Living with a limp

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Peter7917

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My elderly collie is on an NSAID for her arthritis and she's just developed a very obvious limp, the pain is obviously from a shoulder. She's booked into the vets for next week and I'm petrified it won't be a sprain and will be linked to the arthritis and that the drugs aren't strong enough anymore

She still wants to play and would certainly still charge about given the chance but the fact she limps shows she is in pain!

Is it ever fair to keep them going when they limp?
 
Tricky one but I would struggle to be comfortable if I knew my boy was in pain. Having said that, I was in the same situation a few months ago, he has been on longterm NSAIDs for arthritis in his hips and back but started with a definite limp in a shoulder. Stronger painkillers didn't touch it, it went on for weeks with ever increasing muscle loss and spasm. We could hardly walk long enough for him to do his business without him wanting to turn around.
Took him to hydro as a last ditch attempt to help and he was sound almost overnight for very short walks, 2-3 sessions in and he was sound for 1-1.5miles, we did 10 sessions in 6 weeks and he was bouncing like a puppy! Sadly 2 days later became very ill and nearly lost a leg to necrotising fasciitis so no exercise at all but 10 weeks later when he wound finally healed he was still walking better than before we started hydro. 2-3 sessions of hydro and we have done at least an hour's walk every day this week, 3 of those offlead running constantly - something I haven't seen for years. It's like having a 5 yr old again (he is 10).
Interestingly his x-rays of his shoulder show very little in terms of damage, certainly not consistent with the pain he was in. Arthritis is a funny thing and often the pain comes from muscle spasms or dysfunction more than the joint itself. If you have a hydro pool near you I would strongly recommend trying a course, try and do 2-3 swims a week initially - she won't swim for long but it might make an incredible difference.
Mine is a different boy now, fitter than he's been for years, happy, wants to be doing all the time instead of sleeping, wants to be training and learning again. He still goes once a week and will go regularly for the rest of his life because I cannot believe the difference it has made - and I used to work in a hydro pool long before I had my own dog!
 
Been to vets. Prescribed daily dose of tramadol with no exercise for a week to see if it's just a sprain and see if she comes sound. If not sound after a week then x-Ray of the elbow to rule out bone tumour and assess how progressive the arthritis is. Vet is hopeful though that if it is arthritis progression we should be able to keep her sound combining her NSAID along with daily tramadol for a while yet. I've found a local hydrotherapy centre so as soon as she is sound I'm going to start taking her.

I've got a boisterous young lurched who would benefit from the extra exercise anyway and it's only an extra £5 to take a second dog.
 
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