# Hind leg intermittent limp



## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

I’m not sure when exactly it started, but around Thanksgiving of last year, our 3.5 year old girl Maya developed a slight limp in one of her hind legs. Quite possibly a result of some madcap playing with her friends. Long story short, our vet diagnosed it as a soft tissue sprain, gave us some calprofen, and asked for two weeks off from strenuous activity. After a week, she seemed a lot better, so I foolishly gave her some leeway and then the limp was back. Back to the vet, more calprofen and extended rest.

Her limp went away. But maybe a month back, it resurfaced. More calprofen and our vet suggested we see an ortho vet. Last Saturday we saw one – he tested her range of motion and said that she seemed to have some trouble with her hips, which could possibly mean hip dysplasia. It is worth mentioning that when our vet did the same range of motion test, he did not find any issues. But that was 7-8 mths back. The ortho vet recommended sedated x rays (scheduled for tomorrow), bloodwork (to see if her kidney and liver can handle more calprofen), and overall lifestyle management, including restricting her level of activity and the use of pain meds when needed.

Interesting note about her limp – if she has been sitting on her favorite chair, or sleeping somewhere for an extended period of time, and she gets up, the limp seems to exist only for the first few steps, after which it seems to resolve itself. She does not exhibit pain symptoms or physical manifestation in the form of a limp otherwise.

I am super worried about this. The x rays will reveal more tomorrow, but was wondering what you guys think.

FWIW, she probably came from a backyard breeder, and my assumption is she is not from the best stock. That being said, she is an amazing dog and I would hate for her quality of life to suffer. 

Any thoughts and comments are welcome.


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## GoldenMom999 (Apr 14, 2017)

You tested for Lyme Disease, right? Just in case....


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

GoldenMom999 said:


> You tested for Lyme Disease, right? Just in case....


Good point - yes, we did test for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and all tests were negative.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Did the ortho vet do the drawer test on her leg? It checks for instability in the stifle (knee) joint which is common in dogs who've ruptured/ripped/torn their cranial cruiciate ligament (CCL, or ACL in humans). 

My bridge boy torn both knees and the only symptom was an occasional inability to get up off the floor. 

Something to keep in mind if it turns out to NOT be the hips.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

You're doing the right thing by seeing the ortho vet. Then you'll know what you're dealing with. There are things you can do to help - massage, acupuncture, laser therapy, swimming and physical therapy to name of few. But first you need to know what you're up against. Before Charlie was diagnosed last year with hip dysplasia he was having intermittent limping for six months. We limited walks to short walks - more like strolls across the park and back. Less than 15 minutes at a time. We ended up having surgery, but there are a lot of things you can do before resorting to that.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

My little mutt started off with similar symptoms. After rest and meds didn’t really make a long term difference we went and got X-rays. 
It was very obvious even to a lay person (me) that he had bad hips. 
After sulking a week or so about my broken dog I got him started on supplements and a good natural herbal formula. 
It’s been a year and a half now and he is doing fantastic. He rarely takes RX pain meds though I keep them on hand for emergencies. He runs and jumps and plays just like any other dog. 
Knowing what you are dealing with is more than 1/2 the battle.


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

Brave said:


> Did the ortho vet do the drawer test on her leg? It checks for instability in the stifle (knee) joint which is common in dogs who've ruptured/ripped/torn their cranial cruiciate ligament (CCL, or ACL in humans).
> 
> My bridge boy torn both knees and the only symptom was an occasional inability to get up off the floor.
> 
> Something to keep in mind if it turns out to NOT be the hips.


Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the test. But during our first visit, he did test her knees, elbows, wrists etc and came to the conclusion that those looked good. He was able to identify the issue was with the hips quite quickly.

This past Saturday x-rays revealed the onset of hip dysplasia. We have been asked to reduce Maya's weight by 10 lbs (she is 78 lbs now). Although we do not overfeed her, we feel her prescription diet (GI issues) might be too high in calories since it was prescribed for an "active" dog. So now we have to find the right replacement food.


