He started limping now 2 weeks ago on his right back leg. Hes let me take a good look and I can neither see nor feel anything unusual in either of his back legs. Dislocations occur when the parts of a joint become separated. Therefore the answer is probably something else so please post back once you have it. Would acupuncture/laser therapy be a consideration? Id like to mention this isnt the first time weve taken him to a vet for limping and it just seems to be getting more frequent and prolonged for a longer period of time. Anti-inflammatory medication helps. Dogs cope well with the loss of digits 2 & 5, and less so with digits 3 & 4. Detailled scan of foot/paw was unremarkable. My fear is that most vets will just dismiss his case as a simple sprain meanwhile he could be getting worse. In the last couple of weeks, he limps on his rear left leg, only off/on. We recently had him x rayed and the results were, Osteochondrosis of the right humeral head with mild right shoulder osteoarthritis, equivocal mild left shoulder osteochondrosis. They did x-rays and the x-rays did not show any fractures or bone issues. In the article are also listed the other similar neurological conditions. 142 North East Road Thats very unusual both for a young dog and for affecting both legs. It is just as often seen as a quiet puppy who sits a lot and appears reluctant to rise. A feature of these dogs is that they are usually more uncomfortable on grass than smooth floors due to the leaves pricking the soft skin above the pads. I hope I have explained this well enough to get some help. old rottweiler has had a limp for about a month now, the right front leg being the one in pain. For starters, treatment of foreleg lameness is more often non-surgical (with the notable exception of elbow dysplasia which typically doesnt come on this late). Vet is recommending a neurological exam. Small bone tumours are often hard to see at the beginning but can be very painful. We dont know if we should continue with more anti inflams, or not walk him, or what we should do next. Have something to add? Hi William. Thoughts? is to seek referral to a specialist. I was wondering if there could be any other diagnosiss that are similar to this so I could bring up my concerns with my vet and maybe point them in the right direction. He has been sleeping a lot more than usual (started a week before the limp started) and been whining more than normal. Despite this section appearing last, its where youll find the majority of limps in dogs. If it is a sprain from the slip and fall, how can I help it heal? We call this a shifting lameness, and if so it can be caused by a rare condition called polyarthritis. I went with conservative management and was doing really well until 9 months when I messed up with letting him do too much and he slipped in snow and screamed and limped again. He now weighs 31kg. Hi Karah. Hi Krys. The most common explanation for a limp in a small or toy breed dogs hind leg that comes and goes is medial patellar luxation. Hi Terra. Hi Brenda. Although this is the third condition in the elbow dysplasia group, OCD also causes lameness and pain in other joints. However, a neurological exam as I do it is also not a major expense. Didnt find anything on his paw pads. He didnt seem to mind me checking it for grass seeds or feeling around to see where it hurt, I couldnt find a specific spot where there was pain, however the leg would not sit in its usual position. We think she took a bad fall while playing but when it didnt get better with limited activity for 2-3 days (no running, no jumping, out in the yard on a leash to do her business and then back inside) we took her to the vet. The most likely diagnosis in a middle-aged dog with no obvious injury is a crucial ligament problem which can be hard to detect at the beginning. Can this wait that long? Meet his team here. being a rotti means being crazy 18 hours of the day. The picture shows my dog Loki just before hissurgery. New Cat Poisons: Hair Dyes, Hair Loss Treatments & Diclofenac. She is still lame and hardly puts weight on that side. He hasnt run at all and is reluctant to even walk but doesnt appear to be in any pain. What about contacting a veterinary clinic in the country and asking them if these signs fit with any of their endemic diseases? Vets have not done x-rays. My dog got into a porcupine. What do you recommend? I was told that the xray revealed no evidence of a tumor or fungal infection, and there were no visible wounds. It is intermittent. Even need to help him lay down. Im sure your vet is doing the best they can but it can be extremely frustrating. This would be to look for auto immune or infectious causes. Then, you have the choice of either a surgical biopsy or just having that digit removed to be safe. To diagnose a cruciate ligament rupture requires sedation so that the leg is relaxed and also x-rays to rule out other causes and confirm the presence of secondary arthritis. My 9 mo. When she came home, she seemed fine for a few days, then dropped again and had no strength in her hind end to stand up. No thats not usual at all. Hi Kyle. The picture shows an unlucky four-year-old dogs left knee, with the normal right knee for comparison. Im worried he might have injured his back. Im not really sure of the significance of a flat paw. It becomes more common with age so that by 12 most dogs experience it. He sometimes walks with his back end tucked. I am wondering what I should do. Any thoughts would be very welcome please. Cruciate