my puppy limping rear right leg occassionally - Page 1

my puppy 7months old sometimes i see her rear right leg limps after running in the ground. if i keep her to rest one or two days then i won't see her limping again. she likes to run if she sees big play ground. if she plays little longer then i see she is limping little bit orelse she looks fine. is this normal for puppy or do you think she might have hip problem? when she limps actually she won't put pressure on the rear right leg. she steps very lightly with her rear right leg. looks awkward. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks

It could be a simple strain-those can take much time to heal. It could be Panosteitis-that can require a slight change in diet. The strain will not be easy to detect, but the presence of Panosteitis can be determined through a radiograph by a skilled veterinarian. Regards, Bob-O

should i give some more time its like maybe two weeks now only if she plays more orelse before she was fine. thanks for your suggestions. re:It could be Panosteitis-that can require a slight change in diet. Bob-O did you mean to slight change in diet? i've been feeding her same innova large puppy food until now. would be glad to hear. thanks

Yes, she might have a hip problem, but it could be some other things too. Best to just have her xrayed and then you will know for sure.

hard to tell anything without x-rays and diagnosis from an experienced ortho vet. Panosteitis can be seen on x-rays, this would be on the long bones of the leg - usually switching from leg to leg and more commonly seen in the front, not the rear - though rear-leg Pano is possible. Usually it is not limited to one leg though, especially not one rear leg. Could be a knee injury, torn cruciate or miniscus - or could be a pulled muscle somewhere. Have you checked her foot for torn/worn pad, or cut between her toes? Or of course, could be a bad hip. But you can only guess unless you take her for x-rays and see for sure. Skip the middle-vet and take her straight to the specialist, will save money and guessing in the long run. Good luck, hope it's nothing serious. molly

If you xray her and her hips are fine and there is no evidence of panosteitis, she my still have the latter because clinical signs don't always coincide with radiographic evidence. I have always been successful in palpating for pano. IOW, put the first three fingers of your hand inside of the thigh (pushing along the mid-shaft of the femur as well as the lower thigh) and apply a firm counter-pressure with the thumb of the same hand on the outside of the thigh. If you do this and elicit a pain response, very likely your pup has panostietis. With classic panosteitis, the dog does not limp as much as it tends to stand at rest with the leg dangling and non-weight bearing. If you have xrays done to put your mind at ease, be sure to go to a veterinarian skilled in reading radiographs. Try to have the vet to take xrays using only mild sedation instead of general anesthesia. Bob-O mentioned dietary changes. Some people suggest feeding an adult diet rather than a puppy diet. I don't exactly agree with this suggestion--at least, from my experience. However, a raw diet may be helpful. Don't let the vet encourage you to use Science Diet or, worse, Purina. I haven't had a pup with pano in many years. The best treatment I've found is restricting exercise and giving oral Pygnogenol (a powerful anti-oxidant made from the maritime pine--available in most health and natural food stores) twice daily at the rated of 1 mg per pound of body weight. You should see some improvement within a day. Keep giving the Pycnogenol for several days and gradually reduce the dosage. No, your vet is likely to be unfamiliar with this protocol. All that I can say is that this approach has been very effective for me.

thank you all. do you think i should take insurance. i've never taken her insurance and i don't know either. would this be higher cost to have x-rays. or would it be safer side to get her insurance. would be glad to hear. thanks

Veterinary insurance typically does not cover disorders common in a breed, such as hip dysplasia. Insurance is great for things like broken teeth, accidents, illness (not genetic in origin) etc. Since it is consistently the right rear leg, I think I would take the advice and take her to the vet were she were mine. if she has bad hips there are more options for younger dogs than there are dogs after they have finished growing.

when i touch her nerves underneath right rear leg close to her tummy she makes noise and doesn't let me touch. its like she had strains. thank you for all your suggestions and i'm taking her to vet tomorrow. thanks

Could your dog have simply injured herself while running or playing? Mine has before. Running into something, or taking a tumble. Maybe its something simple as that. If your really concerned tho I would suggest visiting the vet. Thats my best advice.