Limping Grey And A Quack Vet

[Guest Annieya]

We have a regular vet that we see at this practice that we really like and one of the more junior partners I haven't liked since she cast Mitzi's heart murmur in the most dire of terms (Mitz btw is still as spry as ever). Anyway...last month I took Pearson to the vet for a limp he'd had for about a week...they immediately thought C-word (in large part because he's a grey - at 6 years old, he's never had problems before).. they did x-rays and said both front shoulders looked completely normal (only one was paining him). He was put on Rimadyl for possible muscle issues and that was that. He seemed fine... a few weeks pass and he's done with his Rimadyl, cold snap occurs and now he's limping again. Took him to the vet yesterday (we're going to Canada in a few days and I didn't want to wait until after we'd gotten back) and the only person I can see is of course, Dr. Doom and Gloom. She notices both of his shoulders are kind of bothering him now and prescribes Rimadyl once again though follows it up with a helpful - "if this doesn't help, in a couple of weeks we'll do another x-ray. You may have caught the cancer before it had a chance to become really visible. Happy Holidays." (Not even a touch of irony in her voice at this last part). I'm wondering a couple of things - if it were osteosarcoma wouldn't it be visible on a scan if it were advanced enough to cause physical pain? Would Rimadyl really have helped him or is it possible he just had a couple of good weeks before falling even deeper into a relapse? He's only had 2 tablets so its too soon to see if the limping stops (though he does seem better today) ... I guess part of me is just desperate for some kind of reassurance it's not what I was so afraid last month I was seeing. At this point, I honestly don't know how I could ever have another greyhound after Pearson if every limp raises that awful spectre of cancer.

[FountainLady]

Unfortunately - Osteosarcoma can cause a great deal of pain (and a noticeable limp) well before it shows up on X-Rays.

 

My vet thought after the first X-Rays on Pup that he just had arthritis .... but after weeks of pain killers and no relief, I demanded he be seen by a specialist. It took a month to get in to see the specialist at MSU & by that time you could clearly see the cancer on the second set of X-Rays the specialist took.

 

So ... it may not show up at all on the first set of X-Rays & still be very much there.

Edited December 23, 2008 by FountainLady

[Guest KennelMom]

Have you checked his feet for corns? At 6, cancer wouldn't be high on my list of concerns. Not that it can't happen that young, but I would rule out other things first - corns, soft tissue injury and things like that.

[Guest Annieya]

We've checked for corns and there aren't any.... as for not showing up on the x-rays...not the news I wanted to hear but I guess I'm still wondering...can pain from cancer disappear for a few weeks and then just re-appear? (I have no frame of reference so this could be entirely possible...) We've noticed when he's in the limping stage that it's most noticeable after he's been lying down for awhile or it's especially cold out.

[patricia]

Sending my prayers that this is a big "nothing"

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

It could just be arthritis and a couple of Ascriptin might just do the trick. Can't say for sure though....

 

[zimsmom]

Although this vet does not sound like he has a good "beside manner" at least he is aware that greyhounds are predisposed to osteosarcoma. When I brought Lexi in when she was limping I had to convince my vet to take an xrays. She wanted to send me home on rimadyl without finding out the cause. She was quite suprised when the xray came back with cancer.

I hope it turns out to be nothing but muscle.

[inugrey]

Wow thanks Gloom and Doom what a great way to start a vacation!

 

I agree with him being reactive to the cold it seems more like arthritis. Have they put him on anything besides rimadyl?

[Guest Greensleeves]

I don't have experience with osteosarcoma, but we do have lots of experience with arthritis and Rimadyl, so I have a couple of thoughts:

 

1. Our vets always stress that "you treat the patient, not the test/X-ray," meaning: the amount of pain/discomfort a dog is feeling isn't necessarily equal to what's visible on an X-ray--a bone may be riddled with arthritis and yet cause minimal pain; or a dog may be limping and uncomfortable yet show very little joint deterioration at all.

 

2.The amount of relief you can get from an anti-inflammatory drug (vs just a strict painkiller) can be astonishing--and symptoms that are held at bay by Rimadyl can return swiftly and dramatically once the drug is stopped. Our Nelly had terrible arthritis that was wonderfully controlled by two Rimadyl *per week,* but had to stop taking it due to kidney disease (not caused by the drug; it's just contra-indicated for kidney patients). We were completely stunned by how much pain she was in--so much that it wasn't controllable with daily Tramadol and acupuncture. So I'm not surprised at all to hear that his limp is returning now that he's off the Rim.

 

Yes, cancer is a terrifying possibility--but soft tissue injury or arthritis are *far* more likely. Don't let yourself panic unnecessarily. If there's bad news, you'll have plenty of time to worry about it AFTER you hear about it; if it's not, you'll be wasting good energy worrying for nothing.

 

Good luck!

[Guest Chaser]

I think there is absolutely a chance that this isn't cancer!

My Rosie developed a limp (right front leg) almost a year ago now and x-rays showed nothing. She's always playing way too hard, so we decided to put her on Rimadyl and rest to see if it was just a muscle injury that needed to heal. Also, because she is over 8 we decided to start adding glucosamine to her breakfast. After she came off the Rimadyl she would occasionally limp again especially first thing in the morning before breakfast or during the day if she somehow managed to not eat the glucosamine. Her limp tended to be the worst right when she woke up in the morning or after a nap. If she gets her glucosamine she's fine and still plays too hard! We still haven't found anything on x-rays, so we are assuming it's a soft tissue issue that we will continue to treat with the glucosamine.

