Right Hind Leg Limping Occasionally

[Jezithong]

Hi all, I was wondering whether anyone could shed some light on the possible causes of my 4 year old Labrador limping on her right hind leg after she gets up. She only limps for a minute or two then comes good. It's worse at the end of the day. She seems to be fine during the day and doesn't limp while I'm walking her. She has been on Joint Guard for over three months (third 400 gram tub) and has moments when I think it's making a difference and then she starts limping again. I try to regulate and control her movements (no jumping, running etc). She is on a low fat diet (Advance Light) and has lost 5kg but needs to lose another 4kg. My vet originally prescribed Mobic because she thinks it's arthritic. When she was on Mobic she was good but I'm concerned that this could be masking a more serious problem or making the existing problem worse. I took her off Mobic (after about 6 weeks) and she was good for about 2 weeks. My instincts are telling me to get her weight down and then the Joint Guard will work more effectively. Any advise or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Jon.

[Poodle wrangler]

Great to hear you're working on reducing her weight- keeping dog lean, gentle exercise (e.g. swimming) and medications will help her live a much happier life. Don't dismiss the medication entirely- talk to your vet, watch your dog. The limping is letting you know her leg's painful by the end of the day, so much so she can't walk on it properly .

Keep up the good work with her weight . Glucosamine and chondritin (?jointguard ingredients?) have been shown to give some pain relief to humans with osteoarthritis (bone scraping on bone) not sure about dogs. Mobic gives much greater pain relief, but more potential side effects.

Mobic is an antinflammatory medication. Reducing the inflammation in/around the joints reduces the pain greatly., Masks the pain, I guess. Ask a human who's had to stop Mobic before getting hip or knee replacement surgery- they'll say their pain was MUCH worse.

Mobic is not going to make the problem worse, but all medications have side effects. Must be given with food.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[imy]

Radar has a racing injury (I think) on his front right paw. He limps occasionally like after a hard run or something. He was quite overweight and I noticed that after dieting a bit, the limp is less prominant. He dislocates his toe occasionally so I assume its that which makes him limp.

The weight is a major factor in Radar's limp and when I let him get a little fatter over winter (not too much, just a kg or two) he limps more. I've resigned to keeping him lighter over winter and rugging him up more instead of letting him get a bit chubbier.

I'd go for a 2nd opinion on the vet's advice and let the 2nd opinion vet know your concerns.

Oh, and get that weight down...slowly, slowly.

[Faolmor]

Sorry to hear that your dog is lame.

I guess the questions to ask are:

- Why is the dog lame - did it suddenly seem to "go lame," or was there an injury or something preceding the lameness?

- Has the dog been x-rayed, or diagnosed with a pre-existing condition? Labs can suffer from arthritis and also hip dysplasia, so these are things to get checked.

Definitely, excess weight can exascerbate any condition, or even an injury, so getting the weight off is the best thing you can do for your dog's long-term health. Hind leg lameness can be a result of several areas - including the hips, hocks, kneecaps, and even the spine.

It's common for dogs to appear lame upon rising in the morning, as they can stiffen up over night (just like us). Once they get going, they seem to come good, even though the actual injury is still there. Labs are notorious at being stoic - that is, they don't make a big fuss of being in pain. They just keep going.

Probably best to find yourself a good joint vet, and get a second opinion, for your peace of mind, if nothing else.

Good work with getting the weight down, and I hope your dog feels better soon!

[dogcop]

If your dog is limping have you taken it to a "dog chiro". Our saint had a problem that cost us $100's at the vet no improvement. $20 at a dog chiro and well dog came good. Not knowing where you live ask some greyhound people if they can recomend someone. I personally recomend Gary Parson's if you are in Warrnambool area.

Chris

[Jezithong]

Hi all, thanks for all the replies. Has anyone else had experience with a dog chiro? Also, does anyone know a good "joint" vet in the Brisbane (Bayside) area? Cheers, Jon.

[Faolmor]

I have been to several very good doggy chiros. Although I have found these experiences to be beneficial to the dog's overall well-being, I think you should keep in mind that a chiro can only relieve symptoms - they cannot necessarily fix problems, especially if they are as a result of a degenerative joint disease. Your dog's problem is undiagnosed - is that correct? If so, I'd push for a definite diagnosis from at least two vets, then use the chiro as an option for physio and long term well-being.

Edited to fix typos

Edited July 3, 2007 by Faolmor

[kimjm]

I second Faolmor's reply. A chiro or Physio may well be able to help with your dogs condition, but you should get a diagnosis from a Vet first. If you go and see a Chiro or Physio after this and they do not agree with diagnosis they can then liase with your vet for a better resoloution. Your dog may need more anti inflammitories or pain killers and a vet is the only one who can prescribe these.

[dogcop]

So Vets are perfect and chiro's no nothing. :rolleyes: sorry for suggesting someone save some money and get it right for a change. Qualified chiro's do diagnose problems and I would trust one before a hit and miss VET!!!! Easy to see wher you get your dollars from.

[kimjm]

Dogcop I actually work for a animal physio, and would not suggest anyone spend unnecessary $$ but know from experience that a reputable qualified chiro or physio will always work in conjunction with a vet they are unable to provide imaging and meds that maybe needed. Anyone who knows me or the company I work for will back this 100%

[Jezithong]

Thanks again for the replies. Her injury is undiagnosed as her vet is hesitant to have x-rays done because she's not limping all the time - she only limps occasionally when arising. I'm concerned about her having x-rays because I've heard they twist and bend their legs in all sorts of positions and they come out of it limping worse? I also don't like the idea of her being put under and staying in hospital. I would really like to see a vet who has had experience with this sort of thing. I find it really hard to believe that my dog is the first to be experiencing this sort of situation (it doesn't seem that unique to me)! Has anyone else had this happen to their dog/s? Cheers, Jon.