disease isnt normally intermittent so you should get a vet to take another look and perhaps X-rays too. It seems to occur when she is stopping and turning quickly, she will yelp hold up her front paw for about 10 seconds then its seems to walk off, is it probably a soft tissue injury or should I get her x-rayed? Hi, Thanks for your great article and images. You are right in suspecting panosteitis its the most likely cause of a shifting lameness affecting all four legs of a young Labrador. We obviously dont know his history. If a puppy starts limping, you may need to act fast to prevent a lifetime of problems. Hello, This week my 3 year old lab mix started doing something strange. Nothing in the bloodwork, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories not working. Patellar luxation usually starts before a dog turns one year old. Believe it or not, treatment requires us to cut the bone that stops growing so the other one can grow straight. If this case occurred here in Adelaide, and I was happy that the x-rays had covered all the possible areas, I would tap the joints and send the fluid to the lab for analysis. Good job on your write-ups. Regarding the last radiograph picture you posted. I have the X-ray images but need a radiologist to confirm if it is a type of bone cancer. Its caused by the fact that the forearm is made of two parallel bones: the radius and ulna. With rest, it appears to go away and does not seem to be bothering him. He went out to do his business, and obviously I didnt watch him closely enough, he came in limping on the opposite (left) rear leg. Our vet recommended rest with cosequin. In your case, your local vets are going to have the best idea on how to proceed and it sounds like theyve given you sensible treatments. Am I overreacting? So what do you think could be wrong. He was sad and still so I know he was in pain but not crying. Its unlikely the previous surgery had any involvement. The coronoid processes are tiny shelf-like projections easily fractured in puppies. He still runs, eats, etc. The loose fragment then needs to be removed and the jointsurface smoothed by a vet skilled in arthroscopy. I am hoping she just sprained something since I see her put weight on it and no other signs of distress. Do you think the leg is connected to his fever and dehydration? The picture shows the characteristic bone loss and new bone formation of an osteosarcoma in the humerus near the shoulder. This dog went on to full recovery with rest and anti-inflammatory treatment. 2022 (2.0.22214.12) 24.com. It is a front leg bothering him. He suddenly started limping on Wednesday, the rear left leg seemed pulled up and he wouldnt put weight on it. i have a 2 and a half year old airedale terrier that is extremely active and alert but in the past 6 months has been going lame in front legs often shifting from one limb to another . If youve had xrays its probably fine to try anti-inflammatories and rest if your vet agrees. Hi Hayley. We took him to the vet who said he was overweight and didnt notice a limp or favoring at the time. Many of these are life-threatening, like tick paralysis which is thankfully not endemic to South Australia. Hi Ken. We are returning to the Vet tomorrow to try and get a more formal diagnosis. He was doing a lot of cat stretching: arching and stretching his spine. By knowing the leg problems that dogs get you have a better chance of preventing some, identifying others and taking them all seriously. Thats solely based on the extremely high incidence of cruciate disease compared to other disorders. The vet is suspecting that is some kind of soft tissue issue or muscle sprain or pull. Just shows how important differential diagnosis is. She didnt Yelp or show any signs she was hurt. Its worth keeping a very open mind towards more systemic disorders and blood testing would be great as a first step. Hi Kate.The question I always ask myself with any new test is what potential difference will it make? Two months of exercise restriction and rehab have produced a good result so far. when she lies down for an extended period of time and then stands she is often stiff and exhibiting pain , she will raise her paw off the ground and now she lays down much more often. He is fine no signs of being unhappy he eats well runs around like normal. I looked back through our files and found these are now the common fractures: Warning: we dostill see occasional dogs hit by cars and its now often caused by visitors or tradespeople leaving a gate open. My husband tripped over our 7 year old yorkie o New Years Eve and she sort of flipped on our tile. She has about four more laser therapy treatments booked but there really is hardly any improvement. Then I noticed that her toes on that paw seem flat or loose (I dont know what word to use) Like the joints in that foot are messed up. Hi Liz. Your situation is the same as many other dog owners: until they get their dog checked theyve done a bit of googling and have a horrible diagnosis in their mind. I have rubbed all areas and he doesnt seem to be in any pain . Been to the Vet 4 times for removal. She is about 92 pounds which my vet thinks is OK for her build (not overweight). than the other leg. Sadly (including in our practice) elbow dysplasia can be hard to see on plain x-rays. Or is it more likely that he has a mild sprain that is unrelated, but makes whatever other issue he has worse because he cant drink, go to the bathroom, etc.? 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