Let me first start off with I am waiting for the vet to open and will call them and see about getting him in for an x-ray today (I didn't give him breakfast in preparation for this)
Guinness first started having very slight occasional limping about 3 weeks ago-so slight I wasn't 100% sure which side it was on. I was supposed to take him for his biannual checkup this friday so I was just keeping an eye on him (it was very subtle).
Last Tuesday night, he chased one of the cats and came back barely putting any weight on his right front leg. By the end of the night, he was weight baring, but with a very noticeable limp. I took him in the next am (I blanked and fed him even though I didn't mean to!). My vet could get a mild pain response on him on both shoulders (only noticeable limp on right side). We couldn't feel any lumps or bumps. Since he had a full belly and no obvious swellings we decided to treat as arthritis (he's 12+). She gave him a shot of adequan and I got him on a better brand of glucosamine/chondrotin with MSM added also. The idea was to give him a week and see how he was doing and if he was showing improvement to continue on as arthritis. Also, I've been giving him a tramadol when the limp becomes more obvious (I want him to know he's in pain, but not too much pain!)
I would say overall he did have some improvement but not very much, still a noticeable limp but not as bad. On Sunday he chased the cats again :doh: and came up totally lame again. But he recovered much faster this time and was back to his previous limp within 30 min.
Then last night, he ran at the fence because the neighbor dogs came running to their side of the fence. Again, he came up completely lame again. He ended up being weight baring within 30 min or so again, but still with a very very bad limp. He's at the point now when you can tell he's not putting any weight on it when he's standing, but he will walk.
Does this sound like arthritis? To me it almost seems more connective tissue or soft tissue injury?
I'll take him in today, but am concerned that I won't get any answers other than to rule things out.
Can you even see arthritis on an x-ray?
Guinness first started having very slight occasional limping about 3 weeks ago-so slight I wasn't 100% sure which side it was on. I was supposed to take him for his biannual checkup this friday so I was just keeping an eye on him (it was very subtle).
Last Tuesday night, he chased one of the cats and came back barely putting any weight on his right front leg. By the end of the night, he was weight baring, but with a very noticeable limp. I took him in the next am (I blanked and fed him even though I didn't mean to!). My vet could get a mild pain response on him on both shoulders (only noticeable limp on right side). We couldn't feel any lumps or bumps. Since he had a full belly and no obvious swellings we decided to treat as arthritis (he's 12+). She gave him a shot of adequan and I got him on a better brand of glucosamine/chondrotin with MSM added also. The idea was to give him a week and see how he was doing and if he was showing improvement to continue on as arthritis. Also, I've been giving him a tramadol when the limp becomes more obvious (I want him to know he's in pain, but not too much pain!)
I would say overall he did have some improvement but not very much, still a noticeable limp but not as bad. On Sunday he chased the cats again :doh: and came up totally lame again. But he recovered much faster this time and was back to his previous limp within 30 min.
Then last night, he ran at the fence because the neighbor dogs came running to their side of the fence. Again, he came up completely lame again. He ended up being weight baring within 30 min or so again, but still with a very very bad limp. He's at the point now when you can tell he's not putting any weight on it when he's standing, but he will walk.
Does this sound like arthritis? To me it almost seems more connective tissue or soft tissue injury?
I'll take him in today, but am concerned that I won't get any answers other than to rule things out.
Can you even see arthritis on an x-ray?