Dogue limping

[DogueOwner]

my ten month old boy has been walking with a noticeable limp (front right) for about five days. No signs of problems on his pads, I move his leg around, check his joints, press on his muscles, no apparent problems. His nails are also trimmed.


My breeder says sometimes his guys have an occasional limp and it should go away after a bit, but I'm curious when I should bring him to see the vet. While I don't mind bringing him, vet will likely only take some X-rays and tell me to keep an eye on it and come back if problem persists.

He is still playful and not lethargic. Anyone have similar experiences? Thoughts?

 

[musicdeb]

It sounds like Pano which will go away, if the dog does not injure themselves. Try to limit his running, walking and jumping to prevent injury.

Add glucosamine to the diet. Personally, I feed Titan raw chicken feet which are a great natural source of glucosamine.

Keep the pup slim and trim to prevent weight bearing on the joints. Slow and steady growth is key to a healthy mastiff as they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age.

Leerburg | Panosteitis or PANO

 

[Gazza]

Hi, cant really be of any help other than to say i have a 12 month old bitch dogue de bordeaux with the identical limp, even the same leg, i can pull, twist, squeeze etc etc and she shows no sign of any pain, i went to the vet and she gave me some anti inflammatory tablets which instantly worked and took the limp away for the duration of the pills, unfortunately, the limp returned about a week after the tablets were finished, that was about one month ago, been back to the vets to get another batch of tablets and yes its gone again but only got a couple of tablets left, been advised by the vet to take her for xrays should it return again .
one other thing i find very strange is that when her limp is at its worst she can still run like a race horse showing no signs what so ever of the limp until she stops and starts walking again,

Good Luck

 

[musicdeb]

Gazza, check out the link I posted, it may help you out.

 

[musicdeb]

May I ask what kind of anti-inflammatory meds he gave to your pup? Is it steroids?

 

[DogueOwner]

@musicdeb that makes sense. He's definitely lean with good hip definition and a rib outline. He's only been fed raw since birth with more than half being chicken, rest beef and green belly tripe, Omegas in salmon oil. I'll try reducing the food a bit. Even though my vet is semi-holistic, not interested in pills from the vet.

 

[BeauxJaxson]

Hello,

My Dogue Beaux had this happen multiple times, I would not be overly concerned until after 2 weeks of resting them. He would lip randomly when he was younger and occasionally now. He is very lean and muscular with no joint problems to mention. The vet has just siad he probably hyper extended the leg or shoulder joint when playing, walking running jumpoing, etc. it seems to resolve itself every time it happens.

I have stopped goingto thevet for limps as they do tend to tell you just to rest and keep an eye on it , $100 later.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[Gazza]

Musicdeb, the anti inflammatory pills are Rimifin Tablets, 50mg, one tablet twice a day, not over keen on giving her tablets but i suppose we tend to follow the vets advice thinking they know best ???
Maggie is also on a raw meat diet, mainly chicken but keep trying a few other things as well, tripe keeps getting mentioned but tried her on it a few times and she wont touch it
PS. Her hip score is fine and both parents have never suffered with any joint problems

 

[DogueOwner]

All great info/experiences. Thank you everyone. These Dogues get better treatment than we do! Big babies.

 

[musicdeb]

@musicdeb that makes sense. He's definitely lean with good hip definition and a rib outline. He's only been fed raw since birth with more than half being chicken, rest beef and green belly tripe, Omegas in salmon oil. I'll try reducing the food a bit. Even though my vet is semi-holistic, not interested in pills from the vet.

Great they you are feeding him raw diet. Add raw chicken feet to this daily meal, I feed Titan 3-4 a day.

 

[musicdeb]

Musicdeb, the anti inflammatory pills are Rimifin Tablets, 50mg, one tablet twice a day, not over keen on giving her tablets but i suppose we tend to follow the vets advice thinking they know best ???
Maggie is also on a raw meat diet, mainly chicken but keep trying a few other things as well, tripe keeps getting mentioned but tried her on it a few times and she wont touch it
PS. Her hip score is fine and both parents have never suffered with any joint problems

Awesome, you as well, is feeding raw diet! Personally, I do not like to give medication unless no other treatment available. I would recommend adding a probiotic to Maggie's food to help with her digestive system while taking the Rimifin. A good probiotic is plain yogurt.

 

[musicdeb]

Hello,

My Dogue Beaux had this happen multiple times, I would not be overly concerned until after 2 weeks of resting them. He would lip randomly when he was younger and occasionally now. He is very lean and muscular with no joint problems to mention. The vet has just siad he probably hyper extended the leg or shoulder joint when playing, walking running jumpoing, etc. it seems to resolve itself every time it happens.

I have stopped goingto thevet for limps as they do tend to tell you just to rest and keep an eye on it , $100 later.

Hope this is helpful.

Agree 100% with you! Vets are too quick to prescribe meds and do x-rays when it's really not necessary. I believe they play on the emotions of the owner to give unnecessary treatment. Whenever a vet tells me I need to do something for Titan, I tell him, "Hold that thought and give me a couple of days while I research the diagnosis and my choices."

 

[NYDDB]

Just another thought, having gone through this myself when my Dogue was about 10 months old.

When Mateo started limping (also his front right leg), I thought it was because of rough play, as he wrestled a lot with a Newfoundland dog. But after a few weeks of rest, and somewhat limited activity- and no improvement- I went to the vet. He took x-rays and was diagnosed with OCD of his right shoulder.

This condition is a genetic-based, not influenced by diet or exercise (Mateo is raw fed also.) Also, it shows up mostly in large/giant breed dogs, around 1 year of age, and usually male.

Long story short, he underwent arthoscopy surgery to remove the cartilage flap that was causing the limp, and today is absolutely 100% recovered, with no side-effects at all.

They x-rayed his other joints, including hips, and they all are good to excellent. His parents did not have this condition, but somewhere along the genetic line, it was there...

So, I'm just throwing this out there because of my experience. Your pup may just be going through something completely different; I would keep an eye on things. If he is still limping after a few weeks, it may be time for further investigation.

Good luck; let us know.

 

[Ruby2323]

My 8month old girl Ruby as got the same limp so I'm off to the vets tomorrow it bothers me more than her I think . I had a bulldog a few years a go and he would limp then it would go it stoped after about 18 months

 

[DMikeM]

These puppies sound like they have Pano like Deb said. Reduce the protien or keep them on RAW diets don't give any grains or carbs (pasta is one) start giving a therapeutic dose (3 to 4 caps a day) of Fish body oil (Salmon is good) and give them vitamin C.
Rimifin is Carprofen or RIMADYL. It really should not be used for Pano unless it is an extreme case Metacam is a better substitute. Also buffered aspirin is often used to treat Pano. Aspirin Use in Dogs and Cats

Gloucosamine and MSM really shouldn't effect Pano as it isn't a joint issue it is a bone growth plate pain.

 

[juliantrost]

Going through same thing with our 7 months old CC, but confirmed it is not Pano. I posted a whole thread on what we have. As of Monday, we are on steroids, as nothing else worked. Today, first time in almost month and a half, she is barely limping, which is really great to see. Good luck with your problem and hope all works out soon.

 

[TN Dogues]

Just want to add: Pano usually shows up between 7-10 months and goes away by itself within 12 months. And it can move from leg to leg. Our male DDB, Hagrid, had it at 9 months and by the time he was a year old it was gone. Pano is literally growing pains - bone pain. Aspirin was what our vet recommended.