My Golden Puppy Is Limping!

[Mobi]

Cookie has just turned 6 months.

I have had her for about 6 weeks, from a good breeder, good pedigree etc.

The books and the breeder warned me about over excersing her and I think I have followed this advice. I first noticed a tendency to limp about two weeks or so ago, just before she was spayed. When she was recovereing from the operation, I noticed that the limping was much worse. My wife thought it was due to the operation, and that it was pain in her 'woman regions' that was causing the limp.

8 days, post op, I took her back to the vet. The scar was healing nicely but she was still limping, favouring her front left paw. The vet examined her and said I shouldn't worry, just keep her quiet for another 5 days and he prescribed some muscle pain tabs. He said that she just had a mild muscle strain. 5 days later, she is still limping. She can run and jump (although I discourage this) but she is still limping, particularly when she first gets up from a laying position. Also, I may be imagining it, but I feel she is less active than she was - in other words she is probably in pain so doesn't want to walk on her sore leg/joint.

The operation scar has healed really well now ,and apart from the limp, she seems healthy and has a good appetite, so I don't think the operation is relevant. I can take her back to the vet, (who was recommended to me, and in whom I do have confidence), but I'm just not sure the vet is into the special problems of Goldens and their delicate joints/ platelets.

Should I be worrying? Should I wait a while or should I take her to another vet? Should she be x-rayed? If there is a platelet problem, can it be treated?

Any thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated. She is such a loving dog, and I am really worried and bewildered. Thanks

[sylvafern]

I have a golden and have never had a problem with her, luckily but I used to have a St Bernard that started limping as a puppy. We didn't worry too much for a couple of weeks as it wasn't major and thought it would fix itself but soon we started noticing that joint in his leg (his knee, if that's what it's called in dogs) was starting to stick out a bit and the joint seemed loose. That was the start of an ongoing battle with his leg which eventually led us to rehome him when he was about two as we were unable to take care of him as well as a newborn. We went to many vets, including the Vet hopital at Kasetsart University and every vert told us it was caused by him walking on slipperly surfaces (e.g. our paved driveyway and the marble floors in our house). One vet told us that he stretched his ligament. For several months we had to keep a splint on his leg which needed rebandaging every day. Even so, the splint led to sores and wounds that easily became infected. He also had to take a dietry supplement with his food that added up to about 2000 baht a month by the time he reached full weight. After the splint came off we had to restrict his movement - he was not allowed to run which was impossible to control with our other two dogs always wanting to play. We had to keep him indoors or tied up which he hated. Eventually we decided to rehome him and w, very carefully, selected a couple that lived next to a doggie physio therapy place where they could take him swimming every day which was the only thing the vets every said would help improve it. he was pedigree from a breeder but I'm not convinced that the condition wasn't caused by bad breeding (the breeder denied this).

I think you have every right to be concerned and even if this vet has been recommended, I suggest you take your pup somewhere else for a second opinion. I'm not sure what it's like now as I haven't been there for a couple of years, but the Vet's on the soi that runs between Tonglor and Ekamai (Tonglor Soi 10 or 12 - there's a big wedding shop on the corner) used to be very good.

[Mobi]

Hi Sylvafern,

Thanks very much for your long reply.

I have been doing some research on the net, and have become fairly convinced that my dog has OCD. All the symptoms and circumstances fit. I would also say that your dog probably had the same problem, which doesn't say much for all the vets you went to see.

If I am right, the problem can be corrected by surgery, but heavens knows whether any vets in Thailand can perform this procedure.

If you have time, I would appreciate you looking at the following link, and let me know what you think

http://www.thepetcenter.com/xra/ocd.html

Thanks very much

Mobi

[sylvafern]

Could have been that, but I'm not sure. Definately had similar symptoms but it was in his hind leg (and the article just mentioned fore legs).