You may want to try some of the supplements Greyhound Gang out of Kanab, UT sells. They may work wonders for your grey. Hopefully it's nothing more.

[RobinM]

I absolutely agree that it could be something else, and probably is but cancer doesn't always appear on the x-ray immediately. Case in point:

 

When I got my Polli off the farm at the age of 8 years 7 months, her gait was slight off. Within a few weeks she had a limp in her left front leg. I immediately took her in for x-rays. NOTHING showed up.

The limp was so bad, she reminded me of Igor in Young Frankenstein. The limp went away and would show up now and them, but becasue we had the x-rays done we weren't concerned anymore.... until, one year later, the limp showed up and I was about to make an appointment for another x-ray when Polli tripped on the steps, fractured that leg. The x-rays showed what we all feared and she was amputated that day. She is doing greyt at almost 10 years old and has one more chemo left.

 

Prayers for your pup, that its nothing more than a sprain or arthritis that is easily treated.

 

maybe an old racing injury???

[Guest Redpack]

Diplomat's cancer was very far advanced and had spread before he had been limping long enough for an x-ray. We thought it was just a soft-tissue injury because he had an abrasion on the leg. He was limping after the time limit the vet had given him, but I really don't know how long that was...hurts to think back.

[Guest Annieya]

We have an appointment with our original vet again tomorrow (seeing as how Vet #2 was so helpful). I'm thinking at this point we'll be locating a new vet for ourselves after tomorrow's appointment - it's a case of a great clinic that's gotten too big (original partners now have a baby so their office hours are very limited). Fingers crossed it's nothing.

[CaliforniaGreys]

It could just be arthritis and a couple of Ascriptin might just do the trick. Can't say for sure though....

I am a big fan of Ascriptin and always have it on hand. But be sure not to give if with Rimadyl or any other NSAIDs. Good thoughts that this is nothing worse than arthritis

[Guest vahoundlover]

Sending prayers it's nothing serious! I have one at home limping, praying to doG it's just an injury.

[4greyhounds]

Sending prayers that it is nothing....

[turbotaina]

Andrea, let me know if you want vet references. I can think of a couple that are close-ish to you who are also greyhound savvy. May I ask the clinic name where you've been going?

[Guest Annieya]

It's Chadwell Animal Hospital - not especially grey-savvy but a really nice bunch there and pretty good with P. until recently. Am certainly open to any vet recommendations for the area. Thanks!

[Guest jettcricket]

Unfortunately - Osteosarcoma can cause a great deal of pain (and a noticeable limp) well before it shows up on X-Rays.

 

My vet thought after the first X-Rays on Pup that he just had arthritis .... but after weeks of pain killers and no relief, I demanded he be seen by a specialist. It took a month to get in to see the specialist at MSU & by that time you could clearly see the cancer on the second set of X-Rays the specialist took.

 

So ... it may not show up at all on the first set of X-Rays & still be very much there.

 

....Same thing happened to my girl, Cricket. When I took her after a month of having some issues with her back leg and my vet took x-rays they came back perfectly normal. I remember breathing a sigh of relief having lost my first greyhound to osteo.

 

We put her on Rimadyle and I took her for some chiropractic treatments. Ask me how guilty I felt after finding out that she did indeed have cancer.

 

After 3 chiropractic treatments and she wasn't getting any better I decided to take her to a specialist. They took another set of x-rays and there it was. A tumor in her pelvic area.

 

Cricket is going on 8 months after being diagnosed with cancer....she truly is my miracle girl.

 

I hope it's something fixable. I wish you much luck in finding out what's wrong with your baby.

[turbotaina]

It's Chadwell Animal Hospital - not especially grey-savvy but a really nice bunch there and pretty good with P. until recently. Am certainly open to any vet recommendations for the area. Thanks!

 

Check out Dr. Beth Rodney in Fallston: 410.877.1727

[Guest jerrybird]

Yep, I'd be finding another clinic that I liked and trusted. After reading all the above posts, I am surprised that so many are being treated with Rimadyl. In any case, I hope you get to the bottom of Pearson's limp and that he improves for you.

[Guest Annieya]

Well we went to Dr. Rodney (who I discovered has 4 greys of her own).... thank you a million times over, Meredith. We left feeling a lot more confident about Pearson's condition and the options available. Based on the way he's been walking lately (and the spots during examination where he registered pain) she thinks it's a combination of two things - one: a pulled tendon or ligament around his bicep I believe and 2) a corn that's forming on one of his weight-bearing pads as a result. In taking him on his post-dinner walk tonight I noticed he doesn't limp at all while he's on the grass. As soon as I post my update I'm ordering him a Therapaw. While there's no guarantee that there isn't cancer somewhere causing part of the problem, I finally feel like we're with a vet that's not simply "we'll keep x-raying him until we find cancer." The hope we've been given is such a gift.

[duncan41]

As someone owned by a greyt dog with a "mystery limp", I am so glad that you have found a Vet who will work with you and lucky, lucky you, a Vet who has Greyhounds! Wow-oh-wow!We still don't have a diagnosis, but we're going to keep trying.

We use a TheraPaw and have been extremely satisfied. Good luck. One step at a time.

[kjw]

Corns can be dealt with, I strongly recommend finding someone who can hull them out for you and use Dr. Feeman's protocol.

 

Scritches to your baby, and a nice stiff drink for you lol.

[TheFullHouse]

I'm glad you're considering the corn option in this. Corns can cause pain before they become visable. Andy limped for several weeks before his corn finally became visible and we were able to see it.