my st bernard/limping when getting up for a couple months at least????

[arabianequine]

She has been limping when she gets up for 2-3 months now.....I don't believe her parents hips were tested. What could this be? Hip dysplasia? Is it normal do you dogs do this at such a young age?


I was told she is too young to do the testing....she is 7 months. I specifically asked if there were any health problems with the parents. AKC should require breeders to check large breed dogs hips before breeding and not be allowed to if they are bad.....grrr.

 

[Ema]

maybe the pup is not getting enough exercise. they need a hour walk in the morning and one ins the evening or their bones especially their hips get stiff. Mine has to have his exercise or his bones / joints get stiff, and he also gets a high nutrition diet and vitamins, especially for his bones. you could also give him apple cider vinegar with the "mother" in too will help with his calcium.

I walk him the am, and for the evening I skip the walk altogether and play frisbee or ball with him for an hour. he then come in and a feed him prior to his bedtime for calorie comsumption, cause he has a hard time keeping weight on!!

 

[Ema]

wondering....is your st. bernard afraid of water?? lol...mine is the only one who refuses to go in the water and swimm with the rest of my dogs.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
First, 2 dogs with normal or excellent hips and produce offspring with dysplasia. The hips should be x-rayed now, especially since this has be going on for the last couple months. That way, if she is dysplastic and its caught early, they can do surgery to help fix it.

Also, there should NEVER be any heavy exercise until at least 18 months of age, preferably 24 months of age. Also, there shouldnt be any running on hard surfaces.

 

[DragonEggs]

Is the limping only on the back legs? My St. Bernard was hit by a car around thanksgiving. It shattered his shoulder plate and the doctors thought they would amputate the leg because it would be useless. They decided to chance it and leave the leg in case the nerves restored. 6 months later he was walking and running with no problems! We moved here to my dads house for awhile and he has all tile floors. My boy has a hard time getting up and laying down or even just walking because of the floors and yesterday when we came home he wouldn't use the leg that had been broken. much palapating and many massages later I've figured out he pulled a tendon.

a teaspoon of flaxon with each meal, linimet oil in their bathwater (we massage my saints joints with it too) and glucosamine supplaments will help a lot.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

I am assuming you can tell that it is her hips bothering her? Sounds like you should see your vet.

About 15 years ago I had a Rottie puppy that started to go lame at seven months old. It was in her shoulder. The vet told me she had a flattened spot on the top of her arm bone (her ulna?) where the bone should have been rounded in the shoulder joint. My memories are vague after all this time but it was something to do with the fact that large breed dogs go through such spurts of growth that their bones can be easily affected by diet and exercise. I agree with the poster that said no heavy exercise before 18-24 months.

I have a rottie now who is 4.5 years old. A week ago he was lying on the floor and screaming in pain when he tried to get up. A trip to the vet and a set of xrays showed bone chips in his shoulder joint

apparently they migrated to his shoulder joint and began to cause him severe pain.

Your vet is the only one who can tell you for sure why your dog is limping, could be a number of different things. Hope it turns out ok!!

 

[ruffles]

Also kidney she been checked for lyme disease, she could also being her size have a spinal problem and or kidney problem

Before changing diets, adding supplements or whatever, best to get her checked

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

My sisters large breed dog went through this, she did not have her on a good quality large breed puppy food and her joints paid the price. I do not know if this is the case but when she switched over to better food and added a joint supplement at my insistance, the limping stopped. She tested my theory of going back to her old food to see if that was the issue and the limping started again. I would try that and if not better I would take your puppy to the vet.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
I started her in obedeince classes last night was her first night. I talked with instructor about my saint after the class. She said she seemed to be favoring the back right side, and seems rather lazy which I knew and agreed already....if you want her to stand she sits if you want her to sit she lays down. The instructor also thought that her back legs seemed too straight up and down. The instructor said that she thought my puppy should have better muscle mass then she does. So I am gonna start exercising her more.

She is absolutely not afraid of water as of yet....but never took her for a swim. Did you see her mud video and pics?

She has been feed diamond large breed puppy food since the day I got her at 8 weeks.

I think it is the back legs she limps with the most....it is hard to tell she will get up and don't move to quickly and limps.

I do know not to over exercise her I had heard that before. I have not been taking her on walks or anything extra really....I thought she got plenty of exercise her self. The class instructor said the was just normal play for her like us cleaning our house or something that is not like going to the gym to workout.

 

[Brindlebtch]

I would get her hips and stifles X-rayed. Or she may just have panosteitis - in which case it will probably resolve on its own.