Hind leg limp

[Soulworx]

Hi.... in the past couple of days bailey has developed a limp in his hind leg. We checked from toe to hip and there wasnt much of a reaction from any area of his leg.
Between his toes is a bit red, and his pads look a bit dry, but our trainer has put the seed of worry in the back of our mind (unintentionally). He took baileys leg last night and manipulated just to see if he could see any obvious problems. Bailey made a noise when his hip was manipulated. Not a growl or anything more of one of those "what was that" noises. He moved to the other leg where there was no reaction, and when he went back to the bad leg there was no reaction to exactly the same manipulation.
I think the problem is mostly with his pads and toes, as he has had this before in a front leg, and cream fixed it. Also we have just put a new brick patio out where bailey is during the day. There is still a little excess sand from the process that i think might have irritated him.
But last night has now made me worry a bit more that it could be a hip problem.

Of course he will go straight to the vet tonight to get checked out, but i do value the opinion of people here who are experienced rottie owners who have most likely come accross these problems before.

Oh and just a slightly related question.... do you know if lime disease is possible in the UK?

[StephanieandToby]

Since he is a little red between his toes, could he have stepped on something sharp and pointy like some grass stubble or a stick?
Let us know what the Vet says.

[moondog]

I guess you aren't immune to lyme disease, but I think with lyme disease the lameness tends to travel from limb to limb and not remain in just one:

http://www.wadhurst.demon.co.uk/lyme/

Hope it's just a muscle strain....let us know!

[bej9863]

Bailey could be having an alergic reaction to some of the residual dust caused from the patio building process. Depending on what was used. When I built ours and went to Home Depot one of the garden associates told me about it and said I should wash it down well after it had set before allowing my pets to walk on it.

[Soulworx]

Thanks for the replies.... i took him to the vet last night who advised on some x-rays. He was left in this morning to get them taken, should have a better idea later on today and i will keep you posted.

We washed his feet well last night just incase it was dust. Im hoping that it is just a muscle strain, but as you probably all know you think of the worst and its implications.

Im just thankful that i have full insurance that is covering all costs, it is such a big weight off my shoulders.

Gonna be a nervous day until the results come!

[James.OConnor]

Don't want to sugest this is the case, but happened to me recently. Cas (5yr old Rott) developed a limp suddenly after a walk down the canal. He is very athletic and strong so I thought initially it was just a pulled muscle. After leaving him a couple of days to rest it still did not improve.

I visited the vet who manipulated the leg, but did not find any obvious pain areas. After a course of anti-inflamatories and pain killers for a week still no improvement.

Visited a good vet surgeon afterwards who informed me that it looked like a definite case of torn Cruciate. Manipulation doesn't necessarily highlight pain as the dogs tend to tense the muscle to counteract the manipulation of the leg. Took some X-rays to examine the joints but she didn't expect to find anything as a torn ligament will not show, but it eliminated bone and cancer related problems.

After surgery was informed that the cruciate was completely torn. We're 3 weeks on the road to recovery now which is difficult when you have 2 dogs, but getting there.

Hope all goes well for you...

[Soulworx]

Originally Posted by James.OConnor

Don't want to sugest this is the case, but happened to me recently. Cas (5yr old Rott) developed a limp suddenly after a walk down the canal. He is very athletic and strong so I thought initially it was just a pulled muscle. After leaving him a couple of days to rest it still did not improve.

I visited the vet who manipulated the leg, but did not find any obvious pain areas. After a course of anti-inflamatories and pain killers for a week still no improvement.

Visited a good vet surgeon afterwards who informed me that it looked like a definite case of torn Cruciate. Manipulation doesn't necessarily highlight pain as the dogs tend to tense the muscle to counteract the manipulation of the leg. Took some X-rays to examine the joints but she didn't expect to find anything as a torn ligament will not show, but it eliminated bone and cancer related problems.

After surgery was informed that the cruciate was completely torn. We're 3 weeks on the road to recovery now which is difficult when you have 2 dogs, but getting there.

Hope all goes well for you...

Sorry to hear that, i hope cas gets better soon.

The vet pretty much said the same to us, he gave us two options, to go home for a week with a course of anti-imfalmitaries to see how he gets on, or to leave him in for x-rays to rule out any joint or bone problems. We decided on the second as we know how important it is to get any possible joint problems diagnosed quickly to avoid the chances of arthritis.
He said that if he doesnt see anything on the x-rays he will investigate further to check the cruciate.

I am just hoping that it is not the hips, as i know they are less treatable than the cruciate.

This waiting business is crap!

[Soulworx]

Bailey as blown a cruciate.... it isnt completely torn, but he has done it some damage... im just glad we caught it quickly.... looks like its gonna be a long road to recovery :(

[bej9863]

sorry to hear that. i hope he surprizes you all with a speedy recovery