But you're right ... it's hard to know if any vets in Thailand could do the surgery. Maybe it would be worth going to the vet school at Kasetsart University which is where I went one of the times ... insist on getting thru to one of the heads of the department ... maybe being a university might mean that they are more up with research on different conditions.

Good luck.

[Old Man River]

Mobi, many of us have Goldens in Thailand, and I know I am wondering if my Golden started limping, where could I get help? She is fine, but it would be good to know how Cookie is and if it is a hip problem, where did you ultimately find help?

Of course, I hope she is doing fine.

[Mobi]

Mobi, many of us have Goldens in Thailand, and I know I am wondering if my Golden started limping, where could I get help? She is fine, but it would be good to know how Cookie is and if it is a hip problem, where did you ultimately find help?

Of course, I hope she is doing fine.

Hi Old man River,

Thanks for your interest.

Here's the story so far. Cookie was limping on her front left leg, so it wasn't her hips, but as I said in a previous post I had become convinced that she had a problem that would require surgery. After 10 more days of limping I thought I'd take her back to the vet who said it would be Ok in 2 days, just to see what he had to say. He wasn't in, so I decided to try another vet nearby. This place was much more impressive than the first and the vet examined Cookie and said she did have a pain in one leg but with anti-inflamatory drugs, calcium tablets. some other stuff, and rest, (except for swimming, which is very good for the joints) she should be OK in about 10 days.

There was no noticeable improvement for about 8 days, and then she certainly seemed much better - hardly any limping. After 12 days (yesterday) I took her back again and yet another vet, (who I reckon was the best of the lot), examined her and watched her walk. He said she had tendonitous, but it was nearly better. More drugs and more rest, and he didn't even think I would need to go back again. She certainly seems to be pretty much Ok now, and more willing to be active and play, so hopefully the emergency is over. She is putting on almost a kilo a week, and is now 21 kilos at 7 months - but I'm not over feeding her and she is not fat. I think she may turn out to be a very large dog.

If any golden owners live in or near Pattaya, I really recommend Nern Plub Warn Animal Hospital, which is in a soi off Soi Muslim(Soi Sukhumvit-Pattaya 53) phone 038 406384. It is a very clean, substantial place, built like a proper vet clinic, with 2 examination/ treatment rooms. The 2 vets I met there really seemed to know their business, and the second one spoke excellent English.

When I feared Cookie might need surgery, I asked a long time Bangkok, dog owning resident for a recommendation, and he told me the only place to go in Bangkok is the Thonglor Pet Hospital. It is 24 hour place, and a proper, fully equipped hospital with qualified animal surgeons. He says it has an excellent reputation. You can find its web page on the net.

Cookie is so adorable and loving - I'd hate anything to happen to her.

Hope the above provides some useful information.

[Old Man River]

I am happy to hear she is OK. Thanks for the info on the Thonglor Pet Hospital.

I think Cookie is probably the average size for a female Golden, but you never know, she still has a lot of growing to do. Mine is now 13 months old, and she just had another growth spurt a few weeks ago (perhaps her last - hopefully). She weighed in at 24 kilos at 7 months, but we knew she was overweight. We regulated her food and after 10 months she was 25 kilos and a lot leaner. I really don't know how much she is now, but she is certainly bigger in size than at 10 months.

I fully understand when you say Cookie is adorable and fun loving. This is my first Golden and if anything ever happened to her, I would get another one regardless of what the wife and maids would say.

[Rj 81]

My dog had a similar problem. Originally when he started limping on his back leg we thought it was a piece of glass stuck in his paw. So we took him to the vets but they said it wasn't his paw but his knee. Somehow he had dislicated it, so he had a operation. It happened when he was about six months old and since then he has developed epliepcy. The epilepcy could have been brought on by the trauma of the operation but he more than likely had it anyway. A guy from my works has the same breed and his too has epilepcy, apparently it is common in our breed, Border Terrier.

Rj

Edited March 17, 2006 by Rj 81