My GSD is 20 mths. We have been doing the basic schutzhund obedience since Jan. and now she is working on the tug. He is getting her ready for the sleeve

She has had trouble rising from a down 2x this weekend. She seems to bunny hop a bit and then leaves the back leg trailing for a moment then bounds out the back door like nothing has happend.

Has this ever happened to any of you? Is it possible that is could be a leg cramp? Naturally I am have been to see the best "hip vet" in my city, and she will go under and have x-rays Friday but I am concerned it is my fault?

A) Does just waking her up, crating her and hauling her off to the training field without warming up be a problem..like us?

B) Could she have damaged the cruciate (sp?) ligaments?

C) Is 20 mths. about the time when the dreaded HD rears its ugly head?

Colleen-
I can give you my experience. A few months back when by boy was 15 months I noticed him holding a rear leg just slightly off the ground and would sometimes notice it give a little when he put weight on it....never indicating any pain verbally. When he would run or fast trot on it it looked normal though. I brought him to vet and they first thought it was an ACL tear in his knee. They tried to manipulate the joint with him awake but he doesnt relax in any submissive position so they put him under to manipulate the joint and found it was just a sprain....whew. So that may be a possibility. The only way to know is to have a good vet check her out....watch her walk, etc...
It's so tough to tell if dogs are in pain because it's so different to them.
Let us know and good luck. I was a wreck just waiting to hear if it was a tear or not.

Where I am Lyme is a concern, so if the hips are neg., and you have Lyme in your area, consider mentioning it to your vet.

As for warm ups, I don't do any w/ my dog, and I haven't heard of anyone else I know doing any warm ups.

Thanks for your advice. I will have news tomorrow afternoon.

Likely I will not sleep much tonight. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Colleen,
We all wish you the best of luck in this - I wish for you a good night's sleep and good news tomorrow!

Collen, Hoping your Vet tells you your girl is OK!
I too have worried about my female pup until I had hip prelim's done. Now I can RELAX, Wishing you the same. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hi Colleen

Check this site it's about Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy; - http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dehod.html, - this happens with a lot of large breeds and in some cases are diagnosed as HD.

Other factors for lameness are:

"Skidding" where young dogs live on wet slippery surface and skid, off balance, with their legs going in all un-natural directions, this hurts the soft bone plates that keep the joints in place, as it is torn and the legs appear lame, with a dose of anti-inflammatory and cortisones this can be gone in two days.

Where dogs get dipped in to strong dip it can also cause temporally paralyses.

Where dogs eat rodents that are polluted with poisons they can also go lame

Where dogs jump in and out of vehicles that are very high like pick-ups while young this also causes paralyses with injury to the joints

Lastly where floors are washed with antiseptics, and other chemicals and the dogs drink this

Ps. when in doubt see a vet

Regards
Reinier Geel

Another possibility is lumbosacral stenosis.

http://www.vetmedcenter.com/consumer/display.asp?fn=P-MR-M-Ms_5-LSstenosis1XX.xml&dt=A

My Border Collie/Husky mix started showing signs at about 24 months of age.

Natalie

Schutzhund is over <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> or as he said " it is your call, but I wouldn't".

He suspects a slight tear in cruciate. Hips are ok, but he said "not the best, not the worst". Definate fluid buildup on her left hind.

So that is it.
I am sad. But it could be worse.

Sorry to hear about your GSD,
Another problem, which I have just encountered, my PSD just lately will not jump up high anymore or get on her rear legs for a high search.

She is around 9 yrs old - 2 years ago during xrays they had found a tad bit of artithis in a rear leg joint, so I figured lately when she started to act up - I thought the arthitis had gotten worse.

After taking my PSD to a orthopedic vet surgeon and having a complete xray & neuroligical exam - it's to fact that her hips and legs are in great shape but has GERMAN SHEPARD MYELOPATHY or also called DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY. Her 6th & 7th vertebras no longer have the required gap in between and when she attempts to arch her back )jumping or stretching up high) these 2 vertebras rub and causes a numbness in her feet and legs, then for her not knowing what her feet or legs are doing or the amount of muscle needed to exert herself.

Surgery would probably correct the problem, but as with budgets, it is not feasible and we cannot justify the expense on an aging PSD. So we are going the medicine route and the nice part is (if their is a nice part) my dog has shown no pain even while still trying to everything she was able to do 6 months. Her drive and focus is still there.

Good luck with your dog.

Mark Addison

"Just an old handler with an old dog"