Limp - Page 1

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by jasmit on 31 December 2010 - 14:12

Our 3yr old 100lb German Shepherd Sherman was diagnosed with a possible soft tissue injury to the left front leg, Our Vet recommended rest, pain med and leash walking only for his outside business and after a week we were back to normal. Now 3 months later and after a strenuous run with other dogs injury reappeared to the same leg. Vet is on vacation and any suggestions would be appreciated. Concerned father

by Penny on 31 December 2010 - 14:12

Hi Jasmit,
100lbs - too heavy...

Weight as in humans has a bearing on joints and the like. However, if he has strained himself again, sounds like much of the same as before, and ust look to his weight a little so that he is not dragging around so much excess and giving his muscles and tissues and joints much harder work to do so. I would still take him to a vet if its not right in the next couple of days or if he is not weight bearing n the affected limb, even a different vet is better than no vet opinion. Mo.

by jasmit on 31 December 2010 - 16:12

Thanx for the info Penny, Sherman is a very large GS having a Czechoslavian mother and father and is fed Innova dog food, no treats or table food, Sherman is slim and stands very high off the ground and Vet feels weight is not a problem. Will be going to Vet on Tuesday and hopefully get to the bottom. Sherman is being rested and caged until we see Vet. jack

by Guppyfry on 31 December 2010 - 16:12

Once muscles and ligaments/tendons get injured, they re-injure very easily, and sometimes even though the limp is gone, the tissue is not back to normal yet, so healing was not complete.

For your boy, repeat the restricted activity, leash walks only protocol you followed the first time around, but I would continue it past one week, even if the limp goes away. I've been dealing with something similar with my mixed breed female (70lbs), and the more often she re-injures herself (pulled thigh muscle), the longer it takes to resolve itself. I'd try to keep his activity down for at least threee weeks to a month, and work on getting weight off him. I would not do the pain medication unless the limp is so bad that he cannot walk on his leg at all. It will help your dog to not over-exert himself, and to self-regulate until his leg is better.

Disclaimer: this is not to replace veterinary advice. I would still get in to see the vet when he is back from vacation. But in my opinion, this is a mangement issue (weight and restricted exercise) rather than one that needs veterinary intervention. (personal opinion of a lay person).

by ggturner on 01 January 2011 - 13:01

Along with restricting his activity, try giving him ester C--it boosts the immune system and aids in new cell growth.

by SitasMom on 01 January 2011 - 19:01

Did you work him up to playing with the other dogs? After being crated for so many months, he is in very poor physical shape and needs to be worked back into shape very slowly. Rehab takes twice as long as we think.

I would guess that he needs to be on restricted activity until a few weeks after he's stopped limping and then start a rehab program that starts very slowly - similar to a get back in shape program for humans....If possible include swimming in the rehab program......

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Limp - Page 1

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