Pre-Worrying About Osteo

[vsrenard]

Six-year-old broodie Emme came to our home this January. From the start she had a slightly odd gait, a sort of pulling and head bobbing on the right side. We didn't give it much thought until a couple of weeks ago she started having a pronounced limp. I investigated and found that her corns on her front right paw had ballooned. When I push on them, she yelped. So we dremeled them away. She no longer yelps. But she still has the limp.

 

Took her to the vet today who determined the limp has nothing to do with her corns. She pushed and pulled and poked muscles and found Emme yelping when her left shoulder was palpated. Thankfully the x-rays show nothing. However, the vet wants a recheck in 3 weeks because the affected area is where osteo typically starts in greys.

 

Not freaking out but want to know what to look for in early stages of osteo. Any advice appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Vanitha

 

 

[KF_in_Georgia]

There isn't really an early warning for osteo...at least, not beyond breaking a bone. Not all osteo patients limp, not all are ouchy. Some break a bone (even when nothing shows on x-rays), others do not. I had an elderly boy (Sam) who yelped--even screamed--when he tried to lie down or stand back up. It turned out to be a problem with his spine, and he was fine when we put him on methocarbamol (aka Robaxin, a muscle relaxer). And I had an 8-year-old boy (Tigger) we thought had a soft-tissue injury from twisting his knee. It turned out to be osteo just above his knee.

For Emmie's sake and your own, don't borrow trouble. Enjoy her, let her play when she wants, and don't anticipate the worst. Take a video of her walking now, so you'll have something for comparison later on. Put a note on your calendar to video her again in three months and compare the results. Meanwhile, unless the vet recommended restricted activity, let her play.

And don't keep pressing the sore spot: She'll learn to flinch when people reach for her and then you won't know whether her reactions are because it actually hurts or because she just thinks it's going to hurt.

[vsrenard]

Thank you, Kathy. This is very helpful. We're on restricted activity but I have nosework planned, and will do other safe things.

[greysmom]

The corns probably started from her altered gait due to a shoulder injury. Then they made the injury worse by being painful to walk on. Now she has a pretty good limp of uncertain origin.

 

Keeping the corns under control will help the shoulder issue too, but I also agree with KF - if your vet doesn't see it, there's no use borrowing trouble.

[robinw]

Try not to worry about it, ok? I know it's hard; I lost all three of my greyhounds to osteo. Remember that t's completely out of your control. It's good that she's being re-checked in three weeks.

[vsrenard]

Thank you all.

[winnie]

Our greyhound Celeste had issues with corns, but it turns out her on-again/off-again limping was caused by a compressed disc in her neck. We switched from using a collar to a harness, which helped a lot. I hope it's something as simple as that.

[cleptogrey]

Not sure of where you are or where she is from but how about checking for TBD?

[tbhounds]

Gh’s being gh’s I would guess that if the other shoulder was palpated in the same manner you may have had the same response. I’m sure that corn still hurts (hulling or dremmeling only removes the surface of the corn).

[Remolacha]

Anything that throws off their normal gait, like corns or an old injury, can show up as a limp in either the affected leg/shoulder or the opposite one. Conner has a foot injury that healed wonky, so he has a limp on his back right foot. He developed a limp in his left front shoulder from having his normal movement thrown off. Hope it is nothing more than the corns!

[vsrenard]

Why would TBD cause a limp?

 

Despite being on Galliprant for 5 days, her limp seems worse.

[robinw]

Why would TBD cause a limp?

 

Despite being on Galliprant for 5 days, her limp seems worse.

TBDs have strange symptoms. Phoenix developed s limp several months after I adopted him. Turned out he had babesia, a common TBD. It went away after treatment.

[Walliered]

Mousie had just about all of her disks replaced with stainless steal ones. It gave her another couple of very good years. But, then I lost her to bone cancer.

[MP_the4pack]

A CT scan is much more precise than x-rays. If you can afford it it might give you piece of mind.

[MerlinsMum]

You've gotten some good replies. Just wanted to pop in to say I'm thinking of you and Emme, and hoping for the best.

[vsrenard]

Thanks all.

 

I decided against CT because if it is osteo, it wouldn't affect treatment plan. I palpated her other shoulder, as suggested here, and Emme yelped. She's not one of the stoic ones.

 

She just had a blood panel and was negative for most TBDs. Just going to wait and hope she gets better. Recheck in 2 weeks.

[Remolacha]

If she is reacting in both shoulders, it could be something pulled in her neck/back. The main treatment for that is pain meds and rest, which I think you are already doing. Hope she improves!

[winnie]

I suggest switching her to a no-pull harness if you haven't already.

[vsrenard]

We haven't actually been taking her on walks, per vet's advice, but have been walking alongside her in the backyard while she has some outdoor time. It breaks my heart to see her limp, and she's SO SO bored. Wondering if I should witch to Rimadyl since Galliprant is having no effect. I know nothing about Galliprant, have never used it before.

[tbhounds]

We haven't actually been taking her on walks, per vet's advice, but have been walking alongside her in the backyard while she has some outdoor time. It breaks my heart to see her limp, and she's SO SO bored. Wondering if I should witch to Rimadyl since Galliprant is having no effect. I know nothing about Galliprant, have never used it before.

Start gabapentin (IMO tramadol is worthless).

[Walliered]

Both of my hounds were on 3 Gabapentin tabs 3 times a day. They also took 150 mg of tramadol 3 times a day.

I said one of my hounds with cancer was Mousie..I was wrong. Mousie is well and good..It was Huck and Lady that I lost to bone cancer. I let Huck go three days after diagnosis, but I kept Lady for several months after diagnosis..I would not do that again. I would let her go.

[vsrenard]

Emme's recheck showed possible bone spur in left shoulder and arthritis in neck. But she didn't respond to Galliprant and is weakly responding to Rimadyl.

 

Keeping her on Rimdayl and no exercise for two weeks and will then reassess. I'm beyond thrilled the xays show nothing but am still worried.

 

Because my kiddo.

[Guest Tephanya]

Have you considered CBD oil from hemp? I heard that CBD oil has really good anti-inflammatory property and as pain is usually caused by inflammation, it could really help with your Greyhound's pain. It is more natural than pain meds from the vet. CBD oil can also be made with marijuana plant but it has THC in it, which in higher doses becomes poisonous to dogs. CBD oil from the hemp plant has almost nothing of THC.

 

Also, I have heard that CBD oil can kill cancer cells but not completely destroy the tumor - there isn't much study on CBD oil and cancer (probably because it isn't profitable), so vets will not talk about it as it becomes a liability issue - but it is something to keep in mind.