Puppy limping

andreac

tk123 wrote: »

Where do you get it?

I get mine from www.paddypaw.com My fella has been on it since a pup and his coat is amazing and hes never been lame on me.

barbiegirl

I never thought of cod liver oil or sardines but I think sardines are now being added to the shopping list. Sindy is a retriever spaniel cross and we're just back from vet where she diagnosed a slight strain. As she legs it everywhere it's not surprising so sardines will defo be the way to go :-)

andreac

barbiegirl wrote: »

I never thought of cod liver oil or sardines but I think sardines are now being added to the shopping list. Sindy is a retriever spaniel cross and we're just back from vet where she diagnosed a slight strain. As she legs it everywhere it's not surprising so sardines will defo be the way to go :-)

Getting an oil like cod liver oil or salmon oil would work out cheaper in the long run and last a lot longer. My salmon oil 500ml lasts over a month or more and is only around 10 euro and thats with a couple of squirts in the food per day.
Sardine, tuna etc are usually 70cent or more per tin so you would be spending a lot.
If you do go for sardines etc, make sure its the one in the Sunflower oil and not Brine as thats too salty for them.:)

tk123

My poor baby is going to the vets in the morning to get xrays. He's still limping

tazwaz

best of luck tomor, my dog had a similar problem last year and had to go to a specialist in cork cause it was a hip problem. needed an operation to sort it.

andreac

Sounds like Pano to me, which can last for a few weeks even months and come and go too.

toadfly

My little Tilly is limping now as well. She hurt herself Monday morning jumping off the bed, we rested her and was fine again yesterday morning. But then last night she got a fright jumped off the couch and her frong leg seemed to just go from under her and she can barely walk today. Off to vets this evening. We spent a lot of time (and money!) there!

Poor baby its horrible seeing her in pain.

OP let us know how she gets on.

tk123

I'm so worried about him!!! He growled at the vet when she was trying to examine him! She thinks it might be his back because he tensed up when she tried to examine him there.


Update - his x-rays were fine so it looks like he's pulled/strained muscles!! We have to rest him as much as possible and see how he gets on with the anti-inflams for the next week.

tk123

Another update on our little baby
He went for xrays today (for the third time - inital ones first, then second round to compare a few weeks later and different angle of his hocks today) so they can be sent to UCD. The vet won't give a diagnosis so i'm expecting the worse now - that he's going to need surgey. I can't even remember what the full term that was used to describe what the xrays showed - tibial/tibular crest something - I meant to ask them to write it down. I'm not sure whether to call and ask if it's in his notes or if this is a bad idea because i'll spend the next few days googling? Any googling I have done where xrays look the same as his are tibial crest fratures. All I could get out of them was that normally a dog with his symptoms and xrays would be in pain so it may just be his growth but they can't say.
He's in great form thou - not in pain when he's moving around (he is on pain killers but no pain/yelping when they manipulate his legs), he doesn't have hip dysplasia (a favourite experts opinion in the park when they see he's a retriever) but he is cow hocked. I'm just so worried about him!!
Waiting is bad enough but everytime some eejit in the park decides to tell me that he looks like there's something wrong with him it makes it ten times worse. One of the local experts listening in to a conversation I was having with somebody I know told me "well if ucd are involve it's never going to be good news now is it?" - I felt like telling him where to go!

andreac

Hi Tk123,

Im not sure what this condition is that you are talking about so cant comment on that.

But in regards to the UCD comment by people, that is complete crap. UCD is the top vet hospital in the country and your dog will get the best treatment and expertise there so dont be worried at all in that case. If i had any major problem with my dog UCD is where i would want him treated.

I know several people who have very sick dogs come out well again and make full recoveries as there is the best of care and facilities there.

Try and get more info from the vet if you can on the condition and the outcome, prognosis, treatment etc and until then, try not to worry too much.
There are so many conditions in dogs these days and many of them are treatable.
You have him insured yeah? Thats deffo a weight off your mind as you can get him the best treatment withour worrying about the cost.
Try not to worry for the mo and concentrate on keeping your dog in good form until you know the exact prognosis etc.:)

IvySlayer

I had to bring my dog to UCD when we had an emergency. They were very good.


You said tibia crest? That's a bone in the leg, maybe the muscle tore? I don't know, I'm not a vet, best of luck.

tk123

Thanks guys. I know the most important thing is that he's not in pain and is in good form so we'll have to wait and see what they say but it's hard not to worry about him! I think I'll hold off calling them back for more info because I know I'll spend ages looking online and jump to the worse case senario! He is insured thou thank god. My main worry is that if he needs surgey he'll be out of action for weeks.

The Sweeper

Tibial tuberosity avulsion fracture? Or something like that?

An avulsion fracture is when there is a fracture and the surrounding muscle or tendons pull a piece of bone away from the fractured area. In dogs, this can happen in the knee - especially in young dogs that are still growing. The knobbly piece of bone at the end of the tibia can fracture through a bad landing after a jump or fall, and then the muscles and tendons around the knee cap (which are very strong) can pull a sort of 'chipped' piece away from the fracture site. The best treatment is a surgical fix where they wire the bit back into place, and with all such surgeries it is important to keep the dog quiet for four to six weeks afterwards. If that's what it is, there will be lots of people on here with tips on how to do that though.

One option would be to crate train the dog - but do it now, so he associates the crate with good things, not with being shut in and somehow punished when you have to restrict his movements.

Anyway - you should call the vet up and ask precisely what the vet has written in terms of what it might be. Then chill out - information is power, the more you know, the more you can get your head around the possible ways you'll have to deal with it. Since he's limping and something does seem to be wrong, even if it's not a fracture like that, you may still need to restrict his movements, so look into ways and ideas for that now so you can start changing your routine before he has to be treated.

Also, if you're less anxious (I know it's hard) the dog will be less anxious - they are hard-wired into your emotional state you know, and if you're fretting he'll know something's wrong. Good luck with him - and as others have said, trust UCD, those guys are the exact people I'd bring any of my animals to if I were in the locality and they needed just this sort of procedure!

tk123

After having him off the lead over the weekend (the vet said it won't make any difference/no need to limit his excercise) I could get a good look at him and he's not really limping anymore - just kind of moving funny because he's cow hocked? He was in kennels for a week and they have a puppy program where they take them out so many times a day etc - I can only assume that the extra excercise built up his leg a little? When he runs now he's not bunny hopping as much and anyone who's seen him this weeked that knows him have seen the improvement so fingers crossed. I probably will call them tomorrow and get the exact term for what the xray is showing so I can look it up and know what to expect!

tk123

His xrays are normal! We just have see what we need to do to next so he won't be so bandy! The relief!

tk123

Ok another update - he's going to UCD in august. The limping is gone - he's just cow hocked now. Also he's gotten much leaner - he was weight last night and he has gotten heavier but not fat if that makes sense? I can just feel his ribs.

Does anyone have any experience with cow hocked puppies/dogs? He seems to be a bit skinny in his hind legs and I've read online that some people did a lot of conditioning with their pups to help straighten out the hocks and strengthen the legs. He's gotten braver in the water and will swim now instead of just paddling around - he swam after ducks the other day lol! My gut instinct is to give him a good bit of excericise but the last thing I want to do is make him worse - the vet said excercising off the lead was fine but is on hols so I can't ask!? He used to go to daycare and I'd love to let him go back even one day a week because he's so playful now compared to how he used to be (really shy) but not sure if it'd be too much for him.