Limping Rottweiler

[Staranais]

LOL, which is why vets can never please everyone, I guess.

I too would prefer to find out what's wrong with the leg. If it's a joint issue, then if they can localise the limp to one joint, they can just radiograph that one (and possibly the same joint on the other side to compare) & it shouldn't be over-the-top expensive.

[mackiemad]

where will they be injecting? do they know which joint it is yet?

he is young, large breed and active - has your vet ruled out OCD?

personally i hate the approach of trying stuff and giving medications without knowing the cause. i would never take a medication unless i knew the reason i had pain/issues. personally i'd rather subject my dog to xrays etc and get a diagnosis than medicate in hope of catching the issue.

[Kelly_Louise]

personally i hate the approach of trying stuff and giving medications without knowing the cause. i would never take a medication unless i knew the reason i had pain/issues. personally i'd rather subject my dog to xrays etc and get a diagnosis than medicate in hope of catching the issue.

That's right... could potentially be 'masking' a very serious issue.

[Erny]

personally i hate the approach of trying stuff and giving medications without knowing the cause. i would never take a medication unless i knew the reason i had pain/issues. personally i'd rather subject my dog to xrays etc and get a diagnosis than medicate in hope of catching the issue.

That's right... could potentially be 'masking' a very serious issue.

Do you think that cartrophen/pentosan "masks" lameness issues? I didn't think it did.

[RL1]

personally i hate the approach of trying stuff and giving medications without knowing the cause. i would never take a medication unless i knew the reason i had pain/issues. personally i'd rather subject my dog to xrays etc and get a diagnosis than medicate in hope of catching the issue.

That's right... could potentially be 'masking' a very serious issue.

My late rotty girl was prescribed pain killers by the local idiotic vet three times. All it did was mask what the real problem was. Bone cancer. By the time i said enough is enough

and took her to another vet and a cancer specialist, it was too late.

Diagnosis for my girl was arthritis and lameness, but in fact it was bone cancer.

[Erny]

personally i hate the approach of trying stuff and giving medications without knowing the cause. i would never take a medication unless i knew the reason i had pain/issues. personally i'd rather subject my dog to xrays etc and get a diagnosis than medicate in hope of catching the issue.

That's right... could potentially be 'masking' a very serious issue.

My late rotty girl was prescribed pain killers by the local idiotic vet three times. All it did was mask what the real problem was. Bone cancer. By the time i said enough is enough

and took her to another vet and a cancer specialist, it was too late.

Diagnosis for my girl was arthritis and lameness, but in fact it was bone cancer.

I'm lost now. Are we talking pain killers or are we talking cartrophen/pentosan ??

If we're talking pain killers, I agree. No point killing the pain and not having a clue what is causing it in the first place. But I don't think that's what the OP's Vet prescribed.

[Danois]

Diagnosis for my girl was arthritis and lameness, but in fact it was bone cancer.

I know how you feel.

Diagnosis for my dog was lameness and possible OCD/HOD but it was immune mediated polyarthritis.

3 years later I still wonder if it would have ended differently if it had been picked up a year earlier.

[Kelly_Louise]

personally i hate the approach of trying stuff and giving medications without knowing the cause. i would never take a medication unless i knew the reason i had pain/issues. personally i'd rather subject my dog to xrays etc and get a diagnosis than medicate in hope of catching the issue.

That's right... could potentially be 'masking' a very serious issue.

Do you think that cartrophen/pentosan "masks" lameness issues? I didn't think it did.

Not as such, no - but it does help their joints and give the appearance that they are better or improved. If it is prescribed without knowing the real issue, then yes I do believe it can 'mask' something more serious.

We were told that Chloe needed Cartrophen injections for her leg problems (just thought to be arthritis due to her age)... and yes, they did help. However, the real cause (cruciate ligament damage) went untreated - and we weren't knowledgable enough to push for further testing back then. This continued for well over a year, despite many visits for the same reason and the 'wait and see' approach. It would have saved alot of time, money, and her suffering if we'd been given the real, correct diagnosis in the first place, treated that - and THEN had Cartrophen injections (which she's just recently had and are working a treat for her now - real - arthritis).

I personally don't see the reason to give a dog Cartrophen if you have no idea what the underlying cause is. Yes, it relieves pain and aids joints, but it won't fix anything and isn't permanent. If people can't address the real issue - whether naturally or surgically - then the problem still proceeds to deteriorate anyway.

[Erny]

This continued for well over a year, despite many visits for the same reason and the 'wait and see' approach.

Just to be clear - I never mean nor meant for any treatment to go on and on and on and on.

[stormie]

The thing is though, that the pain killers you're talking about are anti inflammatories, not just pain relievers. In many cases of lameness, it can just be a strain, muscle damage etc, in which case those non steroidals, combined with rest, are actually the best thing for the problem.

And then you also have to think that in a young, healthy dog with no history of lameness, the most common cause is often just soft tissue damage - a knock, landed bad, twisted etc. So it does make sense to try a course of anti inflammatories along with rest, because in many cases this is enough to allow to body to heal and therefore fix the problem.

Obviously though, if there is little or no improvement then further investigation is warranted. But lots of people would be pretty annoyed if they went to the vet because their dog had a limp and they insisted on xrays, fluid taps etc straight away and they spent a few hundred dollars, only to be told it was only minor soft tissue trauma that a simple dose of NSAIDS and rest would have fixed.

[Kelly_Louise]

But lots of people would be pretty annoyed if they went to the vet because their dog had a limp and they insisted on xrays, fluid taps etc straight away and they spent a few hundred dollars, only to be told it was only minor soft tissue trauma that a simple dose of NSAIDS and rest would have fixed.

Totally agree... but after 2-3 months of consistent limping I'd be concerned it was something more than a minor injury. I personally would have hoped that a minor injury would have started to 'right' itself by now, or seen some signs of improvement at least.

[Erny]

Yes - but Veterinary attention was only recent and perhaps the injury, without the Vet treatment and advice, has been exacerbating itself. Point is, I don't see the harm in conservative treatment provided it's not a case of unremarkable results and ongoing and ongoing treatment. I'd like to think, now that it has been a week, that there is obvious improvement and/or resolve by now. If not then I agree - waste no more time fudging around and conduct the necessary investigations that might lead to something more conclusive.

Edited April 23, 2011 by Erny

[Rottifan]

My approach would be (because i've been there and done the anti-inflamatories and vet visits and cartrophen and supplements etc) to see an animal chiropractor first. If the dog is out of alignment and has pinched nerves, no amount of medication or rest or anything will help until those pinched nerves are released. The pain will immediately subside and so results (if you see a good animal chiro) will be instant and you'll know if you're on the right track. 3 or 4 visits and job done....BUT the home environment/activities (which most likely caused the problem in the first place) must be identified and changes made so the issue does not reoccur. Eg, slippery floors, use of stairs, running the fence line, jumping or rough play....if a dog is out of alignment with muscle wastage these things will cause a dog to go back out very easily - make the changes, keep the dog in alignment for a period of time with gentle controlled excercise and muscles will build back up to hold bones in place. It is a process but its better than having operations and having your dog still limp because nothing has been done to address pinched nerves. I wish I'd known, would have saved me thousands!!! Oh and adrenalin, yes will allow any dog to push through the pain barrier....and then limp afterwards, thats when secondary issues come into it like doing a cruciate ligament because they extend further than their body wants to allow them with pinched nerves and muscle spasm and something has to give, ouch! Think it through carefully.....