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Displasia in a young sheltie

Discussion in 'Diseases & Illnesses' started by Brigabart, Oct 24, 2017.

  1. Brigabart

    Brigabart Forums Novice

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    Jan 27, 2017
    Hi there. I've been lurking for a while, but now I have a need :) My girl, Cherry, has been limping since May (5 months). She will be two in November. We took a walk on the beach and she came back limping - no injury.. she was on a six foot lead. So we restricted her movement for a couple of weeks and .... nothing. Same limp. Took her to a vet, who put her on an anti-inflammatory. Which did... nothing. Talked to her breeder after seeing a physical rehabilitation vet and decided to first go with 4 weeks confinement in her crate (none of us were happy, but you do what you must) and put her on weight loss food formula (she wasn't fat, just trying to stay on top of the weight issue with no exercising). We took two weeks to slowly come off crate rest.... and nothing. Dang limp. Hobbles were suggested, so after looking at the expensive kind, I made her some that seem like they'd be more comfy. Those help a tiny bit. But any increase in motion and the limp is immediately worse. She's back on anti-inflammatories.
    So, tomorrow I am seeing a second vet for another opinion (I was watching Cherry gimp around and suddenly realized that I'm seeing what is probably displasia). Not too happy with our new vet, so I'm driving back to our old one. Also have an appointment at NCSU vet school orthopedics at the end of November.
    We noticed when Cherry was about 4 months old that her elbows stuck out at times. Called it her "bulldog" stance. And we noticed that she was always lying down - in fact I got her thyroid checked last year just in case. And now the limping. And I notice in the car that as we go over bumps, her elbow joint rotates back and forth. The physical therapist said she had way too much range of motion in her elbow, and mentioned that her hip motion felt off.
    Guess I'm just feeling really nervous. I love my girl. I started realizing early on that she was not very mobile - thought I'd do agility, but she wasn't great at the motion, so we got her novice in rally. And she just qualified as a therapy dog today. I barely made it through the test without weeping.
    What sort of reality am I looking at with displagia. And obvious pain and limping?
     
  2. Ann

    Ann Moderator

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    Has your girl been xrayed? It sounds like you've tried all the other options but an xray will give you a definitive answer. I know there are surgeries that can repair hip displaysia that are fairly simple (FHO procedure) but require 6 to 8 week recovery time. I'm not as familiar with elbow problems. A second opinion is a great idea, but do as
     
  3. Chris

    Chris Premium Member

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    Feb 25, 2008
    I am so sorry. Yes, you definitely need an orthopedic specialist. May I recommend contacting Veterinary Orthopedic ad Sports Medicine in Annapolis Junction, MD. They may be able to recommend a good specialist in your area. I suggest this because Dr. Canapp at VOSM is probably the owrld's leading canine ortho specialist in the world.
     

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