbow scores of parents were good, joint problems can just occur. Sometimes it just happens, you can minimise he problems by controlling the amount of exercise you puppy has while growing and also keeping your puppy on the lean side, rather than overweight.

Good luck.

Edited January 11, 2010 by shellbyville

[Bully]

Just a thought. How far do you walk her after leaving the beach? Could it be that because her pads are soft from the water that the hot pavement is burning them? Pele and I visit the beach everyday and I've never had problems with her feet. Maybe drive her to the beach and just let her paddle. Salt water is excellent for wounds. I agree with the Papaw Ointment - excellent stuff

Hope her paws are better soon

[Starkehre]

Personally not a fan of playing retrieving games with undeveloped youngsters. The sudden stop and swivel can be very dangerous and also cause issues to development. May or may not be adding to the pad issues, depending on the surface that the retrieving is being done on.

I too am of the belief that pretty much full rest or certainly crating and emptying on lead only for a while would be best for your pup.

Hope she comes good soon.

Edited January 11, 2010 by dyzney

[Misha09]

Misha:

As all puppies are active it's difficult to get them to rest and not jump.

Yet another really good use for crate training.

How much ball playing and retrieving does she normally do? Hard stops to get a ball can be very wearing on pads and joints.

What's her weight like?

We really don't do any ball playing with her at all ie we throw and she retrieves, maybe once a week 2 or 3 throws just in the back yard. I'm very wary of the joint problems that can develop so avoid doing too much of this. She's a perfect weight, very lean.

[Misha09]

I agree with Centiout- if no imporvement x-rays done by a qualified Orthopaedic Vet( the ones that do the hip/elbow xrays )- they are more qualified that your normal Vet if it is joint related.

Also beach sand etc can be very abrasive( think back to you going to beach as a kid and the after feeling of sand stuck anywhere and everywhere ). If you really want to take her to the beach out dog booties on her- you can get waterproof ones.

Great advice, thankyou! Do you know of any reputable ones in Melbourne?

[Misha09]

I agree with the sand and wet pads theory. Some dogs have much softer pads than others.

Also you should be confining her and extremely limiting the exercise to allow her soreness to try and resolve. Constant exercise i.e.; running in the sand will only aggravate an injury, soft sand tends to do more damage than good and can stretch the ligaments more than when on a hard surface. It is not something I would recommend, swimming is OK as there is no impact on a joint but it can aggravate a sore shoulder

Crate rest and controlled minimal exercise for a light 5 minute walk 4 to 5 times a day (read toilet break) would be what I would do for a week.

NB - at 7 months you have major growth happening and you will have loose ligaments / tendons as the need to stretch / develop with the growth of the dog. Injuries including shoulders can and are very common at that age. I would recommend seeing a very good muscle manipulator, puppies can put things out easily at this age.

I strongly suggest you contact the breeder for advice, they know their dogs the best.

Thanks for the info, wonder why the vet didn't advise me of any of this?? Advised that beach woulde be good for her! I've kept her indoors all day today because of the heat and it does seem a little better, limp not as obvious which is good. Can you recommend any good muscle manipulators in Melbourne?

[Misha09]

Quote "As all puppies are active it's difficult to get them to rest and not jump. We did our research on breeders and purchased her from a highly respected and sought after breeder. I would be very concerned if she develops joint problems as a result. Hip and elbow scores of parents were excellent."

I would be looking at confining her much more than just the back yard. A crate is the ideal thing to confine a young dog in. If not a much smaller area, such as the laundry or bathroom, and the only exercise for minimum of a few days would be best. The pads will take a while to heal, as for the sore elbow, rest and see if it improves, maybe it is just a strain, if it continues you will need to investigate further.

Also you should be aware, that even though you bought the puppy through a respected breeder and even though hip/elbow scores of parents were good, joint problems can just occur. Sometimes it just happens, you can minimise he problems by controlling the amount of exercise you puppy has while growing and also keeping your puppy on the lean side, rather than overweight.

Good luck.

Thankyou for the advice and suggestions! PS. Her weight is excellent, very lean.

[Misha09]

Just a thought. How far do you walk her after leaving the beach? Could it be that because her pads are soft from the water that the hot pavement is burning them? Pele and I visit the beach everyday and I've never had problems with her feet. Maybe drive her to the beach and just let her paddle. Salt water is excellent for wounds. I agree with the Papaw Ointment - excellent stuff

Hope her paws are better soon

Thanks Bully! We always drive her to the beach and it's sand rather than pavement either at night or in the morning when it's not hot. She's been on the lead so hasn't been running just walking through the water and swimming. Tried the paw paw today so will see how she goes.

[Stolzseinrotts]

Misha09 wrote - Thanks for the info, wonder why the vet didn't advise me of any of this?? Advised that beach woulde be good for her! I've kept her indoors all day today because of the heat and it does seem a little better, limp not as obvious which is good. Can you recommend any good muscle manipulators in Melbourne?

There are many, where in Melbourne are you located? There are some threads in here that will give you recommended people. Sorry I am not that good with posting the links to them. Maybe somebody else can if you can't find them.

Vets are all different, they all have their own opinions on how to deal with things, like Doctors, good all round Vets are hard to find. When you find one you will stick with them. Rest is best with crazy puppies. I would recommend you see a muscle manipulator, I would not be surprised at all if your puppy was out in a few places.