Hello, I wondered if anyone had some good advice for us on lab puppy lameness, im completely panic stricken that we have caused this as Im aware fo the issues with ED and HD but with two puppies its been very difficult to calm them down off the lead and also at home in the garden as they play fight constantly and take tumbles with one another. Both pups have had lame spells repeatedly for over 5/6 weeks now and the vet has recommended lead walking and anti inflammatories, what seems to happen is that thing ssettle down and then one of them becomes lame again. One pup has an ongoing problem with a front leg and the other her front and back leg now. We have been trying to limit walking but have been told by our trainer that 2 walks a day is ok so long as its the limited 25 mins for their age, we have gone over that to around 40-45 a walk and on those walks they are full on so I do think we have over done the walks but the lameness is worrying as my vet says they shouldnt be lame like this at their age due to over exercise and wants to take x rays in case they need surgery We have also been giving them to dog walkers for the day twice a week when i have my 3yr old at home for the day and have asked them to limit their walks to 30 mins and often they only go on one walk but they are with other dogs all day and my worry is its been too much as it is always after those visits that they are lame. My vet has said no more off the walk leads now until they are spayed in two weeks time (another heartbreak for us to out them through) and they will do xrays at the same time. Does anyone have any advice fo rme on what we should be doing and if over exercise can cause HD or ED at such a young age - im hoping to god with rest this will calm down, we really didnt think we were being irresponsible but with 2 boisterous pups its very difficult to keep them calm even at home Help please?
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Are the parents of your puppies hip and elbow scored? And if they are do you know what the scores are?
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Sorry to hear of this stress you're experiencing. If I were you I'd go with your vet's advice and get both pups x-rayed so their hips and elbows can be checked. We had our boy x-rayed at 10 months when he had a bit of lameness. It was very stressful. Luckily, his joints were all great and the lameness was just some soft tissue damage from rough play. He had a course of anti-inflammatories. Your pups have had a lot of daily exercise but whether this has caused a problem or whether they have inherited a problem can't easily be said. Like Heidrun, I'd be curious about the parents' hip and elbow scores. But keep in mind that lameness at this age can just be due to an inflammation-like condition, not an underlying structural problem. Have a look at this article on Panosteitis http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=3238 X-rays should give you useful information about exactly what is going on
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Thank you both, I have asked the breeder but she says she has never had the parents hip and elbows scored which isnt great , ill check the link out too and go back fo rmore anti inflammatories, thanks again
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Hi Lynette, Dexter is my first dog so I'm not experienced enough to give you that much advice but I know you will be terribly worried which is upsetting and you sound like you are beating yourself up( I'm good T doing that to myself )so I just wanted to acknowledge your post x How old are your pups?5 months I'm assuming with you mentioning 25 minutes?i know you will really want to enjoy walks with them ,but while they are getting so much romping and running between them selves and the extra activites you are organizing for them I'd really limit the extra walks you are giving them until you find out more....it won't be forever.keep us up to date and I'm hoping that it's something that can be resolved easily for you and your dogs with rest and medication Best wishes Angela
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Hi Lynette, like Angela I can't help, but wanted you to know that I hope you get this sorted out for your puppies. I also agree with limiting their exercise, I always stuck to the 5 minutes per month rule. That is an irresponsible breeder if she didn't have the relevant tests done on the parents. I will be thinking about you and yes please let us know how you get on.
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Hi there Lynette, what a worry for you with your pups! I would definitely try to limit their activity for a while (not easy, I know!) to give the inflammation in their joints a chance to get better. Difficult I know, but maybe no more walks with the dog walker for a while, since that seems to make it worse. Please let us know how you get on.
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! So sorry to hear you and your puppies have been the victim of hugely irresponsible breeding. It is very hard to understand why there are still breeders who don't do the most basic of tests when there is so much information about testing available now. The only way to diagnose HD for certain is with x-rays, I do hope yours come back clear. Fingers crossed for you.
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Thanks everyone I really appreciate the feedback, we havent walked them now for several days which is sooo hard as they follow me around with those sad lab faces making me feel guilty! They are definately not limping as badly so I intend to give them a complete break for another few days and then lilmit walks to one 20 minute walk a day on the lead until we get tests done. I hope for our gorgeous girls sake that this isnt a serious problem, is HD or ED life threatening does anyone know I read a dreadful post yesterday on another lab site that said it can be terminal? I am so very worried for them, I also take hope that it could be the growing pains problem that someone told me about in a previous post at least this will improve with time and limited exercise. thanks again all
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! I don't have any insights to offer (sorry). But just want to say fingers and paws crossed here for your lovely girls, and sending you the best wishes that everything works out.
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! Only in rare and extreme cases can it be so debilitating that there is no hope. Try not to worry, it may not be HD and many dogs with HD do very well indeed. Are your dogs insured?
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! I cant add anything , but just wanted to wish you all the best with your pups, good news that they are already responding well to the limited exercise , this must be hard for you, but hang on in there
Re: Puppies both lame at 5 months - advice please!!! What a worry for you Lynette. Like you, I am not convinced Lilly's breeders did hip scoring either. I didn't know any better, neither did OH who did the initial check outs etc. Lilly has "severe" HD in both hips, and did limp for a while but we graded her exercise and built things up, she takes a low dose of anti-inflammatory, and you wouldn't know there was anything amiss. She runs like a whippet and frolics with the best of them. Not seen her limp all year. Probably will need surgery at some point but not on the near horizon. My main concern would be do you have them insured? If not, could be expensive. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. x
