Ok, so I know I am going to have to take her to the vet in a day or so if she doesn't "improve" on her own. I'll say that right up front. I'm just not looking forward to it. She is big (German Shepherd) and I'll have to lift her into the car. :( And it will cost, probably lots of, $.
So, that said... anyone ever have a dog that suddenly goes lame on a front leg, but exhibits ZERO discomfort upon manipulating it? I've checked her feet (nails, in between paw pads, pads themselves), rubbed and squeezed, etc every inch of her foot/leg/shoulder. Nothing. She just looks at me. No whining. No whimpering. No nippiness (not really her nature). Nothing. But today, she didn't get up when I left the bedroom to get the kids ready for school. That is so unlike her. She ALWAYS gets up and follows me out.
This afternoon, she has stayed in one or two places lying around. And when she got up earlier, had a noticeable limp to her right front leg. She walks. But favors it alot. But I cannot find any place that she has any "issue" with me manipulating.
She is 8, so I know it is typical arthritis time for her, and she has gotten a little slower over time, and doesn't like to jump out of the car. She takes longer to get stretched out when she gets up, and she groans a bit now an again when going to bed (a sigh as she lies down). I have added glucosamine and chondroitin to her daily diet for a few months now. I can't really tell much of a difference, and I know reports are mixed about whether it does anything anyway.
I cannot find anything online that "fits" what is going on. All the "elbow" issues are congenital stuff, that would have been evident years ago. Or resulted from trauma (had none). She isn't lame all over (Lyme disease). There is no evident swelling. And she has no pain reaction. But she limps on it. I know licking can indicate where she is in pain. But she isn't licking anything. She licks ME, after I have finished manipulating her leg, not during, so that is no help...
I guess I am just sad for her (and us). I'm sure when I take her into the vet they will say "arthritis" and want to do a lot of xrays. Or will come back and say "sarcoma" or something that will be a death knell for her. She's been on Pheno and Soloxine for 2 years after a sudden issue 2 years ago. Other than that.... always perfect health. These are the years I was hoping to put off for a lot longer I suppose.
So my question (since I must have one)... is: Have any of you ever had a dog that had NO reaction when you manipulated an obvious problem (like a lame leg)? Or is my dog just one stoic creature, with such a fabulous nature that she won't tell me she hurts....
ETA: Jo, it isn't dangling. She just doesn't bear much weight on it. She loves her frisbee and will go pick it up before going outside, look at me like she really wants me to throw it, but I know she shouldn't go run jump for it, so I don't. She sits and waits for me to walk around the yard. But is happy to go out, albeit more slowly than normal. We have a step off the front porch (not a big one) and two into the garage from the laundry room, so I don't rush her. But after she is up for a few minutes, it's almost like the stiffness or whatever is "better" (not gone). Which means arthritis to me... but it just seems so sudden, to go from groans when lying down at night, and longer stretches in the morning, to holding her paw up a bit or seeming a little unstable when walking/turning around in the kitchen. And she didn't eat last night (which isn't completely abnormal for her. But usually, she only skips meals when we have houseguests).
Well, I took her to the vet this afternoon. She was much improved today, and most of the day she didn't even noticeably limp. But, I could tell she was still weak there. She didn't use her paw to flip up the edge of her frisbee like she normally does---like she didn't have enough strength. Or it hurt to use it, even though she was going through the motions, just without any power behind it. And when I threw her frisbee, she ran after it about half way, then started walking, instead of running full out.
So, the vet says: arthritis. Yep. As I suspected. She must have overdone something a few days ago and that shoulder was really bothering her after, but now after laying off it for a few days it is feeling a bit better. Going to add in some higher strength glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM tabs from the vet (and maybe some fish oil from the health food store) and try to keep her moving. Letting her rest it/take it easy for another couple of days (gotta hide the frisbees from my husband I guess). But at least they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for tons of xrays.... a verbal history, physical exam, and her age pretty much told the story. But now I feel better that I took her in and got it "officially" instead of just assuming it was arthritis when it might've been something else.
Thanks ladies, for listening and making suggestions. I suppose at 8 1/2, she is a little older than I am, so overdoing it without meaning to is easy enough to do! ;)
Updated: So it is Tuesday now (after a long Labor Day weekend). We had a house full of company (nieces/nephews plus neighborhood kids) for a cookout on Sunday, and the dog was in the thick of everything, as is typical when young ones are running around. No limping. She was exhausted (mentally I think) on Monday, but still no limping. She seems to be recovered from whatever she did, so hopefully she did in fact, just "pull" something. I did switch her from the Glucosamine/Chondroitin I had been buying, to a supplement from the vet (Dasuquin soft chews). So far so good. :)
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10/12 update- so, went in for annual check up and blood work, and discovered she is testing positive for ehrlichiosis (tick borne disease that is---wait for it--- common in middle aged purebred dogs, notably German Shepherds.) Apparently, it can cause lethargy and joint pain and even depression, among other much more serious problems. She is subclinical, whatever exactly that means (nothing obvious or life threatening?), and we started her on antibiotics last night. This morning she is bouncing all over the place like a puppy. The vet said that she would likely respond very quickly to the antibiotics (like within 24 hours)... I guess she was right about that.
Can she move it or is it just dangling. I hope she can move it. I had a kitten lose use of her leg because of a stroke.
