Guest EZsElowyn Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Elowyn is my first grey, and I adopted her in December. She will be 5 in June. The last couple of weeks she has had a slight lameness that has gotten worse lately. It was on and off when I first noticed it. She started to avoid weight bearing and it has progressed to hopping on 3 legs occasionally. All of these symptoms wax and wane. I have read all of the OS threads, so trust me I am concerned. I will be taking her to my vet this week. I cannot isolate the pain to any specific location, there is no swelling or corns. I am curious # 1 about the average age that Greys develope OS, and # 2 if I insist on x-rays, which I might, how many views are generally taken to evaluate her leg? If the vet sees nothing should I request copies of the rads to get the OSU consult regardless? I don't like the way her symptoms have progressed so I am prepared for the worst right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverhound Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I can't answer your OS questions, but I'll say that both my dogs are slightly gimpy. Joe (5 years) has knee problems that can get very painful and scary. Brees (3 years) has a funky ankle and carries that leg a bit oddly when going up or down stairs. Joe's knee problem had me crazy-out-of-my-mind this winter; but he just needed strict rest. He was bored and a pain in the neck for a long time, but is mostly better now. Try not to freak out yet. Do send the x-rays to OSU. Have your vet put them on a DVD so you have them. I'm sorry your hound is hurting. Quote Masterful Joe and Naughty N Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joejoesmom Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 (edited) Elowyn is my first grey, and I adopted her in December. She will be 5 in June. The last couple of weeks she has had a slight lameness that has gotten worse lately. It was on and off when I first noticed it. She started to avoid weight bearing and it has progressed to hopping on 3 legs occasionally. All of these symptoms wax and wane. I have read all of the OS threads, so trust me I am concerned. I will be taking her to my vet this week. I cannot isolate the pain to any specific location, there is no swelling or corns. I am curious # 1 about the average age that Greys develope OS, and # 2 if I insist on x-rays, which I might, how many views are generally taken to evaluate her leg? If the vet sees nothing should I request copies of the rads to get the OSU consult regardless? I don't like the way her symptoms have progressed so I am prepared for the worst right now. It would be rare for a 4 year old to get osteo but it has happened. Just from paying attention to the osteo thread (not from any real source) it seems like 7 years old seems to be the time when osteo starts to strike. It seems the majority are over 9 or 10 years old. But this is just my rough guestimate. Perhaps someone else has better and more valid numbers. It is certainly not wrong to ask for x-rays. Your vet should do a complete orthopedic and neuro exam. This is to rule out any problems with her neck or back. I am not able to answer your question as to how many and what views. It is probably different for front and back legs. I believe back legs are more difficult to x-ray and may require sedation -- but once again, I am not an expert on this. Pay attention to the lameness in regards to the surface she is walking on. Is it worse on hard surfaces and better on the grass? If so, I think a corn is the most likely problem. Just because you can't see it yet, doesn't mean it is not there. Try wetting her paw, sometimes this helps you to see corns. Try squeezing each individual pad and look for a difference in responses. Keep in mind that vets that don't typically see a lot of greyhounds might not be knowledgeable about corns. It is a greyhound (or at least a sighthound) thing. It could also be a track injury (check her races and see if she had some where she didn't finish, pulled up, or even had an injury noted). Or it could even be a new injury that heals up some, and then she uses it and it gets worse again. So don't worry too much. Go the the vet with the questions and ideas raised on this thread. Hopefully, it is something simple. Jane edited to add: Pressure on the typical osteo locations may elicit a pain response if osteo is present. From the OSU article "Appendicular OSAs occur predominantly in the metaphyses of the proximal humerus, distal radius, and distal femur, ("TOWARDS THE KNEE AND AWAY FROM THE ELBOW"), although other metaphyses can also be affected." This means the arm bone, near the shoulder; the thigh bone near the knee; and the front wrist, on the elbow versus the paw side. Edited April 9, 2012 by joejoesmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Jane already summed it up- greyt advice as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlies_Dad Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 What Jane said. Hope it's nothing serious and you can find the cause. Quote Kyle with Stewie ('Super C Ledoux, Super C Sampson x Sing It Blondie) and forever missing my three angels, Jack ('Roy Jack', Greys Flambeau x Miss Cobblepot) and Charlie ('CTR Midas Touch', Leo's Midas x Hallo Argentina) and Shelby ('Shari's Hooty', Flying Viper x Shari Carusi) running free across the bridge. Gus an coinnich sinn a'rithist my boys and little girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EZsElowyn Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Elowyn