Limping unexplainably

[Krstewart85]

My dog Tony had a corn on his front right toe so I got him the tendon surgery.. where they cut the tendon to the toe to relieve pressure on it. I had it done by a board certified orthopedic surgeon who has done them before. Two months later he started limping again on that foot. I noticed quite a bit of scar tissue had formed over the incision site. The limping started off as a small limp and within a month he won’t put weight on the foot. I took him back to the surgeon and they did x-rays which were normal. Anywhere we press on the foot or leg, he doesn’t react as if it’s painful. They started him on gabapentin and gave him a steroid shot in the scar tissue. It’s been a few days and he hasn’t gotten better. Has anyone else experienced this? I don’t know what’s wrong and I think the doctor doesn’t for sure know either. 

[BatterseaBrindl]

The limp may be caused by pain that is not in his foot.  Could be higher up in his shoulder or even his neck.

I’d take him in for a complete lameness exam with a set of  X-rays.

[FiveRoooooers]

Agree with Nancy above. This may be in his shoulder and perhaps some acupuncture and/or chiro can help, but your pup first needs to have a very thorough exam. Has his opposite front foot also been thoroughly examined? Good luck, and please keep us posted.

[Krstewart85]

2 hours ago, BatterseaBrindl said:

The limp may be caused by pain that is not in his foot.  Could be higher up in his shoulder or even his neck.

I’d take him in for a complete lameness exam with a set of  X-rays.

He did have x-rays all the way up to his shoulder and nothing was found. 

1 hour ago, FiveRoooooers said:

Agree with Nancy above. This may be in his shoulder and perhaps some acupuncture and/or chiro can help, but your pup first needs to have a very thorough exam. Has his opposite front foot also been thoroughly examined? Good luck, and please keep us posted.

He was thoroughly examined and had x-rays up to his shoulder and it was all normal. The surgeon did mention his neck but didn’t think that was the cause. he hasn’t done anything strenuous to cause an injury. 

[ramonaghan]

I wonder if they could do a nerve block on that toe to see if Tony improves. If not, then you'd know you're dealing with something else—another toe or something else altogether. I also wonder if he'd do well with an NSAID (I guess once the steroid shot wears off) since that would be more widespread pain control and could give him some relief while you investigate further. Sweep had a chronic limp from an old racing injury in one toe and she was on Previcox off and on from age 5 to 12.5 when she passed from osteosarcoma. Gabapentin never seemed to do much for her.

In any event, I'm sorry you're dealing with this; I know how frustrating these mystery limps can be!

[BatterseaBrindl]

Glad he’s had some radiographs of his leg/shoulder but I’d still take him in for another complete exam. 

 

[FiveRoooooers]

23 minutes ago, BatterseaBrindl said:

Glad he’s had some radiographs of his leg/shoulder but I’d still take him in for another complete exam. 

 

[greysmom]

Gabapentin is the new multipurpose "it" drug for canine medicine, even though it's been around as a human drug for a long time.  But it doesn't work for everything or even for every dog.  I'm also surprised your vet went right to this drug without trying more normal meds like an nsaid - or even an nsaid in combination with the gaba.  

Also, the FT surgery only takes care of the toe that the ligament was cut on.  The other toes could have corn(s) forming that haven't erupted to the surface yet.  

I would also ask my vet to really examine his neck and spine for soft tissue injuries, which can be hard to locate and really difficult to heal.  Did the xrays go high enough for a view of his neck/spine??  If you have access to a certified canine acupuncture practitioner, I would definitely give that a try.

[Krstewart85]

5 hours ago, greysmom said:

Gabapentin is the new multipurpose "it" drug for canine medicine, even though it's been around as a human drug for a long time.  But it doesn't work for everything or even for every dog.  I'm also surprised your vet went right to this drug without trying more normal meds like an nsaid - or even an nsaid in combination with the gaba.  

Also, the FT surgery only takes care of the toe that the ligament was cut on.  The other toes could have corn(s) forming that haven't erupted to the surface yet.  

I would also ask my vet to really examine his neck and spine for soft tissue injuries, which can be hard to locate and really difficult to heal.  Did the xrays go high enough for a view of his neck/spine??  If you have access to a certified canine acupuncture practitioner, I would definitely give that a try.

They took x rays of his cervical spine too. They were normal. This was with the orthopedic surgeon and he did a full exam. He had me giving Tony carprofen first but it didn’t do anything. He thinks it’s the scar tissue. But his limping just got so bad so fast so I’m not sure.