Activity Level Increase: Legs Clicking?!?!?

[Camden's Mom]

My young dog (18 mo) has been on limited activity for nearly three months as he’s been recovering from a growth plate fracture. The fracture appears to have healed correctly and we were given the green light to go back to normal activity about a week ago.

 

I’ve been trying to build him back up gradually. We did let him do quite a bit of swimming over the Thanksgiving holiday as I heard this is great for their muscles and doesn’t stress the bone/fracture. Then for a few days we let him romp around outside at his own pace (no ball throwing or fetch of any kind). The past few days we’ve been playing in the snow and he really wants to go full-tilt. I have been allowing him to have a few “big runs” and go up for a few snowball catches, but I’m definitely holding him back. We're going out once a day and only allowing 15-30 of off-leash time during each outing. He has been a little bit stiff as we build his muscles back up, but I was anticipating that.

 

However…

 

Twice now (once yesterday and once today) I think I heard a clicking while he was walking!!! It was only for a few steps, but I have NEVER heard his legs click before. I have no idea which leg was clicking as it lasted for such a brief time. I am trying not to over-react but of course I’m worried sick that I’ve overdone the activity level increase. Not to mention the voice in the back of my head screaming “Hip Dysplasia!!!”.

 

Should I be seriously worried, or does the clicking seem normal for a dog that’s been "on the bench" for so long and is now building his activity level back up? Have I allowed him to do way too much, too soon? Should I get him to the vet ASAP or just take it easy for a few days and see if it happens again? Any advice or others experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance...

[gcv-border]

I don't know what the clicking is. I wouldn't automatically associate it with HD.

 

Physiologically, one (human or dog or ...) can not build their muscles up within 7-10 days after a couple of months of inactivity. I do think you have progressed too fast, too soon. IMHO (and I am over-cautious with these things), I would have taken about 4-6 weeks to try and resume normal BC activity. We, as BC owners, sometimes have to remember that normal BC activity is much more strenuous than normal pet dog activity - and adjust our thinking to accommodate.

 

These guys are resilient so I don't think you have done any permanent damage (and in fact, the clicking may be meaningless). But assuming the clicking may mean too much activity, too soon, I would lay out a slower return to normal activity. If you never hear the clicking again, excellent (but I would always keep it in the back of my mind), but if you do, maybe consider at least a call to the vet to ask her opinion -- and if she is easily available and willing to talk on the phone, I would call anyway to discuss. You may not need to pay for another vet visit.

[Liz P]

Months of rest is going to result in major loss of muscle mass. Muscles help hold joints together. The clicking sound is likely a joint that is lacking in support. It might be a normal joint that just needs the stability that was lost during his rest period. It can take 6+ months of careful PT to build a dog back up again. Swimming and long leash walks come before running loose.

 

That said, if he is lame, have him checked.

[Camden's Mom]

It sounds as if my definition of "gradual" was quite flawed. Poor guy, being my first dog he's suffering from a lot of my stupid mistakes...

 

There is no lameness that I can detect (and I've been keeping a very close eye on him). He is a little stiff from what seems like muscle soreness. I can tell the previously injured front leg is a bit weaker then the other, but I assume that's to be expected.

 

During his 3 months of "limited activity" he still got one long on-leash walk each day, about 60-90 minutes (approved by the vet) because the fractured growth plate was not that severe. I figured the next step was giving him some short bursts of off-leash time to build back up. Looks like I need to formulate a different plan...

 

Thanks for the quick responses. I feel hugely relieved but also, admittedly, like a careless dog owner at the moment. Live and learn, I guess...

[Liz P]

Slow walks? Maybe an increase in pace is in order.

[Camden's Mom]

The "limited activity" walks were what I deemed "explore" walks. If he wanted to go at a decent pace (as long as he didn't start trotting) then I'd let him, but normally he'd just sniff around a lot. I guess he decided if he couldn't be zooming around like a lunatic he might as well stop and smell the roses.

 

It just snowed out here so it's a bit more treacherous then last week, but I'll try upping the pace on leash and see how he does with that for the next week or so. Thanks for the suggestion... I'm in uncharted territory here so every little bit helps!

[Liz P]

You can also put him in a harness and let him pull a little on the leash. No dog sledding though.

