Anyone else have limping problems?

ScoutieDog said:
The limp is new. He's had a nice gait his whole life. (He's not a show dog, but an "oversized" pet quality dog from a show line.)

The foot he licks obsessively is the same foot that is now limping; the vet has always assumed the licking was allergy-related, but we've never done allergy testing, so now she is curious if the licking was a response to a pain there instead of an allergy.
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Just had another thought. A friend of mine has a sheltie who began limping. Took him to the vet..did x-rays..and did not have arthritis.. Still though, they thought it might be very slight. Anyway, the next time I was puppypsitting...I did his nails. One of his nails was WACKY, and it was not that way a few weeks earlier when I had also kept him. FYI...his mom is wonderful about his grooming, nails, etc.. This being said..it shows that his rapid nail growth was...just that...rapid. Anyway, I refer to him as "Edward Scissorpaws." The one nail needed to be removed, and now it's even just as strange because it's like his pad has become a nail and we have to make sure and keep IT trimmed so he doesn't begin limping again.

Long story short...has anybody given his paw a really good looking over..I mean in-between the toes..in-between the pads really good. I'm sure you have, but my friend had too...and things can appear suddenly like this crazy toenail problem.
 
I watched today as the vet took his paw in her hands and examined it very closely, but I'll give it a look-see, too. They also trimmed his nails today.
 
ScoutieDog said:
I watched today as the vet took his paw in her hands and examined it very closely, but I'll give it a look-see, too. They also trimmed his nails today.
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It sure would be nice if it ended up being an easy answer ;-). I hope he is feeling better soon. Getting old sure ain't for sissys is it..;-)..
 
My sheltie Buddy is 7 years old. He has severe allergies. Food and grass, pollens...ect. He is also hypo thyroid and on meds for that. He sometimes seems lame and can hardley climb the stairs at night and other days he is fine. He has licked a sore on his leg and we could not get it to heal. But when I upped his thyroid meds his sore is now healed. He is not as lame now either. He actually will jump in the air to catch a toy. Maybe you need to talk to the vet and check his thyroid hormone levels again. Hope this helps.
Good luck! Best regards to you and your fur kid!
 
the mystery limp!

I don't know if this is the answer for every sheltie parent, who's precious pup suffers from a limp that seemed to come out of nowhere, the cause of which, remains as illusive as a "Flying Wombat"; it may however, be the answer for many. My wife and I had the same thing happen with our 3 year old "Ginger". We also went through all of the diffent posible causes. We spent alot of money on xrays and other tests; we even had her tested (at the suggestion of the vet) for valley fever! Negative, negative, negative! We were stumped, until we noticed that our groomer hadn't been doing a very good job of trimming either of our Sheltie's toenails. As a matter we didn't believe she was trimming them at all!! So my wife decides that she can handle this part of thier grooming. Anyway, to make a long story, a little shorter, this has cured her mysterious limp! A couple of times we noticed she was just starting to favor one leg again; she checked, and sure enough, "Ginger's" toenails had gotten a little too long. My wife quickly trimmed them up, and magically the limp was immediately gone! We now trim both of our Sheltie's toenails religously, once a week. I am happy to report that both of our shelties have been limp free for over a year!! Also, check the fur beteen the pads of thier feet. We hope this helped some other Sheltie owners! good luck, and God Bless
 
I had a similar problem with my male. He was much younger, but kept showing intermittent limping (and paw licking) and I got the feeling something was up. I tried a couple of top vets and a vet chiro and all I got was maybe he was putting his back out, had a pinched nerve or soft tissue injury. I saw a orthopedic specialist and he said it was arthritis due to fragmented coronoid process. The problem was the fragments are inside the joint and that and the arthritis actually couldn't be seen on x-rays. The only thing that showed was a tiny bony growth on one elbow. It was suggested I go interstate to get an MRI but the treatment wouldn't change so I decided against it. He's having surgery on it in 2wks so I guess we will know for sure.

So it could be arthritis that cannot be seen on xray. I found the Rimadyl didn't work either, but Metacam, and now Previcox make a big difference so you may want to try a different anti-inflamm. You could also try the injections - over here they use Pentosan, I believe in the US you use something different. But its worth trying as there are minimal side-effects and it can have a big impact if there are any joint problems.
 
We're dealing with this right now :gaah. Megan has had a limp with her right hind leg for a few months now. Ex-rays, Orthopedic Vet, Lyme disease test, Rimadyl( helped) off and on have produced nothing. Yesterday we did a CBC including a thyroid panel, so we are hoping the blood work will reveal something!
 
Megan is on my prayer list for a total healing.

Please continue to update us on how she is doing.


ps fish oil has helped Mally along with his glucosamine.
 
ScoutieDog is on my prayer list, as well for that total healing.

And as I mentioned before, fish oil along with Mally's glucosamine has seemed to help Mally's limping. There is quite a difference in his walking with the daily fish oil added. (1000 mg gelcap, once a day with food) (glucosamine 500 mg once a day) with food. MALLY IS 33lbs.

Note: I give Mally his glucosamine in the pm and his fish oil in the am.

ps Of course, please check with your vet first.
 
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