Left Shoulder Pain

[Guest MoniTheRed]

HI there. My hound Willie is around 11, retired racer, we got him a couple of years ago when he was returned to the rescue organization. He is a good dog and I am frustrated that we seem unable to figure out what is wrong. Willie will at times cry out while moving in his sleep or when laying down or getting up. He has a limp that looks to be coming from his left shoulder. When I go over to comfort him, his skin is quivering. He had some severe dental issues that required seven teeth to need to be removed and I had thought that perhaps that was causing the cries, but the teeth are out, the gums have healed nicely and the pain seems to be getting worse. He is not lethargic though occasionally seems sad. He is always wanting to go on walks, but I find I am reluctant to take him for more than a short one.

 

We have gone to the vet and had x-rays taken. I was thinking it might be arthritis, he is an old man, but the x-rays showed no issue. The vet has me giving him Rimadyl as an anti-inflammatory, Tramadol and Gabapentin both for pain. The pain pills seem to help a little but it doesn't seem to be resolving the underlying issues. I am at a loss as to what to do now. Any advise would be welcomed.

[Remolacha]

Have you (your vet) checked his neck and spine? Neck issues will often show up as a shoulder limp. Also, you didn't mention if he had any issues on any other legs/feet. Conner (10.5) has a gimpy back right foot, an old injury that didn't heal right, and over the summer he developed a limp in his left front shoulder, a compensation for the gimpy back foot. A chiropractor has really helped. But, I would check his neck and spine first.

[Neighsayer]

I agree with possible neck or spine issues, and would hope for those. I lost two from osteo in the shoulder. Tucker's didn't show up on films for months, and then his shoulder looked like Swiss cheese. Have you checked for corns? Trying to keep a corn pad from hurting could cause a limp, and the change in gait could cause pain higher up. Good luck! Hope you can get to the bottom of it, and that it's an easy fix!

[Guest MoniTheRed]

Willie has no injuries from his past as a racer. He does get corns, but there is no flair up happening right now. This has been combined with a move to a new house so in the beginning I thought his new level of whining was due to the change and his dissatisfaction with the new two story house we live in. We moved from a one level to this one and he has never had stairs. So I thought he was lonely and his teeth were bothering him. But after really watching him and paying attention to the panting that was happening despite the lack of heat, (our house is a bit too cool if you ask me) I realized he was in pain and continues to be. My poor boy.

We have a follow up vet appointment on the 23rd. I will ask them to check his neck again. They should still have the x-rays from two weeks ago. Thanks for your suggestions. I appreciate any help I can get.

[Victor]

You might consider having your vet do an ultrasound of Willie's leg/shoulder to check for blood clots.

[3greytjoys]

I'm not a veterinarian, but curious when and where Willie's excessive panting started, and if he's showing other symptoms (besides limping and shoulder pain). Agree that excessive panting is often a sign of pain, and it's concerning that his symptoms are worsening. Please also watch the timing of his panting. A side effect of Tramadol is panting (and can make some dogs a bit restless). I believe Tramadol begins taking affect soon after administration, and dosage strength peaks about 2 hours post administration. If Willie's combined medication dosages aren't handling his current pain level, perhaps your vet would reevaluate dosage levels.

 

Does Willie also try to "protect" his left shoulder (e.g., holding it close to body, not fully stretching out/down as far upon awakening, not fully extending it to walk up stairs, etc.)? Greyhounds can get sudden, temporarily painful leg cramps while resting, but that wouldn't cause constant shoulder pain. Crying if he's isolated downstairs while his family is upstairs wouldn't be uncommon behavior, but seems you're seeing medically painful cries. A vet should be able to isolate body pain during full body physical manipulation. If his regular vet is unable to diagnose a root cause, perhaps a second opinion by a veterinary specialist could pinpoint the problem (retired racing Greyhound savvy specialist preferred).

 

Other possibilities that come to mind:

Perhaps a hidden injury lingered silently until Willie started climbing stairs, or was aggravated by walking on hard surface floors (e.g., if previous house was carpeted), etc.

Initially, a new, deeply rooted internal corn may not be visually detectable on a paw pad.

An unpublished racing injury from running force or possible rail impact to his left side during counterclockwise racing may not have been apparent in his earlier years.

Life changes from a home move could cause extra stress which might increase preexisting physical discomfort.

 

Just to be aware: as posted, osteosarcoma is seen in Greyhounds. It is very painful and doesn't always show up on initial X-rays since it often affects the bone from the bone's inside core before growing outward.

 

Hopefully Willie has thick, dense, foam filled dog beds (vs. a folded blanket/comforter) on each level of the house.

 

BTW, padded Therapaw boots are very helpful when walking Greyhounds with corns: http://www.therapaw.com/thera-pawboots.aspx

 

Positive thoughts for Willie. Good luck on the 23^rd.

[NeylasMom]

Are the x-rays high definition digital x-rays? If so, I would send them to Dr. Couto and/or a local radiologist for consultation. If not I would repeat the xrays at a facility that has better equipment as soon as possible and then again send them to Dr. Couto to review. There could be something else going on, and I certainly hope that's the case, but this does sound like a typical osteo presentation. Especially if he is on Rimadyl, Gabapentin and Tramadol and still experiencing pain, that is concerning. On the chance that it is osteo, simply because it's such a painful disease I would want to follow up wtih the vet and try to get a diagnosis as soon as you can. If you're seeing you're regular vet, you may want to consider scheduling an appt with an orthopedist at a specialty clinic instead. My regular vet was unable to diagnosis Neyla's osteo via x-rays even though I knew she had it. So I followed up with our ortho, he got better x-rays and he saw it immediately.

 

Really hope that's not what you're dealing with, but better to know than not so you can address his pain.