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

Gleepers said:


> My little mutt started off with similar symptoms. After rest and meds didn’t really make a long term difference we went and got X-rays.
> It was very obvious even to a lay person (me) that he had bad hips.
> After sulking a week or so about my broken dog I got him started on supplements and a good natural herbal formula.
> It’s been a year and a half now and he is doing fantastic. He rarely takes RX pain meds though I keep them on hand for emergencies. He runs and jumps and plays just like any other dog.
> Knowing what you are dealing with is more than 1/2 the battle.


Do you mind sharing what supplements and herbal formula you used? We will try that options as well and keep away from painkillers unless needed.


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

jennretz said:


> You're doing the right thing by seeing the ortho vet. Then you'll know what you're dealing with. There are things you can do to help - massage, acupuncture, laser therapy, swimming and physical therapy to name of few. But first you need to know what you're up against. Before Charlie was diagnosed last year with hip dysplasia he was having intermittent limping for six months. We limited walks to short walks - more like strolls across the park and back. Less than 15 minutes at a time. We ended up having surgery, but there are a lot of things you can do before resorting to that.


So it is hip dysplasia, though quite early. We have been told that we are a long ways away from the surgery route, though we do need to take action to reduce Maya's weight. Given that she has done so well with GI issues on her current food, finding a suitable replacement is tricky, but we'll speak with her vet and find a solution. Consensus is though we are not overfeeding, her current food might be too high in calories.

We were regulars at the local ball park where dogs come to run and play. We are going to have to limit that sort of activity. Walks and swimming have been prescribed. We'll do what we can to get her weight down, give her the right supplements, and maintain her quality of life, all without the pervasive use of Rx meds one hopes.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

For what it's worth, instead of taking her off a food she thrives on, consider cutting down how much she gets. 

If you couple a smaller portion with increased activity (low impact like swimming), the lbs should come off.


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

Brave said:


> For what it's worth, instead of taking her off a food she thrives on, consider cutting down how much she gets.
> 
> If you couple a smaller portion with increased activity (low impact like swimming), the lbs should come off.


We have tried that. We've cut it down to the point that she's well below the recommended serving. She gets 0.75 cups per meal, twice a day for a toal of 1.5 cups. The recommended amount is almost 3.5 cups a day. This is Royal Canin GI for Active dogs. The ortho vet suggested this particular type could have certain oils that carry too many calories. After the bouts of GI issues we experienced, trust me, the last thing I would want to do is change food.

Her activity level has always been high. A lot of off leash play, swims, walks, etc. We cut her food down once before and in spite of the exercise level she didn't lose any weight.

We just had her thyroid checked as well, and that came back as normal.

She has never been one to get heaps of table scraps. We always save something small and suitable from our meals for her, but we are talking about a single bite of something.

So we do need figure out her weight issues because it was impressed upon us that shedding a few lbs could make a world of a difference.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Looks like the Royal Canine Gastrointestinal food has a variety of options: 
https://www.royalcanin.com/products...al&gclid=CMnjt47IptwCFZSbgQodWJgHGw&gclsrc=ds

High Energy has a 394 kCals per cup
Low Fat has 240 kCals per cup
Fiber Response has 287 kCals per cup

FWIW I have always ended up feeding well below recommended guidelines cause I'm going by my dogs physical condition. For instance, I used to feed PPP Turkey and Barley which for Bear's weight calls for 3.5-4.25 cups a day. Bear got 2 cups a day (this is high calorie at 436 kCals per cup). I have a little girl (35 lbs) who only gets 1 cup a day and that's with zero extra. If she gets any food during the day, she won't even touch her kibble (which is fed one meal at night). 

I've read that on average dogs need 25-30 calories per pound of body weight. So if you figure out the ideal weight, then calculate her daily caloric needs from that, and then divide that by the calories in a cup to see how many cups you should be feeding.


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