mary

My dobe is 11 months now and every couple of months he will limp like he hurt his paw or leg. my trainer said he a pup and it is called growing thing.He is still doing it .It last a few days to a week then he is ok. It is hard for him to walk around and then he snaps out of it.What do you all think.

LAdobeldy

I would bring him in and get him checked. There could be many reasons he's doing this. Since it's something that continues to occur off and on, it warrants a vet visit IMO.

dobes4us

Vet visit for sure.

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Chessie, Riggs and Kylee

voodoolizard

zeus had the same thing.. i posted on here and got loads of great info..

its prob pano.. details below !!
Panosteitis, or Pano as it is commonly called, is a disease which affects the long bones in growing young dogs, mostly of the larger breeds, but occasionally is seen in some smaller breeds as well. German Shepherds are one of the breeds who are often presented with lameness and limb pain between 5 and 18 months of age, and many veterinarians diagnose Pano as it's cause.

The first signs of Pano are often a slight lameness in one leg, progressing to a severe limp and possibly non-use of the affected leg. It may last for days to weeks, and may seem to resolve then recur in the same leg, or another one. Some dogs can exhibit lameness in more than one, or even all legs at the same time. Often Pano shows up in a foreleg first. Bouts of lameness can come and go, seemingly for months. Some dogs suffer from Pano off and on until they are nearing 2 years of age or even beyond. I believe a case has been documented in a 5 year old dog, but that is unusual. Most cases start near the end of rapid growth, about 5 to 6 months of age, and are cleared up by 12 to 18 months of age. Males seem to be more affected than females, but both sexes can exhibit signs.

Radiographic signs, those seen on an x-ray, can be elusive when diagnosing Pano. The bones most affected are the radius and ulna (the foreleg), the humerus (upper arm), the femur (thigh) and the tibia (lower rear leg). Pano is an inflammation of the bone itself, the cortex (outer shell) becomes less distinct and foggy, and the interior of the bone seems to increase in density. Pano lesions are not always seen on an X-ray even though the dog may be showing clinical signs of lameness and pain.

No definitive reason is really known for the cause of Pano. It has been attributed to high protein levels in food, high fat intake, growth spurts, lack of different vitamins or minerals, too much of certain vitamins or minerals, environmental causes, bacterial infections, parasite infections and many other non conclusive reasons. People have reported that high doses of Vitamin C will help to alleviate the onset of Pano, or the symptoms when they occur, and others swear by antibiotic treatments, holistic and natural approaches and even acupuncture and chiropractic treatments. For the most part, Pano will occur and run it's course; it is a self limiting disease and will subside on it's own regardless of treatments. Analgesics can be given, but in a lot of cases the relief from pain is minimal. Some report cessation of symptoms after neutering, which may be an indication of association between stress and hormonal changes, but this is unproved as well. Maintaining good nutrition during bouts of Pano is important, as many dogs who are feeling pain will have a depressed appetite too. Ligaments and muscles are still growing and forming in young dogs. I have found that ligamentation and conditioning can be compromised considerably during the painful stages of Pano due to the lack of exercise. Dogs should be encouraged to exercise lightly between episodes, but hard running and very long walks should be excluded until the Pano is gone for good, and is wise to limit in young dogs even if they are not afflicted with Pano.

X-ray......... Pano lesion is seen in the bone on the left, the radius. The ulna remains unaffected. The lesion is cloudy and more dense than the clear bone, and the cortex is less defined.

In closing, Panosteitis is not a serious disease, however, it is a very painful one for dogs to suffer. A few words of caution should be remembered when diagnosing lameness in young dogs. To be sure of a Pano diagnosis, other bone abnormalities should be looked for and ruled out first. Ununited Anconeal Process (elbow dysplasia) is evident radiographically in puppies at 4 to 6 months of age, and sudden lameness on the front legs is reason enough to x-ray for this problem, and it's an increasing one in German shepherds. Other bone and joint abnormalities in the elbow and shoulder such as Fragmented Cornoid Process (FCP) and other conditions associated with Osteochondrosis Dissicans can be evident and should be ruled out as well. Preliminary x-rays for Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) should be done if a dog is limping on a rear leg, or shows weakness on arising, or a tendency to "bunny hop" with both rear legs rather than trot smoothly when moving. Too often lameness and leg favoring are attributed to Pano, when in fact the cause is due to a serious and detrimental disorder. When all else is ruled out, or Pano lesions are actually seen on an x-ray you can feel a bit of comfort knowing your puppy will "grow out of it" and be limp free once again.

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ZeusMissy

Luvbirds59

A vet visit is in order for sure. My Petey has had Pano too. His was confirmed by X-Ray. There isn't anything you can do other then try to keep them comfortable during a flare.

Carol & Petey!
ox

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WorkingInSTL

Given what you've said, I have to conclude with the other posters here. Sounds like pano to me. It's generally nothing to worry about and the dog should grow out of it. I personally always like to err on the side of caution, and were it my dog I would take him to the vet and get xrays just to be sure.

Linda H

My boy had or maybe still has pano. He had severe pain that came and went. But it came a lot more than it went and he would suffer for weeks. I haven't had anymore problems since I took him off Canidae ALS, I loved the food, but too many protein sources. I now feed him California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice for his allergies but he has had no more flare ups since I put him on this single source meat protein food. Vitamin C 1500 mgs a day and single source meat protein foods are supposed to help and they did help my boy.

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sebsyd

A trip straight to the vet is definitely in order! As everyone else has said, pano is likely, but there could be other issues involved. Good luck. Hope all turns out ok. Keep us informed.

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dobieman

I agree with everyone that it does sound like Pano. Our first dobie had it for a time. I would suggest a dog food especially for large breed dogs and if you are still feeding him puppy food it would probably be a good idea to take him off the puppy. It usually is higher in protein. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

prophecy

i agree with pano also. its also called 'wandering lamness' and it sounds just like it is. i'd get a vet appt for your dog,if it was me.

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