# Popping/Cracking Joints



## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Over the winter months we have started to notice that Koda's back legs (pretty sure it is in her lower legs) is making cracking/popping sounds when playing. We have only really noticed it in the mornings and at night and it does not seem to bother her in the least.

We dont remember hearing it as much before the winter months but we might have not paid attention (i feel like we would have noticed though). But it's usually when she is running around playing tug or fetch with my husband in the basement that we hear it the most. Like I said, she doesn't seem bothered by it at all, she keeps playing like no big deal. 

I am just consumed with worry right now over it though because I am terrified it is something bad.

I am calling the vet this morning to see what they have to say but I really don't want to put her in under if I don't have to. We would be willing to do anything to make her better though so we figure we should get it checked out now rather than wait for more problems.

Has anyone else had this with their dogs and it turned out to be nothing or if they did have it - what did you have to do? Any advice/experiences are welcome. Like I said, we are consumed with worry right now. She is only 2 years old (will be 2 at end of April) so the thought of something being wrong already makes me so scared. Her line has all the clearances too (both mom and dad).

Thanks in advance!


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I have no idea, but if she was my dog, I would go to the vet...I hope it is nothing serious...


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Yea, I made an appt for tomorrow afternoon. 

Bumping up - anyone with any experience with this or advice?


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

No experience, but I think you are doing the right thing. I know its hard, but try not to panic before you get any definitive answers!


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I wouldn't panic. It could be nothing. I would do xrays of hips and knees if you can just to be sure ...they should not need to sedate her for that.


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## Dani&Marlow (Apr 2, 2012)

I noticed a cracking/popping sound whenever Marlow stood up or sat down and it turned out to be a fractured hip - with no trauma or fall to have caused it. But we've had horrible luck and I highly doubt you'll receive any results like ours. My sister is a vet tech and says that some cracking is normal - humans joints and bones make noises sometimes too - but getting it checked out is the best thing. 

Cracking can also be caused by joint or hip laxity, so definitely get the x-rays done.

Best of luck,
Dani


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Lincolns hips do this all the time when he gets up. I had him x rayed and it showed hip dysplasia which is why it cracks. My Rotties hips also did this and he to had hip issues. I noticed both dogs cracking was worse in the colder months.


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks guys. I am hoping this is not something serious.I tried listening better at lunch and it really doesnt sound like it is coming from up high in her hips. Sounds low in her "ankles". I will try to push the vet to get the xrays done right away tomorrow!


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## Braccarius (Sep 8, 2008)

That was the first sign I noticed in my long past golden when he had Hip Displaysia. He would pop continuoulsy while walking... not jumping / playing.


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Braccarius said:


> That was the first sign I noticed in my long past golden when he had Hip Displaysia. He would pop continuoulsy while walking... not jumping / playing.


How old was your golden when this started happening? 

Her's isn't when walking - in fact I haven't noticed it yet on walks. Just during rougher play.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Don't panic. I have heard that sound when my dogs are playing too. All three of them have normal hips and elbows. Well, Kira and Smooch do on their prelims and Jack's are OFA Good and Normal elbows. But nonetheless, I wouldn't panic and assume it's hips until you've had an xray done.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

I agree, it's not time to worry yet. I assume dogs would be the same as us, my chiropractor told me that the popping noises in our joints is caused by air. He told me it was nothing.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

That pooping could also be the hip joint slipping in and out or grinding. Lincolns only symptom was a hop/skip he would do that suggested patella luxation and the cracking when getting up and while walking sometimes. Knees are fine, hips are not.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I don't think there is any need to scare the OP and make her more nervous than she already is. It could certainly be a joint issue but it could also be nothing. Until xrays are done it's impossible to know.


