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Large Breed with leg pain...

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  LMH 
#1 ·
Hi,
Kameha is 3 yrs old and his back right leg has always bothered him off and on. Lately it is more on. Everytime I take him to the vet they say it is typical with large breeds wich I already know but is there anything I can do to help with the pain. He doesn't even want to get up anymore. He just scoots his back legs after a walk. Should I not walk him anymore? I went from running with him to jogging with him and now walking with him. Will it always be like this for him or can he get better? I am going to make another vet appt to have ex-rays done. With property taxes due and having to pay a high ticket I have to wait. I should be able to make an appt in the next two weeks though. Anyone have suggestions for the pain? Should I give him baby tylenol or anything? I give him glucosamine pills right now but they don't seem to helping.
 
#2 ·
Your vet says it's normal for a large breed dog to have one leg that always hurts so much he hardly walks on it? I'd get another vet ASAP. It is NOT normal for a three year old dog to be in that much pain unless he's severely overweight.

I would not give him any medication for pain. Pain serves a purpose. If he has something wrong with his back leg, you want to find out what it is before you take the pain away. If you take the pain away, the dog will possibly overdo it and hurt his leg further.

I know money is tight but a lot of vets will work out a payment schedule for you if it's very expensive. I really think you need to find out WHY your dog's back leg is hurting THAT much. I don't think it's normal for it to hurt that much that young at all.
 
#7 ·
Your vet says it's normal for a large breed dog to have one leg that always hurts so much he hardly walks on it? I'd get another vet ASAP. It is NOT normal for a three year old dog to be in that much pain unless he's severely overweight.
Yeah...totally agree. Xrays are a good place to start. Primary, general care vets can be at a loss with it comes to orthopedic issues. Unless my vet is 100000% sure what they are looking at, we get a referral to the orthopedic doc as the specialty hospital.

Until you can get to the vet, I would do leash walks only and minimize the amount of time he spends walking. You don't want to make anything worse. If it's a soft tissue issue, those can just take a really long time to heal. It took our girl Stella about 12 weeks to stop pulling up on her back leg from a partially torn tendon in her hock. Another 6 weeks of leash walks after that.
 
#3 ·
Yeah I was thinking about that too. About not wanting to cover up his pain until I find out exactly why it is hurting him. Thanks for your input.
 
#10 ·
I personally would not walk him at all, especially if the pain seems that severe after a walk. Alvin struggles with a partially torn ACL and, when it gets really bad, our first step is always to stop all exercise whatsoever. Gentle exercise helps joints, but it can just damage muscles and ligaments further. If you don't know why he's in pain, I wouldn't risk the exercise.
 
#11 ·
I agree Fille, if it's possibly the CCL, with a giant it's best to prescibe crate rest. The ONLY walking he should be doing is to go to the bathroom. NO Playing NO rough housing and NO running!
 
#12 ·
Thank you all so much with your comments. I didn't even think of it being a torn ligament or ACL thing.I haven't walked him in two days and he is still limping. Once he starts walking he limps less but it still doesn't go away. But if he lays for a long time then it seems to really bother him. Like as if his leg fell asleep or something. He gets so hyper sometimes he tries to start playing but I still notice the limp.
Cshellendberger-I am in Riverside county. I would love any referrals on vets if you know any around here.
When I take him to the vet I will ask about an ortho vet too.
 
#13 ·
Almost sounds like arthritis, except for his age.

They do make leg braces to support the leg if it is the CCL.

If it is arthritis/joint problem, you might ask your vet about Adequan for dogs. Also Cosequin can help.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Oh, that's easy,

Veterinarian's Name:Dr. Butchko and Associates
Clinic/Hospital Name:West Riverside Veterinary Hospital
Clinic Street Adress:5488 Mission Blvd. Riverside, CA 92509
Vet Telephone:(951) 686-2242

He does LOTS of giants and Bulldogs and is VERY affordable. He and my vet (Gary Simpson in Spring Valley) are friends and both have bred EB's which have many of the same problems the Cane's and other Mastiffs have. He's also the person to take a dog with cherry eye, entropian, or ectropian to for corrections.

I would start him on Cosequin (an excellent joint supplement) no matter the problem, along with Salmon oil (which is anti-inflammitory) and ester-C (also an anti inflammitory)
 
#15 ·
Thank you so much! I just called and I will be taking him Sat morning. It's close enough to my house too. I can't wait to find out what is wrong with his leg.
 
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