# Have you ever heard of this?



## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Panosteitis? Often called Pano. Apparently it is a condition in young large breeds. It most often occurs in males in the 5 - 18 month age group. It is characterized by pain in the long bones (radius, ulna, humerus, femur, tibia) which causes them to limp. I can change legs, which is what led me to believe this is what Riley has. First she was limping on her right fore leg now it is her left. The condition is self limiting and no treatment is required. Exercise is encouraged but hard running and long walks should be avoided. The cause is unknown.

Anyone had any experience with this?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Yes, it's fairly common, you have all the information correct.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Although I have not had a dog experience it I have heard of it. If you were ever "lucky" enough to experience "growing Pains" as a child I would equate it to this. As you stated exercise is fine as long as not excessive or overly strenuous. I believe the reason being the dog will tend to compensate for the discomfort from the pano and then end up causing an actual injury due to the compensating to another body part.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Conner had pano when he was younger. The first vet blamed the limp on the fact that I was feeding Innova. He said if I couldn't buy it at Petsmart it probably wasn't good for my dog (I haven't been back to that vet). My regular vet did xrays and let me know it was pano. It went away quickly on its own.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Yup, very common. It is one reason why the "Slow Grow" program is popular, as puppies whose growth is very carefully controlled should not get pano.


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Loisiana said:


> Conner had pano when he was younger. The first vet blamed the limp on the fact that I was feeding Innova. He said if I couldn't buy it at Petsmart it probably wasn't good for my dog (I haven't been back to that vet). My regular vet did xrays and let me know it was pano. It went away quickly on its own.


Interesting....I did read that a high protein diet is one of the suspected factors in the cause of the condition. Riley is on Acana which is 33% vs the usual 24% in most foods. I have no intention of changing her food as it was a bit of a struggle to find one that she tolerates well. Do you remember how long Conner's bout with Pano was? Did you continue to exercise him during it?


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Tahnee GR said:


> Yup, very common. It is one reason why the "Slow Grow" program is popular, as puppies whose growth is very carefully controlled should not get pano.


Another interesting comment...Riley is on a slow growth plan. In fact she is growing so slow (6 months old and 38 lbs) that I was beginning to worry. I wonder how much worse it could be if she were not on a slow growth plan....


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Wow-that surprises me. Are you sure it is pano? Lyme disease, for instance, can cause limping as well.

OTOH, I have seen a male puppy with pano so bad that he could barely walk and was crying the whole time. And, his pano lasted for months. He was a big puppy and grew into a big male.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

My homeopathic vet suggested that I supplement with Esther C when Quiz was a puppy to help prevent Pano.


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Tahnee GR said:


> Wow-that surprises me. Are you sure it is pano? Lyme disease, for instance, can cause limping as well.
> 
> OTOH, I have seen a male puppy with pano so bad that he could barely walk and was crying the whole time. And, his pano lasted for months. He was a big puppy and grew into a big male.


What surprises you? I hope hers doesn't get as bad as the male you saw. She still seems to want to run and play.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

My german shepherd had pano. His limping was mostly on his front legs and would switch between them. He was 10 months old when it first started and after x-rays the vet confirmed pano. I think he was just over a year when it stopped so it lasted about 2 months. 

The limping was very on/off and but he didn't seem to be in much pain with it, he is a huge baby and makes a fuss about any pain. I resticted his exercise to shorter but regular walks.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

jenlaur said:


> What surprises you? I hope hers doesn't get as bad as the male you saw. She still seems to want to run and play.


Her sex and her size just aren't typical for what I've seen in the past. She may have a very mild case, too.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I had a Twin Beau D female golden pup with Pano in our last dog generation- Acadia. Cady had the wandering leg lameness with a small fever. The vet was absolutely right that it improved greatly after switching to a lower protein adult food. Acadia was bigger than the standard for golden females, and one of her littermates also experienced it at the same time-period. 

Did your vet diagnos pano? It's worth getting and official dianosis, for sure, as there are other causes for limping with similar symptoms.


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