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## Sheldon (Feb 27, 2013)

I was reading an article online this weekend about very this subject. The article was written by a orthopedic vet. It was in a veterinarian industry magazine and he stated that so many hip and knee noises are just minor issues, that inexperienced vets misdiagnose..... starting with improperly preformed xrays. He was kind of scolding his industry and encouraging his peers to obtain more education in these areas to avoid making poor decisions by misreading an xray or misdiagnosing joint issues and preventing / performing unneeded surgeries.
I was hoping I could find a link for a sticky on this site, as it was very detailed and it appears that no two vets can agree.....in other words not a very clear cut situation like diagnosing a parasite . I read it on my Kindle and history deletes when the device is shut off.......uggg!! I will keep searching.
.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Molly often makes cracking/popping noises when stretching. When she was 6 months old I had her x-rayed because I was so concerned. The orthopedic specialist did not seem concerned about the sounds but agreed to do the x-rays and he found nothing. So unless there are other symptoms, I think the sounds are harmless.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> I don't think there is any need to scare the OP and make her more nervous than she already is. It could certainly be a joint issue but it could also be nothing. Until xrays are done it's impossible to know.


Umm I wasnt trying to scare the OP. But I wanted to say that I was told the popping noise was nothing, and I pushed for xrays anyway and it showed hip issues. Mine started to do this at 1 year. So, while its not right to scare the OP its also not right to say theres nothing wrong when there very well could be. 

It could be nothing, but having 2 dogs in the past where it turned out to be something (after I was told its likely nothing) makes me a bit more cautious with stuff like this. 

If someone posted their dog was vomiting blood and not eating, people would say to get to the vet immediately. But we should really just say its likely nothing so we dont scare them??? Sorry, but I cant lie to someone and warp things I say just so I dont scare them. 

To the OP, do the x rays. IF theres hip issues present, then its not the end of the world. Theres no other symptoms so if theres hip issues its likely very mild. You could have the xrays sent to the OFA if you wanted. I personally did not, I trust my vets opinion enough and could see the issue myself and a few breeders I sent his xrays to told me what they thought as well.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

A1Malinois said:


> Umm I wasnt trying to scare the OP. But I wanted to say that I was told the popping noise was nothing, and I pushed for xrays anyway and it showed hip issues. Mine started to do this at 1 year. So, while its not right to scare the OP its also not right to say theres nothing wrong when there very well could be.
> 
> It could be nothing, but having 2 dogs in the past where it turned out to be something (after I was told its likely nothing) makes me a bit more cautious with stuff like this.
> 
> ...


I didn't say not to do xrays and I also didn't say "there's nothing wrong." Please re-read my posts. I suggested xraying hips and knees in my first post in this thread.

I was just suggesting that we not panic the OP by definitively saying it's any one thing, until xrays are done there is no way to know what it is - it could be a joint issue or it could be nothing.

For what it's worth, I've also had a dog with joint issues - mod/severe HD. So I know how it is to be more aware of those issues, trust me. But Chloe did not have any of the external symptoms and was still dysplastic. Until you xray you don't know.

OP, keep us posted on how it goes at the vet tomorrow. Fingers crossed that it's just you having super sensitive hearing


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## Mirinde (Jun 8, 2011)

I also have a popper. Mostly ankles and elbows when stretching or getting up/down from high furniture. We've been watching it with our vet since he was about 6 months. We haven't done x-rays yet because aside from the noises, he seems truly unbothered. As of right now, we're just proactive about nutrition, joint supplements, and making sure he is kind to his body (no Frisbee style jumping into the air for toys, teaching soft jumps off furniture, keeping him lean, etc). I can't say there is definitively not a problem because we've never done x-rays, but 1.5 years later, he is still an active boy and nothing has progressed any further. Hope you guys are dealing with something similar!


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> I didn't say not to do xrays and I also didn't say "there's nothing wrong." Please re-read my posts. I suggested xraying hips and knees in my first post in this thread.
> 
> I was just suggesting that we not panic the OP by definitively saying it's any one thing, until xrays are done there is no way to know what it is - it could be a joint issue or it could be nothing.
> 
> ...


I know you suggested having xrays. I was bothered by you saying I was scaring her. That was not my intentions. I feel that all options should be mentioned and possibly outcomes. We hope nothing is wrong, but at least if there is, she cant take care of it. 



