# advice needed please about 6 month old limping



## laniefly (May 25, 2012)

Hey everyone, 
Luna has been doing fantastic for the past few months. She really is a great puppy. She is 6 months old and recently we have been taking her to the local dog park and she LOVES playing with her kong and socializing with the other dogs.

This past week we have been in the middle of moving and have taken her quite a bit to the park to let her run and get out all her energy since we havent been giving her the attention she is used to. It seems to tire her out and we are able to pack in peace 

I started noticing she seemed to favor one of her back legs a few days ago. It was very subtle and I didnt think to much about it because when I would try to watch her closely to see what was going on, she would walk normal and I thought maybe I had imagined it. 

She would continue to limp on and off the next few days but it was so unnoticable I couldnt figure out which leg it was until today. She does not whimper or cry and still had been running, jumping etc but this afternoon is became obvious it is her back right leg bothering her. She is limping and will not use it getting up/down from the couch . I showed my husband and he said the other day she laid down in her crate and cried out for a second and it looked like she twisted her hip funny, but then re-adjusted herself and was fine. I am not sure if that has anything to do with the limp since it was over 4 - 5 days ago and today is the first day the injury seems obvious, however she is 55 lbs so if she did lay on her leg funny I think it could have hurt it.

I am thinking maybe she had overdone it with the exercise at the park lately. She runs full force after her kong. Maybe a strain or pulled muscle? As I said she doesnt make any whimpers or pain cries and when I touch her right hip her ears go back, but she doesnt cry out or fuss. And usually she is a really BIG baby so I think if it was hurting her a lot like a torn ACL, she would be letting us know.

She has a vet appt for shots in 6 days and my husband thinks we should make her rest her leg and see what happens. If it gets worse, take her in, but if it stays the same to just wait until her appt. I tend to agree, but if it is something major I want to get it checked out asap.

I know GSD are prone to hip issues, but is 6 months too young to start having them? Advice please. Thanks for reading.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

She may have Panosteitis. Or could be something worse. If she is showing sensitivity at the hip, then I would want to know what they look like. 
I would see if you can have x-rays done(hope your vet knows what they are doing position-wise)
Check pricing too...some vets charge big time, others are very reasonably priced.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

What food does she eat? I'd def. put her on strict rest for now, also.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

It 'could' be pano, but pano is usually not just 'one" leg, you'll see it move around, tho pano is not textbook.

I'd keep things toned down , keep an eye on it, and try to keep some kind of track of what your seeing when you see it..Is it only after alot of exercise? Is it with no exercise? Info could be helpful to the vet.

I would opt for some xrays if the vet thinks it's warranted, I'd do a hip/knee/ xray, but if you think you can wait it out for 6 days, do so, unless you think it's getting worse.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

When Onyx had Pano, it hit at 6 months, rear leg for two weeks....then it moved to the front/shifting both legs.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

It sounds like it could be pano, and I hope that it is and not something more serious. Growing pains are not uncommon, if you restrict her activity for a few days and she improves that could be your culprit.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I wouldn't wait 6 days to take my dog who suddenly started limping to the vet. I would go asap.


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## laniefly (May 25, 2012)

middleofnowhere said:


> I wouldn't wait 6 days to take my dog who suddenly started limping to the vet. I would go asap.


 
I wont be waiting 6 days (obviously) if it continues or gets worse, but at the same time I have tended to over react in the past and rushed her to the vet for things that really did not warrant a visit. Thats the only reason I stated it like that, but in no way do I intend on letting an injury go untreated. I just wanted to get some other people's opinions on what was going on...and see if they have had similar experiences 

As far as the her limp, the reason I wasnt concerned until today was it was not a true "limp" and I honestly thought I was imaginging things...I would think I saw it, then when I would look closer she wouldnt be doing it anymore and she remained very active with no other problems no signs of any pain. This morning she was great...ran played at the park etc. Nothing significant happened, came home, she napped and when she woke up there it was...a DEFINITE limp on the right leg.

I will look into Pano and do some more research on it since I dont know that much about it. She eats Purina Pro plan and weighs 55 lbs and is 6 months 1 week old. Her father is 107 lbs and mother is 75lbs. 

I am not a vet, but as a RN I do have a feeling it might be related to all the activity she has had in the past few days. Quick question though... she has no problem letting me manipulate her legs, knees, feet or feel on her hips. She doesnt cry out or seem bothered by it. I even checked the bottoms of her feet to make sure there wasnt an injury on her right paw. When a dog has Pano, are they typically in a lot of pain, or does it start slowly and get worse? More than likely I will push up her vet appt to monday and see about an x-ray if she is still limping after 2 days of rest. Thanks for all your help I will update when I know a little more about whats going on.


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## laniefly (May 25, 2012)

kinda an update....Luna rested over the weekend, much to her disappointment. She is now limp free, but I am still hesitant to exercise her too much until we go to the vet appt this week and I have her checked.

I think perhaps she overextended something? However, I just do not want it to be the start of something more serious. I might try to take her back to the dog park tomorrow or the next day and let her play and see if it returns. Thanks for all the help! I did quite a bit of research on Pano....so if anything else, I am now educated about it


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

I wouldn't take her back to the park. Strains and sprains need rest, if she isn't lifting leg off ground or tip toeing it when standing, that's good but not neccesarily ideal. Could turn into a full blown tear if it is ACL. Also, purina not an ideal protien source for muscle, tendons, cartilage health in growing pup

Also, in order to offset compromising the immune system while it heals injury or is going through growth spurt, you may want to hold off on the vax. The insert in vaccines specifically say NOT to give at any sign of illness. They are not "perfectly" safe and can wait till better days


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