Bevd Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 I don't suppose it really matters what sort of dog it's for but this is to do with Ella, our 3 year old Westie. When she was 5 months old, she was diagnosed with LEGG-PERTHES DISEASE and at 7 months, she had a femoral head and neck excision (rear left leg). She's never had any problems with the leg since and has run and walked normally - up until about 5 weeks ago. At this point, we noticed that she was limping, so we rested her for a day or two but she still limped and occassionally held the leg right off the ground. The vet examined her and advised a weeks rest and some Rimadyl. She seemed to be OK for a while after that but then she started again so on Tuesday of last week, she had xrays done. My vet showed me the xrays and said the knee looks fine but there looked to be some 'loss of bone density' and she pointed out an area down one of the long bones. She send the xrays off to an orthopedic specialist centre and we are waiting for their report. I've phoned twice to hurry them along because Ella seems worse than ever. She's pretty much fine in herself but for the past couple of days, she's basically behaving like a tripod and carrying that leg totally Other than the obvious (which would be really, really, really bad luck in a small breed dog - wouldn't it? ) what else can cause loss of bone density? And does anyone have experience of such a thing and any treatments? Quote Deerhounds Darcy, Duffy, Grace & Wellington, Mutts Sprout & Buddy, Lurchers Ned & Jake plus Ella the Westie + cats. Remembering Del, Jessie, Maddison, Flo, Sally, Stanley, Wallace, Radar, Mokka, Oki cat, Tetley, Poppy & Striker. Please visit our web store at http://www.dogsndubs.com for our own range of Greyhound related clothing for humans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 I found this on the Westie site: Research project URGENT! WESTIE DNA SAMPLES NEEDED FOR NEW LEGG-CALVE-PERTHES GENETIC RESEARCH PROJECT The Clemson University Canine Genetic Laboratory is beginning a new project investigating Legg-Calve-Perthes (LCP) in West Highland White Terriers. We are collecting blood samples from LCP-affected dogs and normal, unaffected dogs. All supplies and shipping costs will be provided by our lab and most veterinarians are willing to draw blood samples for research at no cost. We Need Your Help! We currently have samples from 7 LCPD-affected Westies and 6 unaffected Westies. Our minimum number of samples required to complete this work is 20 affected and 20 unaffected Westies. Maybe you can email the foundation and ask about the bone density. My dd's Sheltie had it and did very well with no further problems after the surgery. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmc333 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Bev - any update on Ella's leg problem? We've had 6 westies and the only leg problem was the knees, nothing else. Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bevd Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Hi The current situation re Ella is within this thread http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=241450 although the title relates to Darcy. I'll change the subtitle and keep updating there Quote Deerhounds Darcy, Duffy, Grace & Wellington, Mutts Sprout & Buddy, Lurchers Ned & Jake plus Ella the Westie + cats. Remembering Del, Jessie, Maddison, Flo, Sally, Stanley, Wallace, Radar, Mokka, Oki cat, Tetley, Poppy & Striker. Please visit our web store at http://www.dogsndubs.com for our own range of Greyhound related clothing for humans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmc333 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Thanks - Ill keep my eyes on that one. With all the other problems westies have, I hate to think "C" is now another problem to worry about. Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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