After surgery our dog started limping terribly, but showed no signs of pain other than the limp. The surgery was to remove a cyst, it would not have cause a limp. Our vet lives across the street and said she was walking like a dog with "x" (I can't remember the exact diagnosis). She said that it could have been injured while getting our 100 lb lab in the car. She said to bring her in and let another vet look. We have a lab mix, notorious for joint issues and problems. So we brought her in, terrified. Because the initial diagnosis was something terribly expensive and something that people often have to eventually put their dog down over. I was in tears before the appointment. Come to find out, her bandage was wrapped wrong by the vet tech and it caused a few blisters in between her toes. It was no big deal. So don't expect the worst, your dog may simply have a blister, cut or thorn that you can't see. The vet told me dogs react to pain differently than people and they don't always yelp or react to minor discomfort.
And just as a trick to get your dog in the car. Use an old sheet to help lift her. Put it under her front legs and when you want to get her in the car, lift it up. It's easier on you and the dog.
I hope the diagnosis is a good one. Good luck!
Okay I had a cat who literally faked an illness for attention, and the veterinarian actually told me that animals do that all the time. I wanted to share that, but it doesn't sound to me like your doggy is faking. :(
My boston terrier got pancreatitis a couple years ago, and was limping, but when I manipulated the joint, she had no pain. I took her to the vet finally because she was acting like she didn't feel good, and she wasn't eating. He said she had pancreatitis, gave her some meds, and she was better in a couple of days.
I don't know if that's what your dog has, but I would definitely take him to the vet. Poor little guy, hope he feels better soon!
My dog had something somewhat similar and she would not even get up. it was her hind legs though not her front. I took her to all these vets at 300-400 a pop and they were telling me very scary things. So finally, I got a recommendation for a vet that I still see, he did a physical examination and said that she had cuada equina syndrome. He gave her an injection of anti-infalmmatory and it worked like miracle drug. She was standing up 20 minutes later and he put her on a dosage of metacam. He specifically said do not use rimadyl. not sure why....she is fine now, but she is older than your dog..
Do you live around woods or anything? I would have the vet check her for Lyme disease. Even if you put the tick preventive stuff on, they can still get it. Both of my dogs have had it. They go lame in their leg and then eventually, it does get painful for them. I would go immediately to get her checked for Lyme disease so they can get her on medicine asap.
Also, it could be bone cancer. I don't mean to scare you or to make you sad but this has also happened to our dogs. My one dog had a huge tumor (we eventually put her down) and she didn't whine or whimper or anything. It all depends on their pain tolerance.
Good luck!!
You mentioned Lyme disease, but didn't say if you've checked for ticks. I've had experience with a dog who had ticks which, tho there was no disease involved, the bite affected the nerves and he developed a "bob", a bobbing motion of his head that lasted for the rest of his life. It is not an infection, so there's no pain. The bite is actually literally pinching off the nerve to that area. We didn't find them until they were well engorged, (he was a Samoyed, an outdoor dog, and hated being brushed/groomed) but a Shepherd shouldn't be hard to spot them much sooner... Even if the tick is not still attached, ask the vet to check for bites, as the damage to the nerve doesn't reverse and lasts even after the tick is gone.... Hope the vet gives you good news.....
Okay first off if she is limping then something hurts. If you are manipulating and not getting a response you are probably not doing enough manipulation. Big dogs like German Shepherds will often be very stoic when it comes to pin-pointing the exact location of the pain. A detailed orthopedic examination by a vet is highly recommended but often times radiographs are needed. If it something like osteosarcoma often you will find swelling at some point but if the injury is in the shoulder you may not be able to locate the source of the pain.
Victoria --
It's so funny that you ask this question today! I had my 8yo beagle/bassett mix at the vet yesterday for a routine visit & asked about this same issue in him. Our pupster has been taking off on some rambles through the woods lately and invariably comes back limping on his right front leg. The vet said that frequently dogs who over do it will react just like a human does & be a little achy. He said the issue is most likely in the hips (!). As he explains it, when the hips are a little sore, like from over-doing it or from arthritis, a dog will try & carry more of it's weight on the front end and that it's the front that shows the sign of pain or discomfort and (ready for the next strange part?) he said he doesn't know why, but it's almost always the RIGHT front leg -- just like your dog & mine.
My vet is quite experienced & has a very "home grown" type practice -- not one to jump for x-rays or heavy-duty testing (though he's an excellent doctor & does a great deal with Tufts University veterinary school which is near-by). I trust him a great deal. He recommends Rimadyl on an as-needed basis as a safe anti-inflamatory.
Also, we had a wonderful black lab for years who we lost last year. The old boy had arthritis pretty badly. We found omega-3s helped some and that acupuncture (unconventional maybe, but effective!) allowed us to keep him off medication for probably a year or more. Eventually, daily Rimadyl worked once nothing else did.
Hope this helps!
I'm a vet. I would have recommended an x-ray. The last similar case I saw was osteosarcoma of the scapula, which could not have been diagnosed without an x-ray. There's too much muscle overlying the scapula to reliably trigger a pain response with palpation.
That said, I hope your vet was right and it's arthritis. The stiffness you describe when getting up is almost certainly hip arthritis, but the issue with the front leg sounds different.
