Limping

[Jescano]

Ok, well he's not exactly "limping" his walk just seems a bit "off" and it seems like it's his left rear leg. We did just go on a backpacking trip, but he did no more than 4-5 miles in(over 3-4 hours) maybe 2-3 miles the day we were there, and 4-5 miles out the last day, and I was watching him very closely on the trip and didn't notice any limping. We got back monday. Didn't notice anything wrong Tuesday morning, when we went to the park he did quite a bit of running after a 4 year old golden and they wrestled a bit. Then in the afternoon when we went to the park before work I noticed it. It really isn't a "limp" and if you didn't see him every day you probably wouldn't even think he's walking "off." He's not acting like it hurts or favoring a leg, still tries to jump up(we're working on that), etc.

 

 

I'm also concerned about HD with him, he does have quite a "swaying gait" and bunny hops up stairs probably half the time(we've been working on slowing him down going up and down the stairs). He doesn't really bunny hop when running around though, sometimes when he "takes off" it starts with a couple hops. His parents aren't hip tested, but I'm told they don't have any problems.(but I doubt the person who bred them would mention it if they did) I was planning on getting his hips xray-ed at 6 months to check for early onset HD(if he has it I'd rather start treating it early) Should I just do it sooner? I keep him nice and lean, he is definitely not overweight at all.

 

I was planning on crate rest for a few days, is there really anything else to do? I feel like it's gonna drive him crazy not being able to run around and play, even with training and mental exercise.

 

This dog makes me worry too much :-/

[Liz P]

The younger HD is diagnosed, the more treatment options you have. If you are worried, have him checked.

[TEC]

I have not crate-rested my border collie, who regularly does stockwork, plays disk games and is quite active. She will come-up lame from time to time, and I am never able to determine whether it is simply a sore paw(s)/pad(s) or a muscle/ligament strain. Like you, I remove her from strenuous activities for a few days.

 

But every household varies. If you have other rambunctious dogs, and/or slippery floors with lots of stairs, a good deal of crate rest may be the only way to protect the injury/strain. I generally let my BC have the house and fenced backyard, and perhaps a little more crating-up than usual, but she seems to be able to protect the injury on-her-own. Follow your vet's advice on this.

 

If/when lame, I have given a low dose coated baby aspirin at night to help prevent morning soreness. I also try to get her out of the crate at night (at least once) for an extra potty break, mainly to allow her to move around and loosen-up.

 

If lameness continues for more that 3-4 days without improvement, I take my dog in for a vet visit. He/she generally prescribes a short course of Rimadyl. He has not advised against a few low dose aspirin prior to coming-in for an office appointment. I am interested in other's thoughts on giving two to three weight-appropriate doses of aspirin, short-term (over 3-4 days).

 

Keeping your dog lean, like you mentioned, and being reasonable about exercise is about all a person can do to prevent injury. Muscle mass, I am told, protects joints and helps forestall arthritis, so life-long conditioning is important.

 

Best wishes. If your dog is like mine, by the time you get-in for the veterinary appointment, most the symptoms will have disappeared -- TEC

[Liz P]

I think you are risking a bleeding stomach ulcer or worse complications, especially when you give aspirin then Rimadyl.

[Jescano]

Not seeing any limping anymore, but we will be getting xrays this weekend hopefully. To check out his hips and make sure there isn't anything wrong with his rear legs.

[Tommy Coyote]

The last two times Tommy was limping a little bit: she had torn her pad a little bit (1st time) and had mud balls in her toes.

 

Her feet are really little and she has deep spaces inbetween her toes. Mud gets in there are dries into little hard rocks. I have to work them out for her.

 

Joey has really strong feet. They are broad and pretty flat. He never seems to have trouble with his feet.

[medic09]

Most veterinary field care manuals that I've seen suggest weight based doses of aspirin, but they are older books. IF it is not used regularly (just one or two doses for acute injury) it is unlikely to cause a problem. I used it successfully in treating our Lab and other dogs on our SAR teams without any problems. Again, this is not ongoing or chronic injury and treatment. The NSAID of choice that our vet uses is carpofren (Rimadyl generic), which is much like doggie ibuprofen. Also, the primary problem with all NSAIDs is they can lead to increased stomach acid production, which can then lead to stomach lining damage such as ulcers, which I think is Liz P's concern above. This can be counteracted with appropriately dosed medication such as famotidine to inhibit H2 receptors. Our old BCX gets that twice daily on the vet's instructions, and it is a pretty common treatment. As with human patients, I would not do any course of treatment without the physician's input, but this could be a phone call thing. And as with human patients, an otherwise healthy dog should tolerate a short course of NSAID for acute injury just fine. We always prefer to give them around feeding time to help ward off undue stress to the stomach lining.

 

If an animal is going to take NSAIDs such as carpofren long term, then they should be periodically monitored by the vet to ensure that liver function isn't adversely effected. Also, don't give different NSAIDs together, or in combination with steroids. Parenthetically, I don't know why carpofren was pulled from human use. It was apparently pretty good stuff.

[GentleLake]

If an animal is going to take NSAIDs such as carpofren long term, then they should be periodically monitored by the vet to ensure that liver function isn't adversely effected.

 

Is it liver function or kidney function that can be compromised? Or maybe both?

 

I know for sure that kidney failure can occur with long term use of NSAIDS . . . it happened to me just last February when I landed in the hospital just shy of needing emergency dialysis. It was determined to be from long term use of NSAIDs for a chronic pain condition and osteoarthritis.

[Liz P]

Both liver and kidney side effects can occur.

 

Aspirin does have a much higher risk of side effects for dogs than many other NSAIDs. It's tends to inhibit COX-1 more than COX-2, while drugs like Rimadyl are COX-2 selective.

[GentleLake]

So, they're cleared through both the liver and kidneys?

 

ETA: I was told by my prescribers that they were now looking to eliminate just about anything that's cleared through the kidneys, but nothing was said about the liver, which is why I ask.

[Liz P]

Some drugs like Rimadyl are metabolized by the liver. So yes, liver disease is a concern as well. NSAID panels include both liver and kidney values.

[GentleLake]

Thanks.