Opinions/suggestions - Limp

[Charlies_Dad]

We experienced what many others have and we are seeking some guidance. Charlie developed a major limp during our trip back North in our RV. It came on suddenly last Wednesday evening after stopping near Newburgh, NY. He was fine all day during our stops, has never had a limp and went out with DW for one walk around 7pm with Jack. When it was time for one last walk prior to bedtime around 9:30pm, he got up and had a severe limp in his left hind leg. This cause us great concern that evening and I thought I saw a small pin hole in one of his pads but couldn't be sure. The next morning he was the same when he first got up but then he got better and was able to go for a walk within 10 minutes or so. We looked at his paw again and pressed on the pad that had the pin hole and he seemed to flinch. We did this several times and it sure seemed like he would flinch only when we pressed on this specific pad. We made an appointment on Friday at the vet in Kennebunk, ME which was our final destination. On Friday the vet looked at his pad which seemed to have healed somewhat (DW put some antibiotic cream on it Thursday several times during the last leg of the trip) and while he thinks it could be the issue as he saw Charlie flinch as well, we also ran some bloodwork to ensure it wasn't Lymne and we had an x-ray -- nothing, thank god! The film looked clear and the bones were solid. He was put on anti-biotics and some pain killers but really didn't need the latter as he was walking quite well by then. He has since done a complete turnaround and is walking fine.

 

Here's the question and still the concern. The vet was not able to x-ray Charlie's hip all the way up without putting him under which I did not want to do. He was able to get a ways up with the x-ray but am I just being paranoid and thinking I need to have his hip done as well??? I just know of many of the sad stories of others who have experienced a limp with their Grey, was put on anti-inflammatories only to find out it was something much more serious months down the road.

 

 

 

[greysmom]

Sometimes a limp is just a limp.

 

It's hard to know when to panic or not, but in this case, he seems to be gettin better without any invasive or intensive intervention. I would probably think he poked his pad with a stick or rock or pine cone spur - whatever was around on the ground where he walked that night - and it caused him to limp a bit. The xray showed nothing in the paw so it was most likely one of those things that happen every so often.

 

If he continues limping, or if he developes an open sore or tender spot where the pinprick was on his pad I would get him back in asap. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't want to spend the money on xrays.

 

greysmom

[Guest Pipi5]

What greysmom said. I'd just keep a close eye on him, maybe keep it written on the calendar. BuyCut developed a sudden limp & it turned out to be a blood clot. If the limp gets better with tramadol or rimadyl, then I'd go that route, but I think I'd still get an xray of the hip. Keep a diary...

[Guest MyNellyBean]

It sounds like you pinpointed the issue to the paw. I would say spend a few minutes gently rotating the hip, pressing pretty firmly with your fingertips on all the muscles around the hip, and even wriggling your fingertips (gently) between the hip muscles to try to get near the bone. If he never flinches or yelps, I would say that's a pretty good indication it was indeed a paw issue and not a hip issue, and that there's no real indication that hip Xrays are necessary.

 

I am going through an unexplained limp situation with my grey, Nell, right now, and the anxiety it puts an owner through is just brutal. I understand wanting to check out every last possibility to be super-duper sure, but if you examine thoroughly the hip joint, bones (femur especially), and muscles, and he's not uncomfortable with it, then go with the fact that it was a paw issue that you were lucky to have found and addressed in short order. That would be my advice.

[MP_the4pack]

You're just like the rest of us greyhound owners. The first thought in most of our minds when our greybabies limp is the nasty C word.

 

So, I don't blame you one bit to be paranoid. It comes with the greyhound package.

 

[turbotaina]

Could be a corn coming, too. Most vets who don't regularly work with greyhounds have never seen one and miss the DX.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Let's hope it's the pad and nothing more. The above poster has a good point about checking for a corn, they're so easliy missed.

Please keep us posted!

[Guest Energy11]

Why not try a toddler sock and a bootie. This way, you will pad the pad, pardon the pun there ... and this might help. My Staggerlee has a horrible corn on one of his pads, and the toddler socks and bootie helps greatly! If you don't have access to a bootie, you can buy the toddler sox in any store, and double or triple them, using tape to keep them on. DO NOT tape it too tightly, though, or it will cut of the circulation.

 

If the limp doesn't improve, I, too, would go for an x-ray of the hip. I have a sedation protocol from OSU/Dr.Couto, we had to use on my Goldie, who will NOT let you cut her nails...let me know if you'd like it. Good Luck! D

[Charlies_Dad]

Thanks everyone for the shared sanity check. I left out that we also considered a corn are nasty in itself but much better than other things. I'll check out his hip the best I can and we will continue to monitor and keep a diary - all excellent ideas. DW has stated he is fine now (I'm travelling for work) so it looks a pad issue which is greyt news.

 

Tks.

[Guest trevdog]

Keep and eye on his pad, they are soooo sensitive! Even the tiny pinprick may take awhile to heal and can cause limping for a good while. Maybe try putting some bag balm on it to soften it up a bit?