Hi Guys,


I went to the emergency room yesterday to get the pup checked. The Dr confirmed it was Pano after taking 3 x-rays of her long bones on her front legs and her elbow. The Dr said she can see it in all her bones, but it's the worse on her front left leg (the one she is limping on) so she also assumed she has it in her back legs.

My question is what should I not do with my dog during this time? I haven't walked her outside for a week because I wasn't sure why she was limping. She is starting to chase the cats again so I know she is feeling a bit better eventhough she is still limping. Please let me know what you all think <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

She is on Dermaxx at 100 mg, I only put her on a quarter of that to start to see if I have to up the dosage.

Kimberly

 Quote:

Hi Guys,
I went to the emergency room yesterday to get the pup checked. The Dr confirmed it was Pano after taking 3 x-rays of her long bones on her front legs and her elbow. The Dr said she can see it in all her bones, but it's the worse on her front left leg (the one she is limping on) so she also assumed she has it in her back legs.

My question is what should I not do with my dog during this time? I haven't walked her outside for a week because I wasn't sure why she was limping. She is starting to chase the cats again so I know she is feeling a bit better eventhough she is still limping. Please let me know what you all think <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

She is on Dermaxx at 100 mg, I only put her on a quarter of that to start to see if I have to up the dosage.

Kimberly

Did the prescribing vet give you an overview of the NSAID Dermaxx?

I'm asking because while it can be helpful in managing this kind of ailment, it can have some serious side effects. So if I were going to use it, I'd first want to discuss with the vet all the alternatives. I don't mean to say it's a bad choice; I just mean to say that I'd want to choose it with full knowledge of all the pros and cons, and I might ask if buffered aspirin, which is another NSAID, could be as useful as the Dermaxx. (I would just want to know all the facts; I'm not implying anything about the prescription.)

I think you are very wise to start on a small dose, if you are going to use it.

That said, pain management is important. It's a painful thing when it's in the limping cycle. (I'm so glad you were able to get the pup looked at, btw. I know from your other thread that you had a little trouble getting an appointment.)

http://www.upei.ca/cidd/Diseases/musculoskeletal/panosteitis.htm

http://www.cah.com/dr_library/pan.html

http://www.gvsvet.com/panosteo.htm

I believe that most authoritative sources recommend light exercise, and offer as a guideline that the exercise should not trigger lameness or limping.

Let me know if you would like some reading material about Dermaxx.

All JMO. I'm not a health professional.

The question you should be asking is Why your pup got pano in the first place. Pups that are only fed 75% of what they would eat to be full, are kept very lean, and grow slowly do not get pano. If this were my pup I would cut food intake back to 1/2 ration for I few days to a week then increase back to 75%. Make sure your pup isn't carrying any extra weight. Exersize should be limmited if she is limping. I hope you are feeding a raw diet. Bones grow bones. Hopefully you caught this soon enough and you wont have any elbow or hip damage. Take care of your baby and remember it is not mean to say no to those big brown hungry eyes, its for the best.

Hi Doreen,

The kibble food she is on is Blackwoods 2000, this is the food the breeder put her on. I add vegetables, yogurt and occasionally give her meat. She is also on Nupro, Sure Grow 100 and Glyco Flex. My dog is on the very lean side, when she stands I can actually see her ribs, the Dr said she could stand to gain some weight because she is very thin, she is 56 lbs at about 7 months. I always keep my dogs on the lean side because I get worried about hip issues. I was thinking of switching over to an all natural diet, but I have to look more into it still. Thanks for the diet advice.

Kimberly

Kimberly, Be careful the kibble is ment to be balanced alone. When you start adding things to it, even though they are good things, it may not be in be in the right balance. Beware of supplenents added to a balanced kibble ration. If you like to add supplents make the switch to totally raw and add kelp, alfalfa, vitamins c and e and add in some oils cod liver, flax seed, salmon oil are all good. Read Grow Your Pups on Bones. Hope this is helpfull.

Hi Doreen,

The kibble, vegetables, supplements etc. were the instructions given to me by the breeder. I am very interested in feeding a natural diet for my dog, the one thing that I would change though is cooking any meat given. My vet warned me against feeding raw meat from any supermarket, I know I could try to find a butcher for fresher meat, but the ones around me have very short hours and are hard for me to get to. My Dr has seen many cases of dogs getting severely sick from eating a raw diet. Thanks for the book info, I'm going to see if I can find it today <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />.

Kim

what is in blackwoods 2000? the protein levels might be too high for a growing pup, or you may be knocking it out of balance with the supplements you are adding.

even great breeders always have something new to learn, and their ideas about diet will evolve with their experience. ten years ago my breeder was feeding kibble. now she only feeds RMBs. she was a great breeder ten years ago, and she still is. but her practices and recommendations changed as she learned more.

sorry to not put too fine a spin on it, but your vet is ignorant. i only feed raw meats from the supermarket, and my dog is in glorious health. you are actually in more danger feeding from other sources that might not have as rigorous practices as supermarkets do. supermarkets are only allowed to sell human grade meats. other sources can sell all kinds of questionable products.

i've only had a dog get sick from eating raw once, and it was from meat that came directly from a meat packing plant, that had been designated as "dog food." this is not the kind of meat you want!!!! you only want human grade. anything else could have spoiled, and dogs DO get food poisoning!

lots of times, people start the raw diet with insufficient education as to the right way to do it. no one should rush into this diet. they must educate themselves first. if your vet has seen dogs get sick on the raw diet, then those dog owners did not know what they were doing. read up on it as much as you can, and only then proceed.

there is no meat fresher than what you get from a supermarket's meat department, unless you hunt or slaughter yourself. your vet is WRONG.

 Quote:

what is in blackwoods 2000? the protein levels might be too high for a growing pup, or you may be knocking it out of balance with the supplements you are adding.

even great breeders always have something new to learn, and their ideas about diet will evolve with their experience. ten years ago my breeder was feeding kibble. now she only feeds RMBs. she was a great breeder ten years ago, and she still is. but her practices and recommendations changed as she learned more.

sorry to not put too fine a spin on it, but your vet is ignorant. i only feed raw meats from the supermarket, and my dog is in glorious health. you are actually in more danger feeding from other sources that might not have as rigorous practices as supermarkets do. supermarkets are only allowed to sell human grade meats. other sources can sell all kinds of questionable products.

i've only had a dog get sick from eating raw once, and it was from meat that came directly from a meat packing plant, that had been designated as "dog food." this is not the kind of meat you want!!!! you only want human grade. anything else could have spoiled, and dogs DO get food poisoning!

lots of times, people start the raw diet with insufficient education as to the right way to do it. no one should rush into this diet. they must educate themselves first. if your vet has seen dogs get sick on the raw diet, then those dog owners did not know what they were doing. read up on it as much as you can, and only then proceed.

there is no meat fresher than what you get from a supermarