Oban has bone spurs on the radius just above the joint at his fetlock on both front legs.  The right is much bigger.  Both are on the inside of his leg.  He limps after exercise.  An hour long walk in the bush will not usually affect him but if we meet bicycles or ATVs  or dirt bikes and I reward him for not chasing them by throwing a ball that he can chase (and catch) too many times then he will likely limp when we get home.  Cartrophen Vet injections help but not enough.  VEt says they should ossify and then the ligaments stretched out over the spurs will adjust and pain in the area will reduce but they are still getting bigger, noticeably.  Surgery is not recommended. 

Has anybody else dealt with bone spurs at all?  What did you do?

> Has anybody else dealt with bone spurs at all?  What did you do?

I have bone spurs myself, on the back of each ankle. I was diagnosed at 4yrs old with them (I'm 36 now). The Dr.s wouldn't operate until I was 16yrs old. By the time I was 16 I was getting less problems with them, so I never had the operation.

The pain is hard to describe the best way I can describe it, is when my spurs are playing up, it feels as if my heel bones have been chewed on by a crododile a few days ago and now they've seized up! Not that I know what that actually feels like, but I imagine it would feel like that! For me, the feeling I need to limp is from the stiff, seized up feeling, rather than pain.

Personally I would not take pain killers for my spurs,, it's not the sort of pain that, to me, warrents it, but, unlike a dog, I do know why they are hurting and I know that by forcing myself to NOT limp (no matter how much my body is trying to make me limp) it helps.
I also know what triggers mine off now - changes in terrain, amount of walking and/or shoes. For example I can walk 2 miles into town no problems, if I do that in a new/different pair of shoes, I feel it afterwards. Or if I walk for 2 miles through woodland, I'll feel it (I'm not used to walking in woodland, with the ground all up & down and varying levels of traction).
Basically doing anything different than my feet are used to, will trigger things for me. When they do play up, massaging/rubbing the area helps.

If my dog had them, I would make sure his exercise was always the same, I'd massage his hurty bits when he needed it.

My dog has elbow displasia that is managed by controlled excersise, and just like me, even a change in terrain can cause him problems (ie, lumpier grass than normal or more up-hill than normal). It took a while to get his walks right for him, but he's at a point where it's only been once per year, for 5 days a time that he's needed any pain relief, and that's been because he's hurt himself by stumbling.

Good luck.

Thanks.  We have Back on Track bandages which I think help but I have to watch him like a hawk or he chews them off.  They are already damaged.

Cartrophen Vet apparently is not just for arthritis and he does have some arthritis in his toes anyway.  His breeder gets it somehow and loads her own syringes and I'm waiting to hear back from her.  I get pre-loaded syringes already for the oldest cat and they really help.  But of course Oban will need more of it so if I can find a less expensive source that would be good.  Pain meds have been mentioned but regulating the exercise as much as I can is working for now.

I have a large bunion and I wonder what the similarities are?  It seems to flare up.  If I am out hiking regularly it is ok, but if I lapse and then go out further it hurts again.  I imagine the bone spur is similar but I'm guessing.

Cutting exercise is not really a good solution for this high energy dog.  Circumstances with my very aged mother have meant his exercise has been less sometimes, when the OH takes him out instead of me.  After a few days of less running it begins to show in his behaviour and he is doing mental work too.  We are trying out for working level rally, something Oban seems to enjoy learning. 

Thanks for your reply.  It does help to at least discuss with someone who can identify in some way.  Bone spurs in dogs don't seem that uncommon when I google but I don't know a single other dog, not on the Lab board I frequent and not amongst our training group, that has them

> Cutting exercise is not really a good solution for this high energy dog.

I didn't mean to cut his excercise, by 'controlled' I meant control it to keep a consistency once you've found what works for him :)
Eg, if he chases a ball 10 times per walk and it causes him a limp, try 8 times per walk. If 8 times is OK, do that for a week or 2, then up it to 9 times. If 9 times causes a limp, try 9 times every other day untill he is OK with it etc... :) Also keep his walk at a distance that works for him , once you juggle things around and find out what he is fine with, you can then increase things bit by bit - eg. more ball chashing for a couple of weeks, then add in a bit more distance to a walk and so on. If you see what I mean :)

Yes, I did understand.  I just didn't express it back coherently.  :)  It's what we've been doing.