Hi all, Haven't been around much recently - all happening here, including with poor Digby. Could do with some info from you lovely folk. He has been limping for a couple of days, didn't do anything to hurt it that I saw, nothing stuck in his paw and no cuts or other injuries I could see. Took him to the vets and she mentioned being worried about him having OCD - which she said was a problem with the cartiledge in joints which requires an operation and possibly life long management. Her concern seemed to be that if it was just a muscle problem he would probably show pain when she touched and squeezed him there which he didn't. But he did show lots of pain when she manipulated his shoulder joint. He is booked in on Monday for x-rays to have a look. I am of course enormously worried. My question really is not just does anyone know anything about this but also, is this anything to do with the health screening tests?? From what I can work out the hip / elbow scores are related to dysplasia - this isn't the same as OCD is it? Digby was bought from a Kennel Club breeder and his parents have hip scores of 4/5 & 6/6 and elbow scores of 0. It is the third litter from the same parents - all of whom are fine. Although I realise it is no guarantee I would be surprised if he had any issues with this. Although, it could be that OCD is unrelated to genetics?? I have also been extremely careful about his exercise, 5 min rule, no steps/jumping etc. I'm really hoping the vet is just trying to rule this out as much as anything. I appreciate that it must be quite difficult to diagnose the cause of a limp? What else could cause him joint pain at the age of 8 months? On top of all this worry we are supposed to be on holiday in France, with Digby, during half term which is the end of next week... feeling stressed and worried.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Oh dear, what an awful worry for you . I`m sorry I dont know much about this disease , hopefully your Vet is sort of thinking out loud and wants to rule it out rather than factor it in . You have obviously been very careful re the exercise and his parents hip and elbow scores are excellent , as you say its no guarantee but he very young to be showing signs of this ? It could be a sore or torn muscle , but you do right to rule out anything else , so sorry and good luck with Digby x
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Thanks Kate, I'm hoping the vet is kind of ruling it out too. I'm thinking you can check for this with the x-ray but a muscle issue is harder to pin point?? Although she did seem to think that what was causing him pain was more a joint thing. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Wish the x-rays were tomorrow - Monday seems ages away.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Hi Sersi, really sorry to hear you are having such a worry over Digby. We will keep everything crossed here for a good outcome for him and you too. Helen x
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Hi Sersi. Yes so sorry to hear that too. All very worrying and all the more so when they can't tell you what's wrong or what might have caused it. I'll be thinking about you both on Monday and keeping everything crossed.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs What a horrible worry... Fingers crossed all is well. Xxx
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Fingers crossed here! Thinking of you and Digby - waiting for tests and test results is super stressful. I hope that the further tests rule out any major problem and put your mind at rest. You will get an answer soon. Try not to think the worst in the meantime. It sounds like your vet knows what they are doing, which is great. Elbow and hip scores are just related to joint looseness, so that is something different.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Hi all, Just a quick update. Digby went in to the vets early this morning, he was booked in to be anaesthetised and x-rayed. Over the last couple of days his limp has completely disappeared. I did take him in as planned but asked the veterinary nurse to get the vet to have a good luck at him to be sure that knocking him out for x-rays was really necessary. The vet phoned me after an hour or so and said she had walked him up and down, really manipulated the area and walked him again - she said he looked completely sound and wasn't showing any signs of pain. She agrees with me that x-rays may be a bit premature, just take it easy with him, build up activity slowly and if the limp or pain seems to return then we'll do the x-rays. She really took time to explain to me the difficulty of diagnosing muscle/ligament stresses and strains and about what her thought process had been. So, I really hope it was something superficial which is now well on the mend - thank goodness. I am really pleased with my vets - and no charge for having him in and looking at him today.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Great to hear this update It's excellent that you have such a careful and considered vet - hold on to that one!
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs So very pleased for you and especially Digby. Helen x
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs What great news , for you and Digby , what a relief for you x
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Thanks all, I didn't realise dog ownership came with such a lot of stress and worry.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Thank goodness for the news! What a relief for you.
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Okay, so most of you already know, if anyone knows about this horrible disease it's me...crossing my fingers doubly and triply for you love...it's not something I would wish on any living being human or pet... Labrina
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Just bringing up this old discussion for an update. Digby was limping again over the weekend, different side but the front again. He was booked in to be castrated yesterday so the vet & I decided whilst he was already under they would do some x-rays. The x-rays were absolutely fine which is great. The vet hopes the limping has been related to growth as he tells me some dogs can have recurring limps for no obvious reason at this age and can just grow out of it. Anyone heard this before?
Re: Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in young dogs Poppy often limped on her front leg when younger. I thought for sure something was wrong with her elbow... but her elbows are clear. And she has stopped limping.
