May 03, 2011
My dog is limping badly in the front leg and a vet said it’s growing pains. Have you heard of this and can you tell me what to do?
Full Question:
Hello, I have a question about my German Shepherd. He is limping and can't put much weight on his left front foot. This happened before about 2 months ago and we took him to the vet. The vet said he had growing pains which caused his joints to hurt. He gave me some antibiotics just in case, so it won?t get infected, and some pain reliever. A week later it was gone. Now he his limping again, there doesn't seem anything to be physically wrong with his leg that I can see. I squeezed his paws and leg and it doesn't phase him, but he still limps. Have you heard of this growing pain, have you had any similar experience or heard of any with other German Shepherds? What do you think and recommend?Thanks for all your help
Otto
Ed's Answer:
The dog has what s called "PANO." There is a long medical name for it but I have enough problems spelling normal words without complicated medical terms.
Pano will often come for a few weeks and go away. Then comes back in a different leg some time later. It’s very hard on the dog because it is so painful. This can happen with some dogs until they reach maturity at about 18 to 24 months of age.
There is not a lot to be done for them. You can crate the dog and give him an aspirin in the morning and evening. Some Vets recommend RIMADYL - I am very much against this drug - it is a bad drug. It can kill dogs. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG RIMADYL. You can also take him off of puppy food and put him on a all-natural diet. Commercial dog foods (especially puppy foods) cause dogs to grow to fast - this causes Pano.
Some say Pano is not inherited, I guess the book is still out. Larger-boned dogs get it more than fine-boned dogs. I don't recommend training the dog during this period.
Pano will often come for a few weeks and go away. Then comes back in a different leg some time later. It’s very hard on the dog because it is so painful. This can happen with some dogs until they reach maturity at about 18 to 24 months of age.
There is not a lot to be done for them. You can crate the dog and give him an aspirin in the morning and evening. Some Vets recommend RIMADYL - I am very much against this drug - it is a bad drug. It can kill dogs. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG RIMADYL. You can also take him off of puppy food and put him on a all-natural diet. Commercial dog foods (especially puppy foods) cause dogs to grow to fast - this causes Pano.
Some say Pano is not inherited, I guess the book is still out. Larger-boned dogs get it more than fine-boned dogs. I don't recommend training the dog during this period.
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