Hi all.  I'm new to this forum but it looks really helpful so here goes.  We have a lab bitch pup - she was born on 22 apr so is now just about 4 months old.  We also have a 2 yr old border collie and they play together a lot, usually quite roughly (all in play, no fighting). Anyway, over the last few days the lab pup has  been lame on her right foreleg - more pronounced when she's trotting downhill.  She is quite stiff when she's had a sleep and takes a while to "warm up".  I'm hoping that she's just pulled something playing with the collie but have read various websites on ED...  Most suggest that clinical signs start to show from 5 months so is she a bit young? Any views? Anyone else who's had this condition diagnosed in such a young pup? Thanks all.

I've had ED diagnosed in my Mastiff when he was 5 months old.
However a limp can be from so many different things.
As she has been lame for a few days (I'm assuming with no sign of improvement) then it would be worth taking her to the vets for a check up. It may be a minor injury that just needs some rest, always better to know for sure though. :)

I agree with the other poster that if this has been going on for a few days without signs of relief I'd have her vet checked.  Hopefully it is a minor muscle strain which only requires a little rest but it's impossible for us to know one way or the other.

OCD is also a concern which I'd have - my sister's Lab showed evidence of that at around 14 weeks (less than reputable breeder as it turned out :( ) and her vet picked up on it very quickly.

Hopefully nothing serious, but better safe than sorry.
best wishes, Teri

Hi & Welcome!  I'm also the proud owner of a lab, a little older though 3 1/2yr but when she was around 18 months she started to become lame.  Thinking it was a strain or something similar we left her for a week or so however it didn't ease up so we took her to the vets & that was the start of 6 months of very expensive operations & many weeks in bandages for Molly.  She had ED in both elbows & had surgery to correct it but also ended up rupturing her cruciate ligament so that was a separate operation!  It was a very worrying & expensive time (is your dog insured?) & quite painful for Mol at times however she is tons better now, still a little stiff at times but overall she's great!  After her ops we indulged in a little hydrotherapy for her which helped rebuild the muscle etc after the operations too!  I would therefore advise a trip to the vets to check her over as another poster has said better to be safe than sorry! These kind of things seem to be getting worryingly more regular in labs especially chocolate ones!! I truly hope that your girl isn't diagnosed but if she is it isn't the end of the world, there is so much they can do these days, just get her to the vets if not to at least put your mind at ease! Having a pup is a stressful even time as it is!!!  There's plenty of people on here would can also offer you some fab advise, I can only speak from experience!! PM me if you want any further info, I'm happy to help!

Hi and thanks everyone.  I'm going to call the vets in the morning and book her in for a check.  Gembo, yes I do have her insured, although knowing insurance companies, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to get out of paying (if it turns out to be ED or something similar) due to the possibility of it potentially being a condition she already had when we got her (although she didn't show any signs of lameness until a couple of days ago).  Ah well, we'll take it one day at a time and do whatever she needs to make her comfy and better.  Thanks again all.

Going down hill is a great telltale of how much pain she is in. OCD is prevelant in Labs, and its often intermittent lameness, but in this case I would ask for a Xray under a specialist straight away, to save her from another anaesthetic later. And the insurance companies are pretty good if you have a decent one. make sure she has lifelong cover and up to 5000 minimum.

Good luck

>These kind of things seem to be getting worryingly more regular in labs especially chocolate ones!!

Where is your evidence to back that claim up?

I'd say that ED/OCD has become more apparent in ALL colours, not just one ;-) but hopefully, with more decent Breeders now opting to score their Labs elbows, we should see it decline :-)

jo i have to agree with you there !!!! its got to be the way forward !!

i did my fcr 4 years ago for elbows she was one of the first to have her elbow done in fcr.

pagan off tommrow to have her hip/elbows,poss patella finger cross she a fcr

How did she get on at the vets?

> Where is your evidence to back that claim up?

I never said I had any evidence I was merely making a comment based on my experience!  When I enquired about these conditions & symptoms with my local vet before Molly was even seen, she jokingly asked if she was a choc lab! When I said yes & asked why she had stated that, the vet said over the past few years she was seeing an increasingy number of choc labs with these kind of problems!  Since then I have made friends with many other choc lab owners & unfortunately many of them are experiencing similar problems to what Molly had & what the OP's dog was showing symptoms of!  As I only have a choc lab I can only comment & offer advice on this, which I hope th OP found useful!

When I enquired about these conditions & symptoms with my local vet before Molly was even seen, she jokingly asked if she was a choc lab! When I said yes & asked why she had stated that, the vet said over the past few years she was seeing an increasingy number of choc labs with these kind of problems

You know, I can almost see where the Vet is coming from. An awful lot of 'pet' people seem to want Chocolates. So maybe there are more of the puppy farmed ones around as after all the puppy farmers know they have a market for them. I know of one puppy farmer who bragged that he can sell as many as he can breed.

As for elbow scoring, I totally agree. When I took my young boy to have his hips and elbows done. The Vet asked was I doing his elbows and I said yes of course. He said he was delighted as he found that the elbows were now becoming more of a problem than hips in Goldens.

Our choccy is known at our vets for being 'the one with posh hips & elbows' after the scrutineer scored her hips 2/3 and elbow grade 0.
The vet has a great reputation for producing good plates and commented that requests for elbow scores was very low.

Any news Osullies?