At a loose end... Thoughts?

[Lw27]

Hello all, 

Posted on here previously regarding what I thought was an old injury or lameness on front right leg

Dog has such a contrast in behavior when walking etc that I'm not sure what is causing the issue? 

He had a corn removed via flexor tenotomy on the left front, no issues other than a bad reaction to metacam and 4 nights in vet hospital with a blood transfusion. Other pads are fine.

I thought by removing the corn on his front left would solve the issue with the hobble. Unfortunately he still hobbles badly time to time, looking uncomfortable on the right front. Other times he can run flat out and jump around without yelping etc. 

I can lift the leg and move toes, press shoulder etc without him yelping or any obvious signs of real pain. All I can say is it seems worse in the morning and I notice a lot of downward dog stretches. 

This has been intermittently happening for the around 8 months. His old race record shows he has had a year off which I assume was a bad injury. 

Apologies for the novel, just I have spent thousands £s after his bad stint post flexor surgery. Money is tight at the moment and I am trying to avoid spending loads more on investigations. Trying to do the best for the dog but he seems to cause me more stress and anxiety. Sometimes I feel I should have gone for a less sensitive breed 😔. 

Hoping someone on here has had a similar issue or could shed some light? I have attached two video links for contrast. 

 

 

Many thanks 

[FiveRoooooers]

Have you tried giving pain meds on the days when you notice him limping like that? The first thought that comes to my mind is that this is shoulder-related. (Angel) Paddy Mayhem (there's a phrase he never heard!) had bilateral tendon degeneration and limped just like that on hard surfaces. On grass or indoors, he was fine, just like your fellow. There is a procedure that can be done to correct this but we opted for pain meds to keep him comfortable. Ultimately, it was multiple cancers that took my boy.

Your guy is beautiful, btw 

[MerseyGrey]

Mine recently had a stint of limping, brought on by doing a zoomie. He barely made a noise but was clearly in some discomfort, although this would never get in the way of more zoomies . I can’t give you any advice as Buddy is thankfully corn-free, except that you can give human paracetamol to them (check with your vet, but I think mine said 500mg three times a day), and there are alternative NSAISs to metacam (see link below) but again, ask your vet for advice

 

[Remolacha]

I agree, that looks like it is in the shoulder. Lots of things going on in other places can cause a shoulder limp. I would start with pain meds on his bad days and see if that helps.

[macoduck]

Does he still have the limp when walking on grass?

[greysmom]

There are a lot of things that come to mind, but they all involve at least some level of investigation through imaging.  If you've already had clean xrays of his entire leg (toes to shoulder to neck) to rule out osteo, and you're confident there's no corn on any adjacent toe on that foot, there's not a lot of of other things that could be causing his limp.

The one thing that sticks is that sometimes a tendon in the shoulder (or the wrist/carpus) can either atrophy OR become hardened with calcium deposits, causing an on and off limp.  Here's some info:

Stenosing tenosynovitis

Supraspinatus insertionography

The second link talks about other tendon issues as well.

But, sometimes a limp is just a limp.  It happens in people.  It happens in dogs.  A part of the body gets hurt, it heals, but leaves behind a reminder to be more careful in a limp.  The above suggestions for discussing a as-needed pain medication for those particularly ouchie days may take care of the limp you're seeing.  Stay away from opioids like tramadol and fentanyl as many greyhounds have bad reactions to those two drugs.  Our drug-sensitive girl had much better response to Codeine Sulfate, and that's the only one we use now at our house when something more than an nsaid is needed.

Good luck!

[HeyRunDog]

Before I adopted Guinness he had a limp which the previous adopter and adoption agency couldn't find the cause. He also has had a corn removed via flexor tenotomy which didn't solve the problem and an x-ray didn't throw any more light on it. In the end a visit to the physio attached to the next-door racing kennels sorted him out.

[Lw27]

19 hours ago, MerseyGrey said:

Mine recently had a stint of limping, brought on by doing a zoomie. He barely made a noise but was clearly in some discomfort, although this would never get in the way of more zoomies . I can’t give you any advice as Buddy is thankfully corn-free, except that you can give human paracetamol to them (check with your vet, but I think mine said 500mg three times a day), and there are alternative NSAISs to metacam (see link below) but again, ask your vet for advice

 

Yeah, this is what I seem to find strange.. one minute he is sprinting around and playing and then the next minute he looks stiff and with a hobble!? I am reluctant to spend hundreds more on investigations as I don't have much spare at present.. I guess needs must  

[Lw27]

9 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

Before I adopted Guinness he had a limp which the previous adopter and adoption agency couldn't find the cause. He also has had a corn removed via flexor tenotomy which didn't solve the problem and an x-ray didn't throw any more light on it. In the end a visit to the physio attached to the next-door racing kennels sorted him out.

That is interesting, struggling to find anything obvious with him. What was the cause if you don't mind me asking? There are no corns on the other feet and when I squeeze pads etc.. no yelping or obvious discomfort. 

[Lw27]

9 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

Before I adopted Guinness he had a limp which the previous adopter and adoption agency couldn't find the cause. He also has had a corn removed via flexor tenotomy which didn't solve the problem and an x-ray didn't throw any more light on it. In the end a visit to the physio attached to the next-door racing kennels sorted him out.

Can I ask what kennels or where you took him to? Be useful to get a contact of maybe a racing vet or knowledgeable greyhound physio?

[HeyRunDog]

14 hours ago, Lw27 said:

Can I ask what kennels or where you took him to? Be useful to get a contact of maybe a racing vet or knowledgeable greyhound physio?

I don't know which country you are in but I'm in the UK. He was taken by the Greyhound Trust to the physio before I adopted him. I was told about his shoulder because I had to wait for a couple of weeks as they had to get him signed off fit for adoption. The racing kennels are next to the Greyhound Trust Hall Green site at Shenstone, Lichfield. I don't know who the physio is or any contact details but perhaps you could enquire at your nearest track if they know of someone near you?

[macoduck]

Adding to Greysmom's comment: my girl had an intermittent limp too. Nothing found on the physical exam. Neck to foot was xrayed and the only finding was looked like a sliver of a calcium deposit in the muscle of her shoulder. Much like how I have heel spurs on my feet, vet says she probably over did her crazy running and did slight damage to the tissue. As the body heals (same as a heel spur or fracture in humans) it causes calcium to appear. Not as often for soft tissue and muscles, but it happens. My girl was treated with an anti inflammatory med at the time. After that we restricted her zoomies if she started limping again.

[DocsDoctor]

 

 

7 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

I don't know which country you are in but I'm in the UK. He was taken by the Greyhound Trust to the physio before I adopted him. I was told about his shoulder because I had to wait for a couple of weeks as they had to get him signed off fit for adoption. The racing kennels are next to the Greyhound Trust Hall Green site at Shenstone, Lichfield. I don't know who the physio is or any contact details but perhaps you could enquire at your nearest track if they know of someone near you?

I think OP is in the UK too, as there is a reference to £s in the original post. Here in London I know of someone who specialises in greyhound physio, if that is any help? There are no tracks left in London, but she is a qualified vet physio who helps out at a greyhound rescue, and has her own retired greyhound.