I'm very worried about Shady. I took her to the vets about 6 weeks ago because I thought she was having funny turns on her walks. Sometimes just a few yards into her walks she would suddenly limp a couple of steps and stop, head down as though she felt dizzy (which I now realise is her in pain) I would stop for a few seconds then off we would go with her back to normal. Shady had lots of tests as I led the vet thinking she was feeling unsteady, barking up the wrong tree, so all come back clear.
A couple of weeks ago we were over the field i hire just finishing our frisbee game and she really started to limp on her right front leg. I helped her back up the field and into the car. We got home, she jumped out of the car and was back to normal, no limping, no pain.
She only had one short episode last week 2 mins into a lead walk, it lasted a couple of secs, we stopped and then off she went on lead happy and normal.
She has also been back to the field playing frisbee several times and been fine, no limping or pain.
Last night we went over the field for a game of frisbee and she was fine until we got out of the car at home and she was limping quite badly on it.
This time it hasn't passed and she is still limping this morning and looking sorry for herself, obviously in pain.
I'm going to get her into the vets today, but wondered if any of you had any ideas what is going on or had similar before. I'm really rather worried.
She is a big heavy dog weighing just over 40kg but not at all fat or overweight.

2 of my Rotties had intermitent lameness on their front legs when they were youngsters (6 - 9 months) and it was diagnosed as panosteitis (sp), which I think is a virus that effects the longbones. However I seem to recall when doing the usual internet research (as you do), that it affected dogs during their juvenile stages and they would grow out of it, so I think Shady would be too old for it to be that.

Could it be some kind of pinched nerve? Have no experience in canines, but I sometimes get this in my leg, it goes away when I get my lower back to "clonk"!

T

I have taken Shady to the vet this morning and he trotted her up outside, nothing, as sound as a bell. As we bought her in she done 2 little limps across the waiting room and then sound. He done some flexion tests on her leg and when (what I call) her knee was bent back and a small amount of pressure applied she yelped and jumped. he done it to the other leg no reaction so done it on bad leg again and she yelped again.
So it seems the problem is in there as she didn't react anywhere else on that leg with pain.
He has put her on Previcox for a week to see if that helps, and just short lead walks, he is hoping its just a sprain, But if it returns she will have to have x-rays done.
I am not so sure about it being a sprain as its been going on for a couple of months now on and off and she has gone as long as 2 weeks with no sign of lameness. I would have thought a sprain would not have such long bouts of soundness.
So any ideas what it could be if its not a sprain now we know its in her knee?

First thought if its in her knee is a cruciate ligament tear, i am suprised the vet didnt mention this as a possibility.

>So any ideas what it could be if its not a sprain now we know its in her knee?

I thought you said the lameness was in her front leg? Knees are only in the back legs.

It is in her front leg, but I call it the knee still. because its a joint that works like a knee.  Her back leg I call it her hock.  Perhaps that comes from having horses for so many years LOL

Perhaps you mean the carpal joint (wrist)? This illustration might be helpful, although it doesn't identify the knee (which is at the front of the leg just below where the thigh is labelled). The knee is a forward-facing joint in the middle of the hind leg, and the hock is the rearward-facing joint lower down the hind leg - the equivalent of the human ankle.

ETA: I just found this article about carpal injuries.

Its the joint between the pastern and the forearm on the illustration on her right front leg.
Thanks for the link found that very interesting and am going to have a good read this evening when I can sit and relax.

> It is in her front leg, but I call it the knee still. because its a joint that works like a knee.

Well that will be why the vet didnt suggest a cruciate then! 
Ignore my post then, i thought you meant the knee (stifle)

It sounds as if she could have sprained her wrist somehow.

My old girl had tendonitis in one pastern a few years ago after sliding on snow - she did it again a year or two later on a beach.  Soft ground is a problem for her.  She was very lame for a while after both incidents.

Now, in old age, she has arthritis in the same pastern.  The lameness is intermittent, and worse in wet weather.  It seems to affect her as twinges which come and go.  She chooses herself which days she feels like a walk, and which days she doesn't depending on her pastern.  She is a little down at pastern on the affected side, and there is a little swelling now and again.

She has been managing quite well on fish oil and glucosamine and chondroitin, but I think she may be getting towards needing pain meds now as she's gained weight and it's proving hard to get it off.  She's twelve in October.

Could there be an old injury that is now causing pain through arthritis?

Not to my knowledge is thier an old injury.  I have just started her on the anti inflamatories so hopefully they will help to sort her.  She is still limping quite a lot, although forgets when a bird flies over the garden and she barks and chases it.
I'm keeping her shut indoors except for loo trips to help her try and rest.  She is getting quite pent up though and keep bringing me toys to play chase with and then whines and paces when I won't.

One of my old boys went lame on his front leg a little while back. Started with the odd yelp went he got up and then at times he couldn't put any weight on his front leg. We put it down to a trapped nerve which was causing his shoulder to spasm. He had rimadyl and diazapam and rested. It took about a month for him to fuly recover. I also walk him on a harness now so he doesn't pull too much on his collar.

> Not to my knowledge

You say you play Frisbee with her, s game like this involving jumping and chasing could very easily have caused an injury (sport injury) you are unaware of when landing on uneven ground twisting etc.

I would try and avoid ball games, and the type of play that could make it worse, but restricting her too much may actually make things worse if she is 'stir crazy'.

She is on strict lead walks this week.  She is not limping this morning (not sure if thats the previcox or just the fact its intermittent).
I took her out for a gentle 40min lead walk so she could have a sniff about, a good deal of that time was really me standing there while she sniffed.  That seems to have settled her so will give her another 15-20min one tonight.
She lives to run and play frisbee though, so hoping whatever is wrong heals ok as she really would go out of her mind if she couldn't run madly for it ever again.
She can normally tolerate lead walks for a couple of days before she starts acting like she has lost her marbles, so by the end of the week I will probably be grey and tearing my hair out LOL