[mogrann]

I am unsure if he needs to see a vet or not about this issue. I was out for a walk with him and noticed him limping, we were headed to the off leash park with another dog. I checked his feet and legs and he seemed fine. He would off and on make it a small limp then a big limp, to us it looked like he wanted attention for it. We were almost at the off leash park and continued, in fact he was pulling and not walking slower. He played normally in park and ran normally in park. If I did not see him limping occasionally you would not no there was anything wrong. I asked my friend (the owner of the other dog) to check his legs, paws too. He did not flinch or do anything.
We went home and he has been walking around with the slight limp. I have blocked off the basement stairs as they are steep. He goes down them sideways. We are going to put him in his kennel tonight so he can not run around and play with the cats.
My friend and I are thinking he pulled a muscle or twisted it when he went in her yard as he got excited to see Meeka(his dog friend).

My ? Is how long do I wait until I think vet time. I know if he starts showing pain to go right away. I am talking about if it stays the same. Is there anything else I can do for him? Should I stop all walks until no limp? Or should I go by how he acts, for example I put leash on and he walks with no need to call etc.

Thank you all for any help you can give me. I should mention it is his front paw, not sure if that matters/

Susan and Owen

[Alty]

This is just my opinion, and you may get many different opinions on this issue.

If he's not noticeably in pain I would wait. Of course the vet is always a good option, but in this case I wouldn't deem it urgent to go. Dogs, like people, can misstep and hurt themselves to the point where they limp because it's not comfortable. It's not always necessary to go to the vet.

If you've checked his paws, his leg, and everything else, and he doesn't seem to be in pain, then just keep him inactive (no walks, no jumping around) for the next few days and see how it goes. If he'll let you, try icing it with a bag of frozen peas.

If he starts to really favor that leg, or yelps when he walks, then get to the vet asap.

That's what I would and have done when my dogs have developed a limp. If you're really worried then a trip to the vet should set your mind at ease. :)

[shazamataz]

Sorry, got to post and run but look into Pano :)

Panosteitis in Young Dogs

[mogrann]

Thank you both. I took him out of his kennel today and found out my brother took one of his older comforters and put that in so "Owen would be more comfie". He seems to not be limping today but if it happens again he will be going to vet to check out that Panosteitis.
Today I am going to let him decide what he wants to do, in reference to playing in backyard. Tomorrow we will go back to our walks with the neighbors dog.

Susan and Owen

[shazamataz]

Sorry I had to just give you that link and leave the other day...

My mums Great Dane had Pano as he was growing up, he would be really lame for a day or 2 then be fine for a week then be lame again but in the opposite leg!

It is something they grow out of 99% of the time and it affects a lot of larger dogs and big boned breeds.

I'm not saying that's what it is of course, but it certainly is an option with a growing dog :)

[mogrann]

We took him to the off leash park and he was active like before but started limping again. I am unsure if he is in pain or not because he is not favoring a leg or refusing to walk. Today he did "throw up" (looked like water with a few bits of dog food). I chalked it up to him drinking water too fast. Am I right? What signs tell me if my pup is in pain? Should I keep resting him as long as the limp comes back? Or will exercise help it, as long as he wants to walk that is.

Susan and Owen

[Alty]

My dogs will walk with a broken leg if you let them. They just love to walk and nothing will stop them.

IMO, I think you should let him rest the leg for a few days, ice it (like I mentioned in my first post) and then start walking again. Give it a chance to heal. If it is a sprain then continuing to walk him will only make it worse.

[mogrann]

Okay, he was just whinning for a walk so I thought he would be fine. He loves his walks but I will do that and keep him rested for a week and icing it. Thank you so much!

Susan and Owen

[Alty]

okay, he was just whinning for a walk so I thought he would be fine. He loves his walks but I will do that and keep him rested for a week and icing it. Thank you so much!

Susan and Owen

No problem. I hope he starts to feel better. I know it's hard to keep them contained when they want to walk. My dog Indy once ripped the pad off his paw. He had it all bandaged up and you could tell he was in pain but he still wanted to go for his walks. It was a long week with him whining and begging to go, but he had to rest and heal.

Let us know how it goes. :)

[Lucky098]

His paw pad may be bruised. Or he might have stepped down wrong and "sprained his ankle"

If he's not gushing blood and he can put weight on it, then I wouldn't bother with a vet visit. Keep an eye on him and if he starts to not put any weight on his foot, then take him to the vet.

[mogrann]

Owen fell down a fell down a few steps last night due to the limping so I called the vet. They wanted to see him today. I did write down the name for the pano condition to show her. Will update when we get back from vet. I will say he has been miserable with no walks and driving me crazy, wish he understood why we are doing this to him


Susan and Owen

[shazamataz]

Poor Owen. I wish we had the answers for you but there are just so many things that could be wrong.
Let us know how he goes at the vets :)

[mogrann]

It went good and bad at the vet.. Bad first Owen will be getting neutered and not be used for breeding. He has one condition that is hereditary and another possible one that is as well. We made the decision to get him neutered for various reasons. One is we don't want to be a breeder who just breeds because they have a pure breed dog with no thought of what they can produce. Secondly he has to be sedated for one test and where he is a short nose dog we don't want to wait for the results and then have to sedate him again. There is a danger for him with sedation.
We found out he has contact dermatitis and have to take away all treats and his dog food. We will slowly be changing him over to a fish dog food to see how that goes. He is on antibiotics for a bacterial infection to his scratching due to allergies. That really hit me hard that I did not know something was wrong in that area. I felt so bad that I did not take him sooner. He also has a medicated shampoo to help out. We were told to use very little of it and rinse him well.
Now for the limping.. She is almost sure it is not that pano thing due to him only having it in one leg. She is thinking it is OCD, which is a bone cartilage thing I will copy and paste a link I found with info on it.
Monday he goes in for his pre-op blood work. Thursday he goes in for his x-rays and to be neutered and tattooed.
I have had some people think I am jumping the gun on getting him neutered BUT we just don't want to risk his health and life on two sedations and also where we know he has allergies which are passed on through the lines, we don't want to contribute to the problem.
He is on no walks and no rough playing until his x-rays. Also he has to be lead up and down stairs on his lead. I am just so happy my dog will be okay! To me the breeding was a nice thought but was not the reason why I got Owen or the reason why I love my boy.
I will be letting the breeder know of the final results. Just so she can decide what to do from there about testing Owen's parents etc. We will not be asking for another dog as Owen is my dog! No other dog will be Owen Lowell.

To me the good news is my boy will be okay. All of this can be dealt with. He was weighed and is now 59.6 lbs. Other than the limping problem and the allergies is his healthy. I must say I was so impressed with him at the vet. He allowed all the poking and prodding with no complaints. Though he did insist on giving kisses :)

Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) in Dogs


Susan and Owen

[mogrann]

My last post was long enough so I decided to let you know the actual wording of the vet and the medication he came home with. I am not as articulate about vet matters so it may be more clear with what my vet said.
Skin and hair coat(abnormal) red belly, scratch marks and licks and bitesboth hind legs until the point he vocalizes(we thought this was a puppy behaviour like chasing his tail. That he would realize not to bite himself so hard). Mild erythema (redness) on the feet. Very suspicious for allergies/atopic dermatitis. Tape test: bacterial infection and he has white cells present there as well. He needs 3 weeks of antibiotics minimum and start shampooing twice weekly including feet and chin. He also has dark dsbris on chin as well, not itchy per owners.

Musculoskeletal (abnormal) LF lamesness per Susan and Henry. Very sure it is the left front. I can't get any pain in here at all. Recommended x-rays of front legs including elbows and shoulders as well as long bones. OCD?

okay medicaitions are:Cephalexin 500mg Tablets 1 and a half tablets every 12 hours.
Vet solutions Canadian Medicated Shampoo to be used twice weekly
She also gave us a treatment plan which we are recommended putting him on a EFA supplement and also he can have reactine 10mg /day as needed.

Susan and Owen

[shazamataz]

Oh no, that's not good poor boy :(

OCD can come in varying stages though, he may not need any treatment if it stays as it is and only causes a slight limp.
Any worse and it's surgery I'm afraid though.
I would definitely be letting the breeder know and there is nothing wrong with having him neutered at the same time as being sedated for the test, it's a very good idea actually.

Don't feel bad about the dermatitis, it's very hard to pick!
I actually noticed a huge red spot on my boys back leg today, looks like it has been that way for some time but the hair was hiding it... it wasn't until he actually chewed away a chunk of hair that I saw the redness.

Unfortunately I can't help you with advice on the medications, I only have limited knowledge on OCD.

[mogrann]

UPDATE:
Owen has had his blood work done. He is also now on Reactine due to him scratching so he opened a sore on his groin area. The vet and I are trying to not go the steroid route but will if necessary. The reason why we are avoiding it is we want to get biopsy done on Thursday. They need him to have no steroids in him for that test. His health does come first though and if it is necessary before the biopsy he will get it. The reactine is doing wonders though so far for the itching.
We took him for a short walk less than 15 minutes. He started limping so we came home. He is allowed walks but we need to watch him. He was doing way too much jumping and running in house due to pent up energy so the walk helped some.
My vet said I should know what is wrong on Thursday unless the X-rays are hard to read. If that is the case then she will go on her online vet forums to get other opinions. She had done this with our cat that had allergies too ( RIP Pony). I say my pets have picked me as they know I will do what I can for them and make them comfie.

Unless something changes next update will be Thursday after we get home with him.

Susan and Mr Owen Lowell

[mogrann]

Update on Mr Owen Lowell.

He is now home. Surgery went well. Vet told us she wished she had her video camera. After being given the meds to put him asleep he refused to lay down and would sit and stare at them. She said it was comically how he would start to fall asleep then catch himself and give his head a shake... THAT IS MY STUBBORN BULLY!

The X-Rays were inconclusive. She is forwarding them on to specialists to take a look.My vet posts on a vet board and other vets help out with diagnosing etc. Part of the problem is he is still a pup and the way his bones grow(not being the same as a full grown dogs yet? I am not a vet so I don't quite understand that.

He has a cone on and HATES it. He... just needs to figure out how much room he needs to walk around. I also have pain meds for him for the next three days.

Owen, Henry and I thank everyone for the good thoughts and prayers that were said for him. Now we just need a diagnosis on his limp.

[Wondergirl]

I'm glad he's home again, Susan. Even though I'm a cat person, I've been following Owen's story faithfully.

[mogrann]

He is doing well except for he is upset he has to sleep upstairs in his kennel. We sleep in the basement and the stairs are way too steep for him to navigate while he is recovering. Also apparently a side effect of the medicine they gave him is hallucinations etc in dogs it presents as whimpering. We were talking to him and petting him for a good hour but it is now bedtime. This usually only lasts the first day which is good, as it has me almost crying for him.

[Aurora_Bell]

I've merged your two threads, just to keep them all together. Thanks for updating us!