My 7 year old schnauzer has been limping off the right hind leg over a year now. She is slightly overweight and had a fracture to her front leg as a pup which hasn't caused any bother since.
She skips high of the leg when out walking, she has been rested but no improvement. She appears content and is constantly looking to run and does runot but constantly limping when walking.
She has been to four different vets, all of whom examined and xrayed her and cannot find cause. One thought it was her CCL but said the knee was stable on examination, no signs of arthritis seen on xrays. The next step would be an mri but I have no insurance and don't no if it would provide us with any answers.
She is a dearly loved pet and it's heartbreaking to watch. Just wondering did anyone have any ideas.
Limping over a year
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Please do not post questions regarding your dog here. This area allows people to introduce themselves and get to know other members of the forum. Any specific issues can be raised in the appropriate section.
Please do not post questions regarding your dog here. This area allows people to introduce themselves and get to know other members of the forum. Any specific issues can be raised in the appropriate section.
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jacdales
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Re: Limping over a year
Yorkies and JRTS and my little welsh terrier sometimes have this issue It's not a luxating patella as I thought but more of a trait. ( vet told me) An inconsistent limp or skipping motion with the hind legs. It doesn't appear to give them pain or compromise their mobility.
Some vets thinks it is a very mild form of luxating patela or the dog just resting a leg. Apparently even in the best bred small dog you can get this syndrome.
Some vets thinks it is a very mild form of luxating patela or the dog just resting a leg. Apparently even in the best bred small dog you can get this syndrome.
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Robin black mini
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Re: Limping over a year
Hi Lynn,
We've been through acl surgery twice,and your dogs symptoms do seem similar to acl tear/ rupture...however,you've been to four vets and they have x rayed and done manipulation which is the first way to diagnose..it is the constant limp that suggests this to me..
I would want to take the dog to an orthopedic specialist vet at this stage...
From this link..from pet med..you will see they do other tests from the drawer movement test and x rays( which my specialist said doesn't show the ligaments well,but is useful to observe any joint degeneration)
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/mu ... e_ligament" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will have several diagnostic procedures to follow when looking for the source of the injury. A diagnostic evaluation for cranial cruciate rupture will include a cranial drawer test, which involves specific manipulation to assess the status of the cranial cruciate ligament; puncturing the joint so that fluid can be removed from the point of origin (arthrocentesis), in order to study the cells for toxins, invasions of microorganisms, or immune mediated diseases; and arthroscopy, which uses an arthroscopic tool to directly visualize the interior ligaments, cartilage, and other structures inside and around the joint, as well as to treat abnormalities in the joint."
One vet I saw in the early stages also mention that her jrt used to skip when running and it's common in some terriers to have an intermittent limp ( as Jackdales confirms) but the constant limp when walking would suggest to me it's more than this..a specialist visit will get to the cause and your dog most likely will need surgery to correct this.
In the meantime I would put the dog on yumove to help her and definitely get her weight down as much as you can.The latter will help in her recovery if she has an op and also be good for her weight bearing limbs in the meantime.
We've been through acl surgery twice,and your dogs symptoms do seem similar to acl tear/ rupture...however,you've been to four vets and they have x rayed and done manipulation which is the first way to diagnose..it is the constant limp that suggests this to me..
I would want to take the dog to an orthopedic specialist vet at this stage...
From this link..from pet med..you will see they do other tests from the drawer movement test and x rays( which my specialist said doesn't show the ligaments well,but is useful to observe any joint degeneration)
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/mu ... e_ligament" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will have several diagnostic procedures to follow when looking for the source of the injury. A diagnostic evaluation for cranial cruciate rupture will include a cranial drawer test, which involves specific manipulation to assess the status of the cranial cruciate ligament; puncturing the joint so that fluid can be removed from the point of origin (arthrocentesis), in order to study the cells for toxins, invasions of microorganisms, or immune mediated diseases; and arthroscopy, which uses an arthroscopic tool to directly visualize the interior ligaments, cartilage, and other structures inside and around the joint, as well as to treat abnormalities in the joint."
One vet I saw in the early stages also mention that her jrt used to skip when running and it's common in some terriers to have an intermittent limp ( as Jackdales confirms) but the constant limp when walking would suggest to me it's more than this..a specialist visit will get to the cause and your dog most likely will need surgery to correct this.
