Arthritis....at 2??

M

Megansmom

Forums Sage
Earlier I posted that Megan gets very upset when I wash her feet off after coming in from our muddy back yard. This evening, my DH and I came home from dinner and as she got up to greet us she limped on her back hind leg :no: :no:. I don't think or am not aware of any injuries at all, but can only think of arthritis or something like it :confused2:.. It appears like she is stiff ONLY when she first gets up, but sheesh, she's TWO! I manipulated her hind legs, gently squeezed pulled all 4 paws and feet, hips, back, butt etc, with no reaction from her.

By the way, Megan is not involved in agility or competitive sport. She was however running with my DH around the block which is about a 3/4 mile. And when I say run, I mean jumping out of her skin to sprint run with him. He has taken a couple of days off from running that far since I was bothered with her response from paw washing.

Thanks in advance for the input :cool:
 
Hmm...it seems to me that a paw injury would be the more likely culprit than arthritis. I'm not saying that arthritis is impossible, but I would suspect something else first.

I know you said that she seemed to be unhappy whichever foot you were touching, but maybe when you picked up one of her feet it put more pressure on whichever foot is injured.

Is it possible that she injured herself running and it didn't manifest until today? Our dogs can be very stoic.

I would probably put her on crate rest for a day or two, then try wiping her feet again to see if you get a reaction. Also, check for any limp.
 
Well, "jumping out of her skin" (literally) when running around the block could be a clue.
Could she have worn the pads of her feet on the asphalt to the point that they are tender and sore. When you wash and rub them dry with a towel, is it actually rubbing her tender paw pads? That would certainly give you the reaction you are getting. The limping on one could be because of inflamation from abrasion.
 
corbinam said:
Hmm...it seems to me that a paw injury would be the more likely culprit than arthritis. I'm not saying that arthritis is impossible, but I would suspect something else first.

I know you said that she seemed to be unhappy whichever foot you were touching, but maybe when you picked up one of her feet it put more pressure on whichever foot is injured.

Is it possible that she injured herself running and it didn't manifest until today? Our dogs can be very stoic.

I would probably put her on crate rest for a day or two, then try wiping her feet again to see if you get a reaction. Also, check for any limp.
Click to expand...

We noticed last night AND this evening that she limped when she first got up to greet us! This evening she favored her right back leg. Perhaps she did something while playing with rambunctious puppy Toby :cool:.

We will have her "rest" for a few days and see if that doesn't help. Boy it will break my heart if she has some for of arthritis or joint issue at this young of an age :(.
 
missjenneygirl said:
Well, "jumping out of her skin" (literally) when running around the block could be a clue.
Could she have worn the pads of her feet on the asphalt to the point that they are tender and sore. When you wash and rub them dry with a towel, is it actually rubbing her tender paw pads? That would certainly give you the reaction you are getting. The limping on one could be because of inflamation from abrasion.
Click to expand...


She has ran like that since she was a year old! In fact, typically my DH can't keep up with her as she sprints so fast the entire 3/4 of a mile. However, perhaps over time she has rubbed them raw, so I will examine them..Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Deska was diagnosed with arthritis just before his third birthday. Limping after getting up is definately a sign, but touchy paws isn't, although Deska licks his paws as a soothing action when he is sore. Deska gets manipulated by the vet all the time to test his joints but he is so stoic he will not show pain to anyone.

Arthritis in a young dog is so hard to diagnose. And for Deska it wasn't as though the signs gradually appeared, it all seemed to happen fairly quickly. A vet may be able to diagnose it if you raise your concerns but will probably want to do an x-ray, and I would wait a while - if its arthritis it won't make any difference waiting. If she doesn't get better after a week of of rest it may be worth a vet visit. But I would suggest she may have sprained something in her over-exuberance.
 
Try placing your thumb and forefinger on either side of her spine and with steady, firm pressure slide your hand from right behind her head to the last vertebrae in her spine with her in a comfortable standing position. Watch her for signs of discomfort as you do it. There are so many reasons both skeletal and internal for limping. Not to get on the bandwagon but thyroid disease could also cause intermittant limping. She probably just landed wrong and has a strain or pull of a ligament or muscle but if it doesn't correct itself in a couple of days then I would have the vet check it out. Try to avoid letting her do spins and jumping or excessive exercise.
 
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! I will try Taggs suggestion along with keeping her from her normal high intensity running with dh.
 
Tagg said:
Try placing your thumb and forefinger on either side of her spine and with steady, firm pressure slide your hand from right behind her head to the last vertebrae in her spine with her in a comfortable standing position. Watch her for signs of discomfort as you do it. There are so many reasons both skeletal and internal for limping. Not to get on the bandwagon but thyroid disease could also cause intermittant limping. She probably just landed wrong and has a strain or pull of a ligament or muscle but if it doesn't correct itself in a couple of days then I would have the vet check it out. Try to avoid letting her do spins and jumping or excessive exercise.
Click to expand...


I did what you suggested and she didn't show any signs of discomfort. Most likely she some how some way injured herself. :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top