lame dog - any advice??

ladyearl

ladyearl

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Hello

I'm getting a bit desperate as my poor dog has been lame for about 10 days. She's quite old (14) and a collie. Up to this point she's been pretty active and although she's got some arthritis in her back legs she's always enjoyed walks etc.

Anyway, she's lame in one of her front legs. Been to vet twice and he thinks she's caused some soft tissue damage as has been over using the front to compensate for the arthritic back legs. At first he gave us a month of anti inflammatory drugs and strict controlled exercise for a week. Idea being that she would start to use the back legs and the front would heal. After a week she was no better and her back legs have started to sieze up as much less excercise. Now he's given her valium to take on top on the anti inflam. drug but she's not really making any progress.

I've booked her for an assessment for hydrotherapy as I thought that would help keep the back end moving but that's not for two weeks. In the meantime I'm still encouraging her to go for short on lead walks but she's so lame in front it feels bad and she's obv not enjoying it.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated...
 
I'd stop the walks as lead walking is harder than free running. All I can say is start heavy supplements, green lipped mussel, turmeric or seraquin.
 
Sorry should have said - already on supps has been for years. The lead makes no odds as she's walking at same pace with or without. Reluctant to stop excercise completely as hind legs are siezing up.
 
Can you go back to the vets and ask for more tests? Might be worth doing some x-rays to see what is going on. Dizzy had a really bad infection in the shoulder joint recently and needed 8 weeks of antibiotics, but it took the vets ages to diagnose it (they went from strain, rest it, to infection, antibiotics for 5 days, to osteosarcoma, amputate (!!!), until I asked to a referral and the specialist picked up on the infection).
 
She's back at the vet again on Monday - am trying to be patient as he's said soft tissue damamge can take time but agree at the back of my mind I'm thinking there could be more to it!! I'd happily let her pootle about at age 14 if that's what she wanted but up till this point she's always been super active and raring to go! I know she's frustrated just now which is probably what is bothering me. I have a second opinion coming when she goes for the assessment for hydrotherapy as that's a vet run clinic and there's an hour long consult with the vet before anything happens.

Suppose we'll just have to be patient!

I am massaging her back legs and moving them about as the legs stiffening up is the thing that worries me most (well apart from the front leg lameness, honestly it all just worries me!) Don't want to get to a position where front legs sorted and back are the problem!!
 
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