[Sue R]

When Celt first injured his ACL and the ortho vet put him on rest and meds, he seemed perfectly sound after three weeks and she okayed his return to activity. BUT she did not give us a rehab routine or schedule and we didn't even know canine rehab existed, so I "eased" him back into activity - or so I thought. He had been on limited activity for a couple of months as we explored options so by the time he was okayed, he was very much out of shape. I let his apparent soundness and fitness guide his return to activity and so it was only a week before he was back to "normal". Or so I thought.

 

That was way too fast for a dog that was out of condition. Perhaps that's one contributory factor in the eventual total tear of his previously only strained ACL.

 

After his TPLO surgery, three years later, after several months of very limited activity, with the help of a rehab vet, we brought him back to strength and fitness very slowly. It took about six months for him to recover to "normal" because of his surgery coupled with the fact that he was very, very unfit at this point.

 

So, moral of the story - take it easy and slow with a dog that has lost muscle condition; going slow won't hurt anything but going too fast can; be the one that sets the pace because these dogs will work through pain when they are focused (Celt was working and playing with a totally torn ACL and it didn't slow him down a bit because he ran right through the pain and instability); build him up gradually and, as you are doing, walking is one of the best exercises (and I'd consider multiple, shorter walks as better than such a long, single walk, per day).

 

Just my opinions based on rehabbing Celt, and working with two other dogs with either soft tissue or joint injuries, or joint instability. Very best wishes!

[Camden's Mom]

When Celt first injured his ACL and the ortho vet put him on rest and meds, he seemed perfectly sound after three weeks and she okayed his return to activity. BUT she did not give us a rehab routine or schedule and we didn't even know canine rehab existed, so I "eased" him back into activity - or so I thought. He had been on limited activity for a couple of months as we explored options so by the time he was okayed, he was very much out of shape. I let his apparent soundness and fitness guide his return to activity and so it was only a week before he was back to "normal". Or so I thought.

In hindsight, I am also a bit surprised that my vet didn't talk to me AT ALL about reconditioning or rehabbing him after being rested for so long... maybe he assumed it was common sense. I thought I was being smart "easing" him back to activity by letting him set his own pace. I've been trying not to engage him in games (like fetch) that would push his body past what is comfortable for him.

 

For the next week I'll stick to on-leash walks at a faster pace. I like the idea of multiple walks a day instead of one big one (I think he will, too, lol). I might give him a minute or two off leash, but if it looks like he's going too hard I'll reign him in. I hesitate to let him pull on the lead for exercise unless there's some way to train it as a game (we're STILL working on our loose leash walking and I'm afraid that might set us back). I may also see if any local facilities have a physical therapy dog pool that he could swim in, although I worry that might get pricey.

 

For now I'm changing the game plan and keeping my fingers crossed that I have not done any serous damage to the poor pup. To be clear, other then what looks like muscle stiffness and that weird clicking I heard, he seems perfectly fine. I'll still be keeping an eagle eye on him for signs of anything more then that. Thanks for all of the advice, the suggestions really are incredibly helpful and very, very appreciated!!!

[juliepoudrier]

Can your vet recommend a rehab vet in the area, if there is one? It may mean paying for additional vet visits, but the help I've gotten from the rehab/sports vet with various dogs has been invaluable. I credit her with getting one of my dogs back to working shape after an accident that should have been career ending.

 

The advantage of seeing such a vet is that they will set up a rehab program for you, suggest appropriate exercises to help build muscles back up gradually, etc.

 

One of the things I used with Jill was a tracking harness. When she had it on I encouraged her to pull against me, so that she was using resistance to build up muscle in her hip area. Sadly, Jill was the one dog who pretty much never pulled on a leash, so I had to walk her with other dogs running ahead to encourage her to pull. The tracking harness is designed to allow the dog to pull, so I didn't risk doing some sort of other damage by allowing her to pull against, say, her collar.

 

Anyway, there's so much you can do to build a dog back up, depending on the injury, and I found the help of a rehab vet invaluable.

 

P.S. If you're causing muscle pain/stiffness, then you're going too fast.

 

P.P.S., Like Sue, I learned the hard way about crate rest and slow rehab. Especially with soft tissue injuries, if you push too hard, you're more likely to reinjure or just slow the progress of recovery.

 

J.