Pano Question - Page 1

My 8 month old started limping again and I took him in for xrays thinking it was OCD related, but it turns out he has Pano. The surgeon said it was self limiting (which I took to mean he will limit himself in terms of activity and pain?), but to keep his walks at 10 minutes a day.

Over the week his limp has gone away and I am wondering how/when to begin upping the activity. Bearing in mind we were at two 30 minute walks a day and 5 minutes off leash time post op before this. The surgeon said wait a month and if hes still limping (on only one leg) to come back in for more xrays, though the left foreleg was very cloudy and the right slightly so- indicating pano. I know the pano can come and go, but I don't know how to manage his activity?

Does anyone have any personal experience as to what they did..I have read both letting the dog self limit and others making sure they rest. Not exactly sure which method to use, although right now I am making him rest.

Also, I read some older threads about giving the dog prenatal vitamins, or ester C..but do not know why, can anyone explain? Right now I have rimadyl for occasional need.

Thank you!

I would skip the Rimadyl since it has some serious side effects.  I have successfully used a combination of MSM (1000mg/day), Vit E (400mg/day) and Ester C (1000mg/day).  Within a week of starting this combination the limping was completely gone and has not returned.  My bitch started limping at 7 months old and had 4 episodes by the time she was 14 months old, which is when I started the supplements.  I don't know if it made a difference, but I also put her on Precise Holistic Complete Adult Large/Giant breed dog food. 

Hope your boy gets some relief fast.

 

i pretty much ignore it unless it's more than a few days. then i'll bring in nsaid's to preclude potential collateral damage, e.g., hip and knee/shoulder issues from compensating, and to shorten the duration of the bout. overall, i keep mine lean but fit and watch the calcium intake more so than, say, the protein. also, after a longer bout, i have the chiropractor and massage therapist have a look-see. overall, i still exercise/train them but do mostly stationary activites, like tug play for sit/stand/downs,fronts, and short distance touch pad work and, if the season permits, a lot of swimming. re the nsaids, i try to 'load' them for two or three days (full dose as prescribed) then half it for a couple of days, then space the admin interval for the reduced dosage from daily to every other day for a bit and if that works to every third day. it's a bit of an art but your dog will tell you when it's too little.

k9gsd78  > I would skip the Rimadyl since it has some serious side effects.


It can have serious side effects, not always and more often than not doesn't.

My old girl wouldn't be with me now if it wasn't for Metacam [same type of NSAID as Rimadyl] which she has been on daily since 2006.
Regular annual blood tests confirm that all her organs haven't been compromised by using it long term.

My male GSD pup developed Pano at 10 months.  He weighted a hearty 80 lbs at about 26" tall. He is a big boy and growing too rapidly. His limp was heart-breaking, and I could not bear seeing him hobble around.  I cut back on his food portions by about 1/3, and put him on supplements recommended in the Leerburg website: MSM, Comfort Aches, Vitamin E. Yucca Intensive. The dosages are on the Website.  He seemed to feel better, less limping, but still visible. I also limited his walks to grass surfaces only as much as possible. I was fortunate to have a big grassy park nearby where we still walked daily. Took what seemed like over 5 weeks until the limp dissappeared. He is 14 months old now, doing great.  Runs and jumps like a puppy still, no problems. He is a lean 75 lbs and his coat and physique look great.

Dogs can manufacture their own Vit C but depending on their food supply and/or quality and genetics they can be deficient so Vit C supplement is good within reason.  Adequan is also good if you can get a prescription and afford it.  I have had good results with Adequan relieving the Pano symptoms and pain and Adequan also has been shown in research trials to improve hip dysplasia potential (dogs treated with Adequan during bone growth had less HD).  I feed a raw human grade meat diet high in animal fat and animal protein which contributes to rapid growth and development of my young dogs.  In a litter of nine some pups have pano and some from the same litter do not and I have grown dogs on the identical  diet until 20 months of age.  I have seen no long term ill effects in my pups thus far from Pano.  I do limit their exercise when they show pain and limping.

I too give a vit c supplement for my growing dogs and think it really helps.

I dealt with Pano with my girl at around 8 months of age. Both her front legs were affected. I gave her baby aspirins, one in the morning and one at night. I was also dealing with EPI so I had to be careful with supplements. The suggestion I found on this site was to give Maya vitamin C. I now give her a vitamin C, E, krill oil, and B-12. She is 2 1/2 now and the Pano is gone. I think they grow so fast and it is just the luck of the draw as to whether they get Pano or not. I don't think it is a good idea to give a young pup heavy pain meds, when just easing back on the excersize and mild pain relievers work just as well. The only good thing about Pano is they do grow out of it.

Thank you for the info on Pano:  was wondering how much Vit C to give and do  you think it wise to give it prior to any signs of Pano?  Thx in advance  Nan

I give one 500mg Vit C a day, from 4 months old to a year old. Doesn't hurt!