Panosteitis is the long form for what breeders call "Pano." Pano is a growth disease which is more common in large dogs. It can show up as young as 6 or 9 months and usually does not occur after a dog is 18 to 20 months. This disease is very painful to young dogs.

As it was explained to me in laymen’s term, the pain comes at the growth platelets on very fast growing dogs. After a dog is finished growing there is no longer a conflict with the growth platelets and therefore there is no more pain.

With that said it can show up in one leg and go away only to appear in another at a later date.

When I used to feed commercial kibble, especaily puppy food, I saw my share of cases of pano. Now that we have fed a raw diet for many years I have yet to have my first case of pano in the dogs we raise here at Leerburg.

In fact just today we had a customer call whose dog had pano which lasted for some time and then just returned today. These people did not follow our instructions. They don't feed a raw diet. This customer spent $350.00 on Vet bills the first time they took it in to confirm pano. They went back to the Vet today and dont have those bills yet.

The Vet pretty much said everything I talk about in this article. Even to the point where he prescribed steroid pain killers (which is dangerous and stupid).

When a young dog gets "pano" it's important to take them off of puppy food if thats what you had them on. You want to slow the growth down. In fact I recommend that my customers feed an all-nartural diet and not feed commercial food. Commercial food - especially puppy food - causes dogs to grow way too fast (thats what PANO is - growing too fast).

Because of the extreme pain of this disease people will often describe their dogs as being depressed and I am sure they probably are. To deal with the pain the dog should be crated as much as possible and given "Ascription" a nonprescription aspirin with Maalox available at any pharmacy. This works well for cases that are not so severe.

If you have not had much experience with "Pano" you are best advised to take your dog to a vet that specializes in canine orthopedics. The reason I recommend a specialist is that pano is diagnosed with x-rays. Reading those x-rays is not a simple matter. Unless your local vet is an expert in this area he is going to have problems reading the films.

The prescription medication that Vets prescribe for Pano is often Rimadyl. This is a terrible drug - it kills some dogs. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG RIMADYL. It's expensive and its dangerous for your dog. Put it in a crate and give it a human aspirin.

There is a lot of information on the Internet for this disease and explanations of it's disappearance after the growing cycles stop.

Basic Dog Obedience $40.00+s&h

on Pano

Question:

I have a six month old German Shepherd. I just started running him. This is his third run.Up until now we have been walking up to 2-3 miles, four times a week. My problem is he came back from running with no physical signs of injury but he started limping only slightly two days later. Six days after his last run his limp became worse and I took him to the vet. They did not find any structural problem, with no x-rays. They gave him Metacam. I have heard of problems with Rimadyl. Has anybody heard of problems with Metacam?

Steve

Answer:

Steve,

First things first.

1 - Six months is way way way too young to be jogging with a dog. This is not a small mistake it is a HUGE mistake Read the article I wrote on correct positioning of hip x-rays. Over exercising a young dog is one of the leading causes of hip dysplasia.

2 - A vet cannot determine if a dog has structural problems unless he has taken an x-ray. It’s simply not possible. They don’t have x-0ray hands and eyes. I have bred close to 400 liters of GSD’s in my life and I can’t tell if most dogs has bad hips by just looking.

3 - Rimadyl is a terrible drug for dogs. I would never give it to a dog. I have not done the research on Metacam so I can’t comment.

4 - Give your dog an aspirin every day and crate him until he stops limping. Read the article I have written on PANO – it’s in the list of training articles. With luck that’s all your dog has – either that or a pulled muscle.

I would be careful of this Vet. Not all vets deserve our respect. Just because they have a DVM behind their name is not a good enough reason to respect the way they treat dogs. We only have to look at most Vets position on vaccinations to figure that out.

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

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Question:

Mr. Frawley: I wrote to Cindy, and wanted to copy you on the same request for comment. I was referred to your site by a friend who thinks my 11 month old Mastiff’s diet might be contributory to a 6 week limp on his front right paw. A round of x-rays of his entire front yesterday under anesthesia and a lime test, were negative. Yet, the limp is pronounced. The examination yesterday followed two 2 week rest periods with anti-inflammatories. I suppose I am next looking at a specialist and an MRI to rule out a soft tissue derangement. My friend thinks that the IAMS food that I have him on (with garlic supplement from springtime) is not doing him justice. I am told to go raw (as per your website) and supplement with longevity from springtime. Do you think the advice is sound for the problem? Best regards to you. “Oz” and Charles.

Ed's Answer:

The odds are the dog has pano. I have an article on my web site. Its in the list of training articles.

I would not do any MRIs or anything like this. Do what I say in the article.

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

Cindy's Answer:

Diet most definitely plays a role in skeletal development and growth, especially for giant breeds.

Ed recommended you read about Pano (which I am guessing is the problem with your dog). Pano is basically an inflammation of the long bones and it is self limiting. It will go away eventually so pain and exercise management along with feeding an appropriate diet are key. Most vets can’t see Pano on an x-ray, because they have to know what they are looking for and most don’t. In my experience, grains of any type aggravate Pano. This includes normal dog biscuits and treats, and most commercial kibbles (unless labeled grain free). If you use treats or commercial dog food you are going to have to become a label reader, because many products have hidden grain products in the ingredient list. Read this article on feeding a raw diet. It’s a work in progress but there is a lot of good information there.

I would also recommend these books, Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats & Raw Dog Food.

You can also go to our Feeding Dogs Page for a list of articles and books that will be helpful to you.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

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