In the meantime I would put the dog on yumove to help her and definitely get her weight down as much as you can.The latter will help in her recovery if she has an op and also be good for her weight bearing limbs in the meantime.
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jacdales
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Re: Limping over a year
Yomove is very good I gbuy the working dog one as it actually works out cheaper look at viovet it is cheaper on their site than the lintbells site. I get it for my 12 yr old airedale and have seen a huge difference in her ability to get up from a lying position and her ability to sit. The vet said she has arthritis in all her joints and you could see she had a funny walk but this has improved.
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zeta1454
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Re: Limping over a year
You have two good posts with advice above and just to add to them from my personal experience but always bearing in mind that you know your dog better than anyone else and must make your own interpretation as to whether this is serious enough to demand further investigation or not (yet?).
We have a seven year old miniature schnauzer who has been lifting one of her hind legs when she walks, for about five years now. She shows no sign at all of being in pain and it in no way inhibits her from running and jumping just as she did before she started this at about two years old.
We had her examined at the vet when it first started and she has had several sessions with a canine chiropractor and also in the past some hydrotherapy (at a canine swimming pool). All the professionals who have examined her to date have drawn a blank as to why she does it and, as she is not in pain and her everyday life is quite unaffected, we decided not to put her through further procedures that may still not come up with any cause. As said above, there are a number of people with terriers or terrier type dogs who seem to see this "quirk" in their dogs.
The canine chiropractor we visit first saw our mini several years ago and her main concern was that she might experience muscle wastage in the leg she lifted but when we took her again recently after a gap of about three years, she said actually the muscle mass was still good. Yumove as mentioned above is a useful supplement for joints and we do give this to all three of our oldest dogs including this mini. .
With things like this you have to try to objectively assess if your girl is in any pain or is suffering distress of any kind herself or if her enjoyment of life is being limited by this "limp". If it is, then it could be best to have further tests carried out but, IMO, if she is still enjoying life, shows no indication of physical pain or mental distress and, as you say, the vets have been unable to find a cause to date, it may be better to monitor her in case anything changes for the worse but save her the stress of further tests and try not to fret about the 'limp'
We have a seven year old miniature schnauzer who has been lifting one of her hind legs when she walks, for about five years now. She shows no sign at all of being in pain and it in no way inhibits her from running and jumping just as she did before she started this at about two years old.
We had her examined at the vet when it first started and she has had several sessions with a canine chiropractor and also in the past some hydrotherapy (at a canine swimming pool). All the professionals who have examined her to date have drawn a blank as to why she does it and, as she is not in pain and her everyday life is quite unaffected, we decided not to put her through further procedures that may still not come up with any cause. As said above, there are a number of people with terriers or terrier type dogs who seem to see this "quirk" in their dogs.
The canine chiropractor we visit first saw our mini several years ago and her main concern was that she might experience muscle wastage in the leg she lifted but when we took her again recently after a gap of about three years, she said actually the muscle mass was still good. Yumove as mentioned above is a useful supplement for joints and we do give this to all three of our oldest dogs including this mini. .
With things like this you have to try to objectively assess if your girl is in any pain or is suffering distress of any kind herself or if her enjoyment of life is being limited by this "limp". If it is, then it could be best to have further tests carried out but, IMO, if she is still enjoying life, shows no indication of physical pain or mental distress and, as you say, the vets have been unable to find a cause to date, it may be better to monitor her in case anything changes for the worse but save her the stress of further tests and try not to fret about the 'limp'
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jacdales
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Re: Limping over a year
I was checking my schnauzer book today for some info not related to this and I noticed a paragraph about lyme disease I only noticed because the word limping leapt of the page. apparently it can resemble arthritis and cause limping. Has your vet tested for this?
Typical symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs include:
Fever.
Loss of appetite.
Reduced energy.
Lameness (can be shifting, intermittent, and recurring)
Generalized stiffness, discomfort, or pain.
Swelling of joints.
Typical symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs include:
Fever.
Loss of appetite.
Reduced energy.
Lameness (can be shifting, intermittent, and recurring)
Generalized stiffness, discomfort, or pain.
Swelling of joints.