# Mystery muscle mass loss right shoulder



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Welcome to the forum. I have no advice for you but wanted to let you know I will be keeping Kura in my thoughts. Please keep us updated.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hello and thanks for replying! I have been driving myself mad reading all sorts on the internet! Who knows - it could be nothing and she will be back to her old self in no time! Fingers crossed!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

As plenty of vets will say....dogs dont walk on their xrays. "Nothing too bad" could be very painful for her.
It doesnt take long for a loss of muscle mass if she has been compensating with the opposite leg.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi thank you for your reply. Yes I am hoping this is the case and the other tests will be clear and we can start treatment for arthritis. I am going to get her some glucosamine anyway.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I hope you figure out whatever is ailing Kura and can get her on the fast track to better health. Welcome to the forum. She's a pretty girl.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi and thank you for the warm welcome. I will keep you posted.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi all

A little update from me. Took Kura to the specialist today. After a thorough exam he did not think that arthritis was the cause. If there had been nerve damage due to an accident he would've expected that to be getting better by now. So he is thinking possibly a vascular problem (bleeding maybe), tumour or spinal issue. We have left her there tonight and tomorrow she will have an MRI, blood tests and spinal fluid tests. So hopefully we will begin to get some answers. He said she does not appear to be in much pain - she sure was not acting like she was!!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Kura*

I will be praying very hard for Kura and for all her tests to come out good and for you.

Glad that they are looking into whatever it can be.

Don't feel guilty!


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

Kura is so cute. I hope you get good test results back. I will be praying for your sweet girl.


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## Siques (Aug 9, 2011)

So Sorry you are going thru this - nothing worse than not knowing!

Sending Kura good thoughts and a quick full recovery!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Good luck, you are going in the direction I would recommend.... for diagnostics.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi Again

Well we picked Kura up last night. The vet greeted us with do you want the good news or the bad news! My heart sank! The bad news is we could'nt find anything wrong - the good news is we could'nt find anything wrong!! All tests were normal. Nothing showed up that could be causing the limp. So we are to monitor her for 3 months. If she gets worse before then we will go back. 

Next step he suggested is to see an orthopedic specialist and to possibly have a CT scan. He is hoping that there is nerve damage that they can't see and it will heal itself. 

Poor girl is feeling very sorry for herself today. She is shaved in places and they gave her a bath - trauma enough in itself!! She has a bandage on one leg from the drip/needles and is very sleepy. I am going to cook her some chicken today and keep her quiet with lots of cuddles. 

I have asked my regular vet to send me a copy of the specialists report/letter when they get it as he was very softly spoken and with a panting goldie in the room it was quite hard to take in all he was saying!

And the insurance company have already processed our first cheque!

Thanks all for your kind thoughts and messages. It seems our girl is a medical mystery!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I wish I had a good answer for you, but all I have is positive thoughts for you and Kura. I hope they get to the root of the problem soon or that it's a nerve problem that resolves itself ASAP.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I doubt the OP will come back to update, but I'm curious as to Kura did after this.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hello!

I got an email about your reply - thanks for thinking of us! Here is an update on Kura:

So last September is when the leg went lame and tests etc were done with no diagnosis. We kept her exercise limited and she seemed to be in no pain. ONe day in March my husband & I were taking her for a walk when she suddenly seemed to be limping a lot more and bascially did'nt want to walk anymore. I had to run home and get the car to bring her home. We went back the consultant. As soon as we walked into the consulting room the doctor said I would'nt be surprised if we find a tumour that has suddenly grown hence the degeneration to her leg. He started talking about amputation and chemotherapy before we knew anything for sure! I broke down at this point - my husband took control and said well we still need to do the tests so no point in worrying yet!

So Kura had all the tests repeated. We picked her up later that day. Again the doctor greeted us with do you want the bad news or the good news! Again they had found NOTHING!!!!!! The only other thing he was going to test for was degenerative myleopathy but he only knew of it ever starting in the back legs but he wanted to rule it out. 

Anyway, we brought Kura home. She was very weak for a while after that. We kept her quiet and she slowly recovered and her leg seemed to improve. We exercised her in the garden as she got tired very quickly. 

We got the results of DM test back - all normal. I spoke to the consultant and asked if hydrotherapy would help. He said it would not hurt to try! So the vet referred us - luckily there is a place local to us and it also where the kennels are we use when we go away. 

