Posted on 04/10/2011 8:21:56 PM PDT by Hildy
I'm hoping for some advice. I have a 12 year old dog. She's a maltese poodle mix, 17 pounds. About two months ago she had some sort of injury to her left hind leg. She couldn't walk on it. We took her to the vet and the X-ray showed nothing. I was sent home with an anti-inflammatory and instruction to keep her off of it. We did the best we could. Well, two months later she can walk on it but she still limps and it shakes. I don't quite know what to do. I'd say it was arthritis, but since there was some kind of injury that set it off, I don't think we can chalk it up to just arthritis.
Is there anything we can give her to help? I feel so helpless. She's the first dog I ever had, so I don't have any experience with older dogs. Any advice?
Thank you so much.
Yes sounds like it miht be nerve damage. Maybe a pinched nerve.. Check back with the vet. Also I give my 15 year old Beagle Triple Joint Max everyday. You can order it online at most of the pet pharmacies. He has a bum back leg from a previous life before I found him on the street. He gets around great. My sister’s Great Pyranees has a chronic pulled tendon and when she put Kholi on the Triple Joint Max it cleared up really well.
The vet compared the pain to a groin pull in a human - very painful but nothing shows.
No idea if that condition could hit a dog.
I believe in what ever works. ;) CoQ10 is a wonder drug for almost anything age related.
From Hildy's photo of the dog on the bed, I'd make sure you come up with a way the pup can get down off the bed without jumping. You can purchase doggy steps or build your own or just put some pillows or cushions down so that she can use these.
Also, a steroid shot in the affected leg might encourage healing if the vet hasn't already given her one. I'm a big believe in therapy and appropriate exercises as well.
I am NOT a vet or doctor. I just remember almost everything I’ve ever read (not bragging, it’s a curse as well as a blessing).
This sounds like the possible onset of cannine arthritis. Next bout might involve both legs.
I think MomwithHope’s advice is good: “I would start using glucosamine/condroitin and also look into physical therapy for the dog. Both could be an immense help.” Also ask a vet about the possibility that your dog is getting arthritis and what to do if that’s the case.
“Bone cancer”
That’s the other thing that came to mind, but didn’t want to raise the issue because it’s scary.
A deep bone bruise is another possibility. At this duration, it’s likely NOT a soft tissue injury. So we’re talking bone or systemic (arthitis, liver, diet, etc.).
As another poster said, it’s probably time to get a new vet. Or at least a second opinion...
Add MSM, too.
Bone cancer should be seen on xray.
Supposedly the dog is shaking. That may not mean pain. It could be a nerve injury.
I would take the dog back to the original doctor (if you like the doctor in the first place). Usually the second visit is not as expensive, and there may be something else he should check for. It’s called differential diagnosis. Even with people they sometimes have to check something out a few times.
Arthritis is also viewable on xray. Nerve injury is not.
Yes, it sure does. I used it on my White German Shepherd, for his injured leg. It worked wonders for him, but he had that yellow stain on him for a while. It eventually washed out. I didn’t mind, as my intention was to make him feel better and it worked.
I use it for my tight muscles sometimes, and yes, my skin turns yellow. But it always washes out with my next shower.
My sister's dog is about 12 and got hit by a car when he got loose. It was more of a tap then a hit, or the dog (small beagle mix) would probably have not survived.
The dog has permanent nerve damage in one leg below the part that bends. Has symptoms like your dog. After tons of tests and money, there is nothing to be done, but he can get around and is in no pain. Does your dog seem to be in pain? The vet said sometimes nerve damage can improve on it's own, but if after 3 - 4 months there is no change then it's probably permanent, unfortunately. Keep a watch for any changes for the worse, because then it's definitely something else.
You only have a couple more years with your dog according to life expectancy. Dont keep the dog in misery for the sake being able to be with it. When it is time, put it down. Dont spend lots of money trying to prolong its life. Take that money if you are so inclined to spend thousands and find a child that needs medical treatment. You will be giving the life of your friend to a child and your friend will then live on many more years. Hope this did not sound harsh at a difficult time. Ive cried with every dog I lost to its years but I also know that I get about 5 or 6 dogs in a lifetime. Thats the way God set things up.
Our big ol bernese mtn dog, whom we love beyond words just had her 10th BD yesterday-that is a real marker for this breed and we are lucky people!
