Hi All,

We've had Kiera our black lab puppy for about three months now - she's coming up to 5 months.  Just lately she's been limping on one of her front legs - this only happens after she's been sleeping.

We've got tiled/laminate flooring so we've spent a fortune on non-slip rugs to try and help her not slide around so much on the floor as we think she might keep pulling a muscle.  We've been to the vets and had a course of antibiotics and it was getting better but now it's back again. 

I know about the more serious things it could be - like OCD, as I've worried myself sick thinking the worst.  The vet thinks it's a typical puppy thing and probably nothing serious - i.e they don't sit still long enough for anything to heal.  So we've cut walks right back to almost nothing and play/do training games with her instead to tire her out, but we so want to go out in the woods for walks again.....

Anyway, I will take her back to the vets for another examiniation and she may need an xray.  As Kiera is my first dog, I'm not sure how to go on - what could it be adn how do I help her get better?

Thank you
Nicky x

Hi Nicky sounds like your doing everything right i'd go and get an xray even if it's just to put yourmind at rest, it could also just be growing pains, i hope it's nothing serious good luck.

Warm regards Susan

Hopefully, it will turn out to be no more than PANOSTEITIS - which is where the growth plates in the bones do not all grow at the same rate (think "growing pains" in children of 8-11).   Anti inflammatories and rest help, and hopefully, in a month or so, she will be back to normal.

You are right though, to err on the side of caution, and I would do the same in your place.

Do let us know how she progresses.

Margot

more likely to be growing pains.

are you sure she hasn't knocked it at all, i would recommend an x-ray if only for peace of mind.A friend of mine had a similar thing with her young lab but she'd actually ran into a post, the x-rays showed no damage but it still has taken over a year for it to be right again.She was advised to do lots of road walking with her puppy and no free range exercise and now that the dog is older she has more muscle to support the joints and has been free of lameness for 9 months.

Hi Chocmolly,

I'm not sure if she's knocked it or not to be honest - you know what they are like, sometimes she runs around like a creature possessed running into everything that gets in the way.

I was really upset last night as we took her back to the vet and I think we must have had chapter and verse on all the terrible things it could be - I got back in the car and burst in to tears.  It could be OCD in the elbow, could need to have the joint fused so she has a stiff legt permanently, etc, etc.  Need an Xray first though so I guess we will know more then.  She goes in an op to be spayed in about 3 weeks so they will Xray at the same time. 

Kiera is my first ever dog and I can't beleive this is happening, we've done everything right and yet we still have a lame puppy that can't go for romps in the woods, etc

ON a more positive note, I've ordered a bioflow collar for her, as I suffered with a chronic and painful condition in my feet for years, within a week of wearign a bioflow bracelet the pain had virtually disappeared - so I'm hoping that might help between now and her Xray.  She's also on Synoquin and we do have some anti-inflammatories but we are trying to avoid using them as at the moment she is only very slightly lame and it's worse for the first few steps when she gets out of bed and then it virtually disappears.

It's such a shame.
Nx

It may be panosteitis or any number of things, find out what it is first that is half the battle.

Best of luck.

Hi Tohme,

I asked the vet about panosteitis and she said it was unlikely in Labs and really only applied to german shepherds.  That said, I am hoping it turns out to be nothing serious, you are dead right of course - there's nothing I can do to change the situation and we can't worry until we have the facts and when we have the facts we can have a plan of action, my OH gave me a lecture on the same subject last night :)

Nx

Hi, I just wondered why you are reluctant to use anti-inflammatories??

Hi There,

Mainly due to some of the things I've read on this site about Rimadyl and possible side effects, also as I don't want to use them while it's mild lameness I'd rather wait until it gets worse (and hope it doesn't), we gave them for 10 days to start with and it didn't make that much difference to her, don't want to give her a flase sense of it being better so she startes tearing around and makes it worse amd finally I want to give the Bioflow collar a chance to work first....

I would use them if I thought they were giving her relief from severe pain in the future though.
Nx

> I asked the vet about panosteitis and she said it was unlikely in Labs and really only applied to german shepherds <

Hmmmmm odd that as Fred Lanting's article article here would show otherwise. Fred is an accepted expert on this & did a study on a full litter of Great Danes that developed Pano

Perhaps you should print off a few of his articles for your vet as well as other information like this & this-some useful information on the last link

> Just lately she's been limping on one of her front legs...............  <

BTW this is a classic symptom in Labs !

Thanks - I've read these, might give them to my vet!!

Hi,
Hope your lab is ok, I know how worrying it can be.  It turned out that Dexter had pano.. so it obviously can occur in labs, our vet sees it often.  He also has ocd though, which i was devastated about, BUT - with proper management, he's completely drug-free and has a good amount of exercise, and a wonderful life!!!  I believe I did everything I could for him as he was growing, as I'm sure you did, it's just one of those things.. but definitely not the end of the world, you wouldn't know there was ANYTHING wrong with Dexter :)  I hope all turns out for the best!
~Clare

You can't watch everything they do! the vets kept telling my friend it was OCD but she new that she'd knocked it so didn't really think it was and then the x-rays came back from the specialist clear.The vet did put the dog on CORTA-VET which is supposed to be good for ligaments/tendons but it is a long term thing not just for a month or so.Try resting your puppy completely for a couple of weeks(bed rest!) and just let her out for wees etc.then take out on the lead round the roads for a while,phone your vet and see wether he thinks this is a good idea.It worked for my friend although its been hard at times, resticting exercise in a lab puppy is not easy .Maybe when she has been spayed she'll have to rest a bit anyway.Hope everything turns out well.
Chocymolly.

P.S and i'm sure you are aware of this, try not to let your puppy carry too much weight as excess weight is an extra strain on the joints even in a healthy dog.