The lady there is very helpful and has given me more information and advice than any of the vets we have seen! She believes that a trauma of some sort occured (either a sprain, thorn in paw etc) that caused Kura pain for a short while, she compensated with the other leg, muscle mass can decrease very quickly and hence the limp. She also says that dogs have very good pain memory and even though the pain is no longer there she is not putting her leg down properly because she remembers it used to hurt! We have found that distraction is the key! When she is distracted her leg and foot go down properly! The ligaments in her leg are also very tight so these need massaging. She had a few sessions in the water on the treadmill and now she goes in the pool. Never having been a water baby before she has got used to it. 5 minutes in the pool is equivalent to 50 minutes walking. We can already feel a difference in the muscle. Another bonus is she has never been so clean and fluffy! Each session is 10 minutes in the water and 50 minutes of drying!!! 

So there you go - an update on our medical mystery! 

We are not sure if the muscle will ever fully recover. She is very healthy in every other respect - we have managed to control her weight despite the lack of exercise.

Hope you are all well 

nxx


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## perdie (Oct 30, 2008)

What great news  Always nice to hear a positive update. Obviously you are from the UK, have you thought about joining the UK section? Very chatty and friendly, lots of members from across the country with lots of knowledge&experience. I notice you mentioned Kura has a touch of arthritis it may be worth looking at Ester C, one of the uk members uses it for her golden and has noticed a marked improvement.
Anyway good luck for the future, love the pics!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm really glad to hear that Kura is doing better. Thanks for coming back to update!


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi all

A quick update on our girl. Kura had been stable for a good few months but since Christmas her limp has worsened and she has been dragging the paw for a couple of weeks. In the last week or so she has not been herself at all - very sleepy, not really eating and not enjoying her walks. We noticed a swelling on her bad leg so I took her to the vets on Monday. He did an ultrasound on the swelling and discovered a tumour. He took a sample and we are awaiting the results. Her temp was high too so she is on antibiotics and pain meds. This has perked her up a bit and she has been eating better. 

I will come back and update when we know more. 

N xxx


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

Nattles, healing thoughts for Kura from across the pond. I hope if it is indeed a tumor that it's benign or readily removable.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Update - Today we made the tough decision to have the leg amputated. A biopsy can then be done and tests to see if anything has spread. The leg is useless anyway and hopefully if nothing has spread she will soon be bounding around again.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Oh I'm sorry it came to that but 3 legged dogs have great lives, Tuff is on the forum and he has a very full life. I'll be praying for those tests to come back negative! ♥


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Kura*

Please keep us posted on Kura. We will pray. When is her surgery?


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Keeping y'all in my prayers. She will adjust afterwards. These love bugs are resilient creatures. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Thank you so much for the messages. We have booked the surgery for next Wednesday, day after our eldest son's birthday.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Please keep us updated on how the surgery goes, I will be praying.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Kura*

My heart goes out to you on your loss of Kura.
I put her on the 2013 Rainbow Bridge List.
Is Monday, April 8, the day she went to the Rainbow Bridge?
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...-goldens-passed-2013-list-11.html#post2540785


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## Hunter Bear (Oct 30, 2013)

Do they know if the muscle lose was due to the tumour or something else. My seven year old golden is going through the exact same situation.


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## nattles (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi Hunter Bear

I am so sorry to hear that you and your Golden are experiencing the same situation. We never found out for certain but suspect that the cancer was there for a while before she started to limp. Pain must've caused her to use the leg less and less therefore the muscle wasted away. The cancer was all in the nerves around the brachial plexus. Scans did'nt show this up but from what i have read this is not unusual due to the complex network of nerves. 

I hope that you can get some answers soon and that your golden gets better soon.


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## Flex (Jan 8, 2018)

While this is very far out of date, I am in the same situation with my 8+year old Dane. The case discussed was most likely Osteosarcoma. He did well on pain killers for a bit and the vet assumed it was a strain, sprain muscle situation. An early diagnosis of this via x ray (which was not done) would have revealed the sarcoma. An early amputation would have provided him with another 6 months to a year or more of life (Danes can go fairly early to other symptoms). I highly recommend that anyone with these sudden symptoms with no apparent prognosis pursue xrays and treatment. I know he wanted more and spent his last days clinging to me. I dearly miss him and providing a comfort free end of life was paramount. I just wish I had forced the xrays earlier. In the days of day care there can be too much assumption to a simple pulled muscle. 

I am sorry for your loss Nattles with your retriever.


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