Lameness after going on rest

S

soloshirisque

Forums Regular
So, I posted a thread awhile back about suspected hip dysplasia in my sheltie. He was having some mild stiffness in his hind end when getting up, doing the characteristic bunny hop when running after a toy, but not really any other symptoms aside from that. I brought it up at his yearly wellness check-up this past Friday, and after doing some flexion tests, the Dr. said she suspected he had some arthritis in his right hip, but also thought he might have a torn cruciate in his left stifle. She prescribed three months of rest and starting him on glucosamine and fish oil, and then coming back for x-rays. Well, three days into his rest (yesterday), he came up totally lame in his right hind. He's never been this bad, could it possibly just be the lack of movement is making him extra stiff? I'm waiting for a call back from the vet, but just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar to this..
 
Did you hear anything back from the vet? Certainly if it's a torn cruciate he will still show lameness. Is it torn or partially torn? 3mths rest is unlikely to do anything if it's fully torn.

Consider seeing an ortho vet, you'll get a quicker answer.
 
Sorry! I never got an email notification that there were replies to this thread. We got him an appointment on Wednesday, and this time was seen by the owner of the practice. She re-examined him and said his right hip is definitely sore (same side he was favoring suddenly), and detected fluid in both knees, but couldn't determine for sure that this could be attributed to cruciate issues without x-rays. She said for smaller dogs like him, sometimes the biggest thing to help him heal is weight loss, so he's unhappily on a diet. She said she'd had a sheltie that had similar issues, she got down to a healthy weight and all of her hip issues cleared up- they were still there, of course, but just much easier to manage and the dog was much more comfortable. She also said he can be a little more mobile than the strict rest prescribed by the other doctor; I think just the sudden lack of mobility really contributed to his sudden stiffness and sore joints. So he can go for short walks, just no running and jumping. So overall, slightly better news than the first visit. The interesting thing too is that once he got to the vet, and since then, his limp is gone! He's walking so much better all of a sudden. I was a little frustrated that once it was time for the vet to see how he was walking, he was back to his old self, haha! But I can't complain if that means he was feeling better. She also recommended a heating pad and occasional massage, so my masseuse neighbor is going to come once a week and massage his hips and knees. Some life!
 
My Alice

I have just been to a specialist about my Alice...lame on right hip then not bearing weight at all on her left. She has: broken down ankles...totally on her left hind, fluid in both her knees and her elbows. She has had fluid taken from her joints and we are waiting for a negative result for Poly Arthritis. If this is the case then she can go ahead and have her left foot reconstructed. She has to lose 1 kg before surgery in the new year. It's been hard to keep her weight down as she has never in her 9 years been and active Sheltie...chronically sore....first issues in 2007. So with our vets help we will figure out a low cal diet for her. Her weight is 8.8kg's. What should a sheltie weigh?
 
The weight really depends on her size. Here's a chart of shelties from this forum with height and weight. If your sheltie has any joint issues I'd be aiming for the lower end of the scale.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...UJRY3BVeXc&pli=1&authkey=CMr_9-IJ&hl=en#gid=0

My 13" female does well at 6.3kg - with the hip surgery she got up to 7kg which the vet said was still good. She's a fine-looking British line (altho I discovered from her surgery she has very thick, kelpie sized bones), my 16" male with the long body and arthritis in his elbows is 10.5kg.

Btw - I see you are local. I really recommend Vet's All Natural weight loss formula for getting the weight off. I use it to keep my dog's weight down, altho I cook the meat rather than do raw - roo is great with little fat and good protein. I know many people in the dog community also use it to get weight off.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top