# I'm worried - could it be arthrosis??



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

Starshine, there are many things that sudden limping could be, from as simple as she landed wrong on the leg the day before to osteosarcoma, cancer of the bone. I would recommend that you take her to the vet if the limping continues, have your vet do a thorough exam and perhaps even an x-ray of the leg. If it's arthritis, there are supplements and pain relievers that your vet can prescribe so she's not in pain. Do you have her on any joint supplements now? How old is this pretty girl? Hoping this resolves quickly and is nothing to worry about.


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## starshine (Aug 31, 2008)

thanks for answering finn's fan  ... fortunately the limping was gone yesterday morning as suddenly as it appeared ... anyway I phoned the vet yesterday and will have an appointement tomorrow - just to make sure  ... my girl will be 10 in july and I haven't given her any special joint supplements besides taking good care of her (not jumping too high and too much in all her live, special food etc) ... I'll see what the vet check says and will let you know about


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Starshine*

Starshine

So glad the limp is gone, but perhaps the vet will want to do xrays to rule out anything serious. I take it she is a Senior?


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## starshine (Aug 31, 2008)

Karen519 said:


> Starshine
> 
> So glad the limp is gone, but perhaps the vet will want to do xrays to rule out anything serious. I take it she is a Senior?


thanks karen - I am very glad, too .. I was really upset because in her almost 10 years (so yes, she's a senior  ) she's only seen the vet once a year for her shots! we'll see what the vet says - I'll know what to do after the vet appointment and of course will let you know


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm glad she's doing better, and I agree that a vet visit is in order.

FYI - while you're searching English-language sites like GRF and pet medicine sites, we typically call it "osteoarthritis" on this side of the pond instead of "arthrosis." You might get more hits while you're searching and reading.

Limping on a single leg could easily be a soft tissue injury or simply a stiff muscle, depending on how long it lasted. It can happen as they get older. I'm not terribly old, but sometimes I sleep in an odd position and end up limping half the the morning myself. 

If you were in the US, I'd also suggest that you get her checked for tick borne diseases like Lyme disease, since they often cause a limp that comes and goes seemingly randomly. A brief Google search of tick diseases in Switzerland seems to indicate that you do seem to have ticks and TBDs in certain regions over there, and while I doubt it's called Lyme disease in Switzerland, it does look like dogs can catch borreliosis from ticks in some regions. The disease (whether you call it Lyme or borreliosis) causes arthritis and can progress to serious kidney disease. There's a blood test for it, and it typically responds very well to a treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline.

I live in Connecticut, which is the epicenter of our TBD epidemic (the town of Lyme, for which Lyme disease is named, is 30 miles east of me). So when a dog limps, pretty much the first thing we do is test for TBDs. In fact, my dogs are tested every 6 months, whether they show symptoms or not. If TBDs are on the rise in your region, your dog might catch one but your vet might not recognize the symptoms because it isn't common yet. We've had many dogs die in New England because they were some of the first in their areas to catch Lyme and the vets didn't realize it was even possible.

I don't think a TBD is particularly likely, so sorry for writing a whole book about them, but I know a couple of dogs who died because a TBD was not diagnosed early enough, so it's the first thing that comes into my mind when anybody talks about a mysterious limp that comes and goes.

Once a TBD is ruled out, the vet might suggest some supplements to help cushion her joints as she continues to age gracefully. Glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplements have a very good track record for slowing down the symptoms of osteoarthritis.


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## starshine (Aug 31, 2008)

tippykayak said:


> ...
> Limping on a single leg could easily be a soft tissue injury or simply a stiff muscle, depending on how long it lasted. It can happen as they get older. I'm not terribly old, but sometimes I sleep in an odd position and end up limping half the the morning myself.  ...
> ...
> I don't think a TBD is particularly likely, so sorry for writing a whole book about them, but I know a couple of dogs who died because a TBD was not diagnosed early enough, so it's the first thing that comes into my mind when anybody talks about a mysterious limp that comes and goes.
> ...


thanks for this information (also about calling it osteoarthritis instead of arthrosis!)! we regionally know TBD here in Switzerland - fortunately I don't live in an area where it's been known. anyway I will keep this in mind and ask my vet.

I already asked the vet to show me some supplements when I'm there tomorrow - even if it was just being stiff after sleeping (which I also considered since she sometimes lies there in positions I wouldn't think to be very comfortable  ) or something like this, I want to start giving her supplements to help her staying in good health as she was all her life


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

One other thought: sometimes an intermittent limp is actually due to stiffness or an injury in the back (spine). So when you examine the leg, the dog doesn't flinch, and the range of motion seems normal, but when the dog puts weight on it, the pain comes in the back.


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## starshine (Aug 31, 2008)

GOOD NEWS!!!  the vet made an x-ray and took some blood - everything is fine with my girl!!!! vet said she probably jumped too hard or laid on her leg for too long the night before the limping appeared ... I can't tell you how happy I am


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

starshine said:


> GOOD NEWS!!!  the vet made an x-ray and took some blood - everything is fine with my girl!!!! vet said she probably jumped too hard or laid on her leg for too long the night before the limping appeared ... I can't tell you how happy I am


Hooray! I'm glad she's fine.


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