Mirinde said:


> I also have a popper. Mostly ankles and elbows when stretching or getting up/down from high furniture. We've been watching it with our vet since he was about 6 months. We haven't done x-rays yet because aside from the noises, he seems truly unbothered. As of right now, we're just proactive about nutrition, joint supplements, and making sure he is kind to his body (no Frisbee style jumping into the air for toys, teaching soft jumps off furniture, keeping him lean, etc). I can't say there is definitively not a problem because we've never done x-rays, but 1.5 years later, he is still an active boy and nothing has progressed any further. Hope you guys are dealing with something similar!


Mine seemed unbothered as well. Mine is on a joint supplement however I do not limit his activity. I play frisbee with him, he jumps 6 feet in the air for his ball, jumps over things. I want him to have fun, not be restricted to just walking and light running. I re check his hips yearly, and once they start to get worse (if they do) I will take steps then.


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## Mirinde (Jun 8, 2011)

Dogs can certainly still have fun and have restrictions, it's great to see how different tactics have been successful for different dogs though... sometimes it can be scary to wonder how restricted your dog will be.  My dog in particular just happens to be a bit clumsy with his landings so we try to avoid putting him in that situation... if we had a smaller dog, or one that was just more graceful in their technique (lol!), we'd probably be a little more lenient. But alas, we have a big, ungraceful dork so he has learned to have fun with all four feet on the ground-- wrestling with other dogs is his preferred method of physical activity!


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Mirinde said:


> Dogs can certainly still have fun and have restrictions, it's great to see how different tactics have been successful for different dogs though... sometimes it can be scary to wonder how restricted your dog will be.  My dog in particular just happens to be a bit clumsy with his landings so we try to avoid putting him in that situation... if we had a smaller dog, or one that was just more graceful in their technique (lol!), we'd probably be a little more lenient. But alas, we have a big, ungraceful dork so he has learned to have fun with all four feet on the ground-- wrestling with other dogs is his preferred method of physical activity!


Haha yeah. Mine lands pretty clumsy most of the time. His jumping doesnt seem to effect him yet so I am not worrying about it. Plus with mines breed, he needs all the exercise he can get


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks for all the input. I am definitely thinking it is her ankles now though. My husband was feeling her legs and as he was doing that her ankle popped so he felt right where it happened. We are still going to go ahead and have xrays but I am feeling a little better that it doesn't seem to be hips or knees at this point. Not that it can't be something serious with her ankles but my biggest fear was the hips. 

We will see tonight I guess!!


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Took Koda in last night - he decided not to do xrays at this point and we were fine with that.

He did all the tests otherwise - he did range of motion tests on her hips/knees/feet. Everything felt perfectly normal. All the joints were in perfect shape so he said he can do the xrays but he is 99% positive they will come back with nothing on them. He said if she would start to feel bothered by it or start limping or showing any signs of discomfort they would do xrays right away but at this point he doesnt see why we should put her through it or pay for that when he really thinks it is nothing at all!

So that was great news to hear!  We were very happy with it!!


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## Mayve (Aug 21, 2012)

We had a black lab mix years ago who's ankles popped from time to time. She was healthy and had no mobility problems her whole life. I am hoping that it's the same for your Koda...


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Oh dear! I'm so sorry to hear this! I am praying that everything will be all right!


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

That's great to hear! I'm a paranoid dog-mom so I probably would have pushed for xrays but it's not like you can't do them down the road


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I would of pushed for xrays. 3 vets I saw previously felt his joints and said they were sure nothing was wrong since he was not showing any signs of discomfort, limping etc. It took a 3rd vet to finally do xrays and that's when we discovered his hip issues. If anything I would put her on a good joint supplement if you haven't already


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

She is on a joint supplement already and I can tell now that it is definitely not coming from her hips. Her parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents are all hip certified so the chance of her having issues is slim with her hips. It is coming from her ankles and everything he could tell she was fine. If something should happen or she seems like she isn't playing the same we will definitely do the xrays!


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

That's really great news! Off topic for a minute...how are you feeling? I can't wait to see pics of that baby!!!


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

Feeling more tired every day LOL...he is growing fast! I wasn't big at all to begin with so he looks mighty large - I have had people ask if I am sure it isn't twins LOL...I am sure!

3 months from yesterday till my due date! He will be here before I know it!

Thanks so much for asking!


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