[Jezithong]

Just one other thing, I put her back on Mobic (1/4 of a 15mg tablet - once a day). Is it better to give it to her with breakfast or with dinner or doesn't it matter? Thanks, Jon.

[Faolmor]

So Vets are perfect and chiro's no nothing. :D sorry for suggesting someone save some money and get it right for a change. Qualified chiro's do diagnose problems and I would trust one before a hit and miss VET!!!! Easy to see wher you get your dollars from.

Dogcop, I don't believe that's what I was saying at all. If you re-read the post, you'll see that I was actually agreeing that dogs do benefit from chiropractic care. I take my dogs to both a chiro, and a vet - however, I do have an excellent vet (one of the best joint vets around) and I have the luxury of trusting his opinion. I'm also lucky in that my vet doesn't charge an arm and a leg for visits/treatment. In terms of cost, in my case, the chiro charges more than the vet ($25 for maybe 5 minutes manipulation as opposed to $35 consult fee with the vet which has, in some case, lasted for two hours). This is, of course, in my particular case. Others will have differing experiences.

I have also had the experience - and know of others - who have had chiros mis-diagnose what eventually turned out to be serious problems. These problems were eventually diagnosed by experienced vets. This is why I would personally always push for a medical diagnosis FIRST before exploring all available treatment options. That is what I am suggesting the OP does.

Jonzeight, manipulation of the joints for x-ray is done very carefully, and unless there is a serious problem, shouldn't exascerbate any injury. Most x-rays are done under sedation, not a GA, and can be over and done with in a little as 20 minutes and you can take your dog straight home again, a little dopey, but none the worse for their experience. I would speak with your vet and see whether or not they can do the x-rays in this manner, to spare your dog the stress of a longer stay (and you the expense!). I would (personally) also question your vet as to why they are reluctant to do an x-ray - don't they want to know what's wrong? They are happy enough to medicate...why not explore?

I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be to have a dog with an intermittant limp. Just when you think they've come good, they start limping again, and you feel so worried not knowing what is wrong with them. Like I said, if it was me (and it has been me, which is why I'm posting to tell you my own experience), I would press for the x-ray to rule out anything structurally wrong with the limb or joint. Then I would weight up treatment options in consultation with my vet. These could certainly include chiropractic care as part of an overall treatment plan.

[Paula-]

Has anyone else had this happen to their dog/s? Cheers, Jon.

Intermittent lamesness when rising which would go away, then return.. yes - my girl was diagnosed with a partial tear in her cruciate ligament. Our vet took Xrays but wasn't confident of a diagnosis, and sent us to an orthopaedic specialist, an exam under sedation to confirm the tear and she went it for surgery.

Hope your dog is OK :D

[cavNrott]

Ligament tears or partial tears don't show up on xray. The vet need to do a drawer test on the dog. Better still get a referral to an ortho surgeon.

[malleerr]

Hi Jon,

Our RR Pup displayed similar to this when she was 4months old. She limped after getting up on her front right leg, cried if she jumped and generally became intolerant to any form of exercise. She was like an old dog all of a sudden.

We took her to the local vet who gave us medication and told us to rest her, we did this for i think 2 weeks with no change took her back to be x-rayed and found that she had athritis and elbow dysplasia in both elbows. We were refered to a Ortho Surgeon who in the end operated sucessfully on her.

IMO i would send her for x-rays and atleast then you kind of know what you are dealing with - be it bone / joint damage (hopefully not) or whether you need to look into something else. If your vet will not do x-rays i would seek another vet out or ask for a referral.

I hope all goes with your pooch and that it is just something simple and easy fixed

[cavNrott]

The OP said the dog was limping on the right HIND leg so it most certainly won't be elbow dysplasia. Xrays do show dysplasia and arthritis but ligaments are not visible on xray.

[Poodle wrangler]

Just one other thing, I put her back on Mobic (1/4 of a 15mg tablet - once a day). Is it better to give it to her with breakfast or with dinner or doesn't it matter? Thanks, Jon.

Humans normally take it in the morning, at breakfast.

Maybe morning would be better, if dog isn't active after dinner, so the level is less at night when dog's asleep and doesn't need pain relief? Not sure, sorry. After a few days back on the medication, can you see any difference?

[rastus_froggy]

I took my new dog (a 2 yr old 5kg bitsa maybe a staffyX something small) to a chiro last night for the first time. She was carrying her right hind leg alot, it was suggested to me that she may have a slipping or laxating patella (apparently not that unusual in small dogs). So I took her to him - I have not taken her to the vets as yet to see about this problem - he said she has a rotated pelvis which can cause the patella to laxate, so he worked on this. He is not sure that this will solve her problem but we have to see how she goes for 2 weeks and see if there is any improvement.

I must say that I really did like the fact that he did straight out say that he was not sure if this would fix her. He also said that it did make it a hard case too because I have no knowledge of her history beyond 1 month ago.

Just my experience with a dog chiro, he also works on racehorses which I think would be great to see!

[cavNrott]

Any vet worth a crumpet will have no problem in diagnosing a luxating patella. They can feel a loose knee cap. I seriously doubt chiro manipulation will fix a luxating patella.