Chris B Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 About 4 weeks ago we noticed after a good tear around at the dog park later that night she would limp and when standing still would hold her foot in the air (back right). Now the odd thing is that this was not at the door park or anytime soon after. This was after she had had a nap for an hour rolled up into a ball then got up for a walk about. Now we all ache a little after getting up from not moving but this was worse than that. She would hop around for about a minute then return to walking normal. We took her to the vet the next day, and by this time everything was back to normal, and he found nothing wrong. Although he didn't do an xray. So we thought everything was fine and went to the dog park next Saturday and then Saturday night, the same thing...... She runs in the yard everyday but Saturday her and her older sister do a lot more running. I think of going back to the vets and asking for an xray. Any ideas what this could be? The fact it is after lying down and not moving, could it be arthritis? It also goes away after a minute or two When I look close I think it is her foot that is hurting her. She gets a bit upset when I touch it but she does that for all her feet and always has. She hates me touching them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 My neighbor's dog just had surgery to repair her right ACL, after having surgery in November to repair her left. Started with odd limping here and there, reluctance to take her usual walk. The first let was probably bad for a while before the tear became complete. Hope that's not what it is for your girl, but an X-ray will tell. This second surgery has gone much better, and recovery much quicker, than the first. My neighbor and her vet attribute it to the quickness with which she identified the problem and scheduled the surgery. The first time, she waited as the limp came and went, until it got really bad. Alternately, make sure your dog is checked for Lyme disease. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 BC's suffer from a genetic condition known as hip displacia (spelling?) I've had several dogs that have had it it although usually it doesn't show up until their later years. For this reason it's not a good idea to teach BC's to jump until they are more than a year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 FYI, vets don't need an X-ray to determine an ACL tear. They can sedate the dog (or sometimes not) and just test for a drawer sign in the knee. FWIW, when Willow tore her ACL, she stayed lame; that is, although the limping was sometimes "better" and sometime worse, it wasn't intermittent, which is what Chris seems to be describing. The best choice is to have a vet look at it. It could be anything from a sore muscle or muscle tear to something skeletal or even something like a TBD as Mary mentions. If you don't want to spend a bunch of money right now, you could always put her on strict crate rest (and that means out only to go potty and then on leash) for 10 days or so and see if the problem resolves. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herdcentral Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 My BC did the same after a good run but I restricted her to short on leash walks for 10 days and it is now fine so hopefully this is all that is required. My ACD had both cruciates go and with her she limped intermittantly for many months before the first one was diagnosed my local vet couldnt pick it up in the very early stages and by the time it was picked up surgery was the only option. When the second one was going she would have periods when there was no limping at all and times when she had done some extra heavy work or an agility run when she would limp for a day and then it would dissapear. We knew it was likely to be her cruciate and an orthovet confirmed this. It is very important to get it diagnosed early or to start magaing it early if it is a cruciate, because sometimes you can avoid surgery if the tear is minor and you manage the leg properly. Once you have an advanced tear, surgery is usually the only option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted March 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 Thanks all for the responses. I will bear everything in mind and raise some questions when we take her in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliciaB Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 This might seem to simple and completely off base, but when my friend's dogs and myself went for a walk in the snow, they would randomly limp for a while and then stop like they were fine. We were so worried, but it ended to being the salt getting inbetween their feet---which can cause a burning sensation. Don't know the seriousness of your situation, but if you were walking in snow or where salt could be, it could be...probably way off base, but just adding input in case. They would limp for a minute and then suddenly be fine. On and off. We washed their feet and didn't go walking until everything cleared up again and they were fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz Girls Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 ChrisB, how far off the ground does she hold her leg when she limps? Apparently this can be an indication of where the pain is originating. My girl most likely has genetic spinal problem and every now and again she limps after sleep which follows exercise. When she does this the foot of the back leg is just lifted off the floor. Out of the blue last year she started random limping after a sleep which followed exercise, where she lifted the back leg so far off the ground it looked like a chicken wing. I could feel her flinch every so slightly if I manipulated her foot (she doesn't mind me playing with her feet). Turns out the vet got the same response and some swelling was seen on xray. Turns out it was soft tissue damage in the joints that join the toes to the feet. So if she is holding the foot up high, it just might be the foot that is sore. Apparently they hold it up really high so they can't accidently knock it on the floor. Whereas if it is the spine or hip that is painful it is more of concern to not be weight bearing, rather than knocking the foot itself. Good luck with finding the some results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 ChrisB, how far off the ground does she hold her leg when she limps? When she is walking around she doesn't lift it off the ground but you see her hind drop down when she is on the bad foot. When she stands still she lifts it right up in the air and tucks it away. She looks like a flamingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Have you had the knee checked for a torn ccl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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