went to the vet today after I woke up to her hopping on 3 legs again. We did a lymes test to rule that our first and of corse it was negative. We then did x-rays of her hips, left knee, and paw. She said for the most part everything looked fine, but there was one area that may be questionable in her distal femur. I did try to look through her racing history to see of any injuries but I didnt see anything that was noted. She does have a small scar on her knee so there is a chance she had an old injury. I told the vet about OSU and she said that would be a good idea to have them look at it. So I'm going to pick up a copy of the x-rays and send it out for review. Thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Did the vet prescribe pain medications to keep your baby comfortable while your waiting for Ohio State's opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BauersMom Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Elowyn went to the vet today after I woke up to her hopping on 3 legs again. We did a lymes test to rule that our first and of corse it was negative. We then did x-rays of her hips, left knee, and paw. She said for the most part everything looked fine, but there was one area that may be questionable in her distal femur. I did try to look through her racing history to see of any injuries but I didnt see anything that was noted. She does have a small scar on her knee so there is a chance she had an old injury. I told the vet about OSU and she said that would be a good idea to have them look at it. So I'm going to pick up a copy of the x-rays and send it out for review. Thanks for the advice. If you didn't get high res versions, it may be worth getting them - I know OSU requested them before they would make a call in our case. Fingers crossed for you. Quote With Buster Bloof (UCME Razorback 89B-51359) and Gingersnap Ginny (92D-59450). Missing Pepper, Berkeley, Ivy, Princess and Bauer at the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiggysMom Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 When I sent xrays to OSU, I had my vet's office email me the files, then I just attached those to the consult form (OSU makes it easy to attach them with the consult). That might be easier and faster for everyone. I'm hoping that OSU can give you good news! Quote Wendy with Twiggy, fosterless while Twiggy's fighting the good fight, and Donnie & Aiden the kitties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Just sending good wishes for your girl. Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karkar Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Elowyn is my first grey, and I adopted her in December. She will be 5 in June. The last couple of weeks she has had a slight lameness that has gotten worse lately. It was on and off when I first noticed it. She started to avoid weight bearing and it has progressed to hopping on 3 legs occasionally. All of these symptoms wax and wane. I have read all of the OS threads, so trust me I am concerned. I will be taking her to my vet this week. I cannot isolate the pain to any specific location, there is no swelling or corns. I am curious # 1 about the average age that Greys develope OS, and # 2 if I insist on x-rays, which I might, how many views are generally taken to evaluate her leg? If the vet sees nothing should I request copies of the rads to get the OSU consult regardless? I don't like the way her symptoms have progressed so I am prepared for the worst right now. It sounds like you are doing all the right things and that the initial signs are encouraging. OSU is a great resource. I have used them several times over the past 10 months with questions regarding our girl Peaches. One thing I would say to everyone-if you notice a limp for an extended period, don't wait. Age is not the best criteria. Our girl was not quite 3 y.o. when she started limping; unusual, yes, but speedy treatment is imperative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EZsElowyn Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 OSU said they didn't see anything remarkable either. They said to re-X-ray in a few weeks, as did my vet. In the meantime, Elowyn is still gimping. It is better on the rimadyl but only 50% better. She doesn't want to run We are going to try some tramadol as well until we re-X-ray. I don't like keeping her on the rimadyl because it gives her loose stool. I have read up more on corns because I'm thinking of treating that as a back up. Maybe I'm paranoid about everything now, but I sometimes feel she prefers the grass to walk on. My vet agrees we could treat for corns if the limping continues. I have seen some pictures of very small corns so could it be our eyes are missing them or they are very small and just developing? She also mentioned treating corns with doxycycline... Has any one heard of this treatment? I'm wondering rimadyl isn't totally working because using an NSAID on corns isnt totally effective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverhound Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 It took 8 weeks of very limited activity before Joe's mystery leg/back problem stopped bothering him. Short walks (2-3 blocks), no zoomies, etc. Not wanting to run makes sense if she's hurting and will help if it's something like a sprain. Maybe just keep her quiet till the next batch of x-rays? Quote Masterful Joe and Naughty N Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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