Our mixed breed, who is 7 yrs almost 8 yrs had a leg injury and actually held her back leg up, trying not to weight it at all when standing and just tapped the floor with it quickly when walking. It hurts us to see these great souls suffer and not be able to know what to do.
If it is injury related, her progress will build and if not, hopefully the blood work will be able to inform ya. Love the advice on this thread...and hope her paws have been inspected with a good magnifying glass!
Watch the steroids if those are suggested because of they mess with the liver after a short while.
Glad this little poker expert found you.
I’m not a vet and I don’t pretend to be one but I will tell you with my older dogs I have put them on a daily baby aspirin (81mg) and it did wonders for them. Both lived an additional 2-3 years with out limping or signs of discomfort. My current 7 yr old tends to pull something in his hind leg when playing and a couple of days on baby aspirin and he is back to his old self.AWB
First I gotta ask, at 17lbs is she obese ? Big for a Maltese but Poodles come in all sizes. If she’s heavy weight loss will help regardless of cause.
Someone mentioned checking the pads, good idea, don’t ignore the obvious. A lot of time vets focus on serious issues and forget the obvious. Check b/w the toes for pain or inflammation too. If you individually flex each joint you should be able to somewhat localize the pain to at least one region, don’t get bitten. Foot injuries are usually leg up off the ground limps. Knees are often toe-touching limps and hips less obvious but just rules of thumb.
A sudden limp in the back leg that isn’t improving sure could be an ACL tear. Usually it’s more of a young bigger dog thing but it can happen anytime any breed. If the vet didn’t anesthetize your dog for an orthopedic exam there is a good chance he/she would have missed this. Try standing behind the dog and feeling both knees up and down simultaneously. Does the hurt one feel bigger around the knee ? With a chronic tear it will get bigger.
Another common issue with small dogs is a luxating patella. Uusually you would have seen the dog lifting a rear leg and limping then popping the knee-cap back in and being OK. This would likely have been a problem for years but could suddenly get a lot worse for a number of reasons.
Unfortunately, both are surgical diseases but the ACL tear would usually improve over time especially with a dog that small. Anti-inflammatories, moderate exercise (short and frequent vs. long) and Glucosamine/Chondroitin (not much real science behind this) are all used. Problem is that most limps get better on their own so people swear by all kinds of “remedies” b/c they helped their dog that would have gotten better anyway. Don’t fall for all the miracle cure products you see advertised.
If you want to encourage the dog to use it there are physical therapy techniques like walking across a slope with the bad leg up hill but w/o knowing if there is active inflammation it’s hard to say if it’s a good idea.
I know you don’t want to hear it but at that age there are a lot of things that could have happened and a lot of things that could have predisposed the dog to those things and even some fractures are pretty easy to miss on x-rays. A 2nd opinion is a good idea. Consider some blood work to R/O underlying disease. Now that there is more history the doctor will have a lot more to go by. Sudden injuries are common and most get better so a wait and see approach made sense, but those that don’t get better need more diagnostics. 2nd x-rays could reveal more. You do need to start thinking about whether you’d even consider surgery at this age, if not the treatment will be pretty much the same regardless of the cause. Good Luck.
Hildy,
If you are near any multidisciplinary Veterinary Hospital...similar to the Animal Medical Center in NYC or the the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in NJ - take her there before you do anything else or try to treat her yourself. It will cost money but if you love your dog treat her as you would any loved member of your family.
Best of luck with her.
Get a second opinion. If she was under a year; I would say Panos which affects some dogs. My two girls came from a litter of 10 and they all had it. It is usually in the first year.
I hope everything goes well. I know you and your pup love each other.
I debated on whether to or not but it’s a possibility that can blind side you if you don’t give it any consideration to start with. I had never dreamed that that was what was causing my basset’s limp. It kinda hit me like a Mack truck.
Aw, I was going to say something about ACL and suggest that the thread originator have that possibility checked.
I had a cat get that—it was an $800 surgery, and her hind claws never extended after that (but she could walk).
I had another cat with what I think was a luxating patella. He learned to deal with it.
You sound like a vet.
Sounds exactly like the symptoms my Shih-Tzu was experiencing last year. Diagnosed as a misaligned disc. Vet gave him a shot of Prednisone and gave me Prednisone tablets to give him. Was walking fine in a week. Good luck.
A dog is no good unless she can pull you around the lake..holding her tail..
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