Freds limp - ideas/advice please.

Dizzy

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#1
I'm so worried he's done something permanent, which is silly because I don't even know what he's done.

Long story short, we noticed a limp at ringcraft a couple of weeks ago, quite significant. My other half says he'd noticed a limp on and off before this, mainly when getting up after sleeping etc. Not really noticeable, I hadn't noticed.

No apparent pain or injury. Even when we moved his legs.

Vet trip, spent time manipulating him and worked out its his right shoulder, he gave a yelp when this was manipulated. First sign he's shown anything hurts.

Anti inflammatories and rested for a week, no walks, out to wee on a lead. Still a slight head bob limp when walked up and down. Back to vets, they have said to continue with rest and drugs and reckon its a pulled muscle.

The only thing we can think of is we think he ran into s tree in the dark, but that was something like a month ago.

What do people think?

He appears to limp more the day after moving on it, which makes me think something is stiffening up???

I'm worrying and hope its unnecessary. Vet said we can do an mri scan if its no better next week but doesn't think it will show anything.
 
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#2
It's possible that he could have Pano. What type of food is he on and how much are you feeding?
 

Saeleofu

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#3
Maybe an OCD lesion in the shoulder? Shouldn't require an MRI, and xray can generally pick it up.
 

Dizzy

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#4
He's fed James well beloved, which is a biscuit. He was on puppy, then junior, and recently (couple of weeks?) had adult as his ran out and he has been eating Bodhis. Today we started to introduce raw.
 
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#5
I can't remember, has he had x-rays of the shoulder yet? A dog this breed, this age, I wouldn't fool around. I would do imaging - whether that's x-rays or MRI or whatever is available for you and your vet.
 

Dizzy

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I can't remember, has he had x-rays of the shoulder yet? A dog this breed, this age, I wouldn't fool around. I would do imaging - whether that's x-rays or MRI or whatever is available for you and your vet.
No, nothing yet :(
 
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#7
Well it could be just a strain or sprain - most of the time with young active dogs, it is. But at this age there are enough developmental orthopedic things that can happen that benefit from early diagnosis and treatment that I personally like to be aggressive with imaging earlier rather than wait and see. A 2 or 3 year old dog, I'd wait and see for awhile. An adolescent GSP, not so much. JMO, it's not really right or wrong either way.
 

Dizzy

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Well it could be just a strain or sprain - most of the time with young active dogs, it is. But at this age there are enough developmental orthopedic things that can happen that benefit from early diagnosis and treatment that I personally like to be aggressive with imaging earlier rather than wait and see. A 2 or 3 year old dog, I'd wait and see for awhile. An adolescent GSP, not so much. JMO, it's not really right or wrong either way.
Honestly, it's something we have been discussing since the first vet trip. And every day since!!
 

sillysally

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#9
I can't remember, has he had x-rays of the shoulder yet? A dog this breed, this age, I wouldn't fool around. I would do imaging - whether that's x-rays or MRI or whatever is available for you and your vet.
This. I would get him imaged.

If those don't show anything, you might look for a acupuncturist and make an appointment. We've had good luck with acupuncture with Jack's issues.

Here is the site for the UK: www.abva.co.uk/
 

Tazwell

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#10
Fleetwood had the same thing at his age, except it was a bit worse. The first vet thought it was Pano, and the second vet said OCD (it is very common in the shoulder, by the way). We did x rays, and there seemed to be nothing. When she got a new digital x ray machine, we did another, and there it was. Clear as day!
 

Dizzy

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#11
Sorry, what is ocd??

Eta, nevermind, I'd already read about this!

What is the prognosis if its this? And could it occur after trauma (ie, if he did run into a tree, we aren't 100% sure but think he did. There was no injury or apparent pain after, but would fit).
 
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Tazwell

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#12
Osteo chondroitin dissecans is a tear in the cartilage. It can happen because of trauma, but also some larger breed dogs can be prone to it. They don't even seem to need trauma for it to happen.

Fleetwood's was never fixed. But after 1 year of age, it stopped bothering him. And because he has so many other health problems going on, it was the least of my worries.

My vet said that it can be fixed with a procedure called platelet rich plasma (PRP) which is like a form of stem cell therapy, I guess. They take tissue from him, isolate the plasma, and inject it back into the injury site. No surgery, anestethsia, short recovery time. And not very expensive.

So I hope that's not what it is with Fred! Maybe it's just Pano or something else, but if its OCD, PRP might be an option.
 
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#13
In some dogs as they age, some of the cartilage that normally would mature into bone doesn't do so properly and causes flaps or tears of cartilage.
It can be caused by trauma but can also happen spontaneously, as Tazwell said.

Generally it is treatable surgically. The surgeons just remove the abnormal flaps of cartilage, and the dogs I've seen have gone on to be completely normal. Some dogs have long term problems if it isn't treated.
 

Dizzy

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#14
Ringing the vets tomorrow to look at booking an MRI scan. Gonna cost a fortune, as we have only just insured them and don't think it will cover it.

Don't care though.... I won't relax till I know it's going to heal soon! Even if it shows nothing, and it's just muscle or something. At least them ill know.

God, it's not even a bad limp lol.... I was never like this with Bodhi!!!!
 

Dizzy

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#15
Getting a CT scan, vet is going to find a few places for us to look at taking him. Fingers crossed its just a waste of time and money!
 

Dizzy

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#17
Consultation booked for the 26th with poss scan on the 27th, he will have to stay in overnight :(

Its at the animal hospital, very good place, so fingers crossed.
 

Dizzy

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#20
Not great, but the scanner was broken so back in two weeks to confirm vets suspicions. Could all turn out fine yet, we are thinking positive :)

Fred is happy as Larry so that's all that matters at the moment!
 

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