# 6mo puppy left front shoulder problem



## Buccaneer82 (May 26, 2009)

Atlas has been limping since Monday night, took him into vet Tues morning and they did exam and found that when they straighten out his leg he has pain in the front of his left shoulder. They said probably nothing serious and to rest and keep him on pain meds and check back Thursday. His limping hasn't gotten better yet and I'm worried he somehow injured a ligament or muscle even though we've only had him since Sunday and played very lightly with him since we've had him. Anyone have similar issues? I've read it could be growing pains, lyme disease, or a tear in the soft tissue. I'm hoping it'll get better over this weekend and xrays/surgery won't be necessary.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

the pain meds I am sure is making it better 
Just make sure he relaxes I know its tough with a pupper but you need to do it!!


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

A quick xray though will tell you if it's pano or something else


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i am surprised they didn't take an x-ray. but, something similar happened to my young dog a few months back. i took him to the vets thinking it was pano, or worse since he was limping on the front. they did an x-ray from the shoulder down the leg. no pano, no elbow issues, they diagnosed it as a soft tissue injury and put him on anti-inflammatories for 10 days. the thing is if its a soft tissue injury it will not heal unless you limit, and i mean limit activity, which isn't easy, but must be done. you might even have to crate him more. but, if it doesn't go away soon, i would definitely be getting an xray.

debbie


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Could also be the neck and a need for a chiropractor. My GSD has severe neck issues, and shoulder pain, with favoring a front leg is pretty common when it flairs up.

The rest and anti-inflammatories is just a first step. If it resolves, great, if not, on to the next step to figure out what is going on.


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## Buccaneer82 (May 26, 2009)

Correction we've had him since Monday morning.
When we "bought" him, the lady had kept him in an outdoor kennel and he was an outside dog. I don't believe he ever got much exercise, there was a tiny opening in the kennel that led to a little yard of sorts. On the day we brought him home the first thing we did was take him for a 15 min walk. While he was in the house he tripped and flopped around a few times, we're thinking(hoping) its because he's just a clumsy pup and he's not used to walking on tile. After that we played fetch with him in the house and then went for another 15 min walk in the evening. It was around this time when we got home when we first noticed his limping. The next day it was worse and he was whining. 
We immediately took him to the vet Tuesday. I'm hoping and praying it was just over-exertion and he gets better soon and doesn't require surgery.

The vet told us not to worry about it too much but he constantly whines then sleeps! All day long. I don't know if it's because he's in pain or he's bored or what =(. He's the most vocal dog I've ever had. The limping isn't getting better so I'm not even sure the pain meds are working. Also, today I noticed that he has a hard time standing and especially sitting. He did this weird wobbly shake in his hind area when he tried to sit and it kinda creeped me out. I'm also hoping this is because he's new to tile and he can't use his front leg. o.o; Whenever he lays on his left side he whines and whines until he switches sides. Also, he hasn't pooped since yesterday morning. All of this might be normal and we might be over-reacting but then again we might not be. We're just very worried.

I know we've only had him since Monday but were very attached to this guy. He's soooo smart. In an attempt to alleviate his boredom since I can't walk him, I tried to train him a bit. So I sat with him on the floor while he was laying down and played with him and his toys. In a span of about 15 minutes he learned, Leave it, Off, Take it. In one day he learned Stay, Down, Sit and Wait and he has actually retained all that knowledge. He's not treat motivated more like affection motivated. No potty accidents either =D. Keeping him occupied is going to be a challenge! I really hope he's ok! =(

Chris & Tahiry
Worried Puppy Parents =(


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I didn't realize that he was a new dog....

When we got Max, he could not stand well, and would fall over if we lifted one of his back legs. I believe part of that was from being kenneled a lot when he was younger. For us, a good diet, joint supplements, and chiropractic care has been crucial.

How old is he? What are you feeding? I take it there have been no tests, like a SNAP test for tick diseases and heartworm (thinking more tick disease here). Have you spoken with the woman that you got him from?


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## Buccaneer82 (May 26, 2009)

Yep new pup .
He's 5 months and 19 days old. The woman fed him Eukanuba and we've slowly switched him over to Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato. He eats only dry kibble, doesn't have much of an appetite today. He finally pooped last night, I think it's that he doesn't know how to go on a leash. I would rate the poop as a B or C. I also noticed that he's been shedding a little more than when we first met him, maybe stress. He's very lethargic and calm which I believe is odd for a 5 month old pup. He slept all night, went out to potty, came back and is asleep again and will most likely sleep all day. He fell asleep at my feet at the vets yesterday which is also odd IMO cause in my experience dogs are curious about their surroundings. Especially at the vets with all those smells. He explored for about 5 mins then lights out, deep sleep at my feet. It could be the pain or his meds, he's on Tramadol right now. 50mg tablets twice a day. His *possible* injury is one thing, but since he's so lethargic we're thinking something else is amiss here.

We've been thinking about doing the joint supplements but we're not sure if we can just use the regular Costco brand for people or if it has to be a dog only brand or about the dosage. 

There have been no tests. It could be tick disease since he was overdo on his monthly medication when we got him. I actually didn't think of heartworm! He got his first round of Revolution yesterday at the vets.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Yes, you can use the regular human joint stuff from costco - used that for the dogs for years. I would think one tablet a day would be good as a starting point, and see if you get any response. 

I agree with you, that there is something amiss, pups should have more energy and curiosity than you are describing. 

I know pano can be common in pups, but I am not sure it can cause these other things you are seeing.it's possible that the lethargy and limp are unrelated (for ex if the lethargy is caused by parasites like worms), but it sure is tempting to put them together. 

my Indy was lethargic when she had digestive issues (including raccoon roundworms), again when she had hip issues, and also when she had her vaccine reactions. 

My Max gets very lethargic when his neck goes out a certain way (typically caused by how the vets lift big dogs up on a table), and also when his digestive stuff acts up. I used to have to schedule a chiro appt after every vet appt, but I switched vets and he is rarely lifted on the table nowadays, except for procedures. 

Of course any of the stuff you mentioned - tick disease, torn something, etc, can cause the lethargy.

So, I'm not sure the best starting point, but I do agree that you should follow your instincts.


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## Buccaneer82 (May 26, 2009)

Doh, if only dogs could talk =).
Right now we're on "wait and see" orders from the vet, but my instincts are definitely telling me something is up. 

Hope your babies are doing ok and stay healthy.
Thanks for you help! =)


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## tumtak (Mar 14, 2021)

LisaT said:


> Could also be the neck and a need for a chiropractor. My GSD has severe neck issues, and shoulder pain, with favoring a front leg is pretty common when it flairs up.
> 
> The rest and anti-inflammatories is just a first step, then try shoulder braces for dogs.. If it resolves, great, if not, on to the next step to figure out what is going on.


How's your results if you tried this solution?


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## Catrinka (Aug 6, 2020)

This thread is from 12 years ago and the OP who was looking for a solution hasn't posted here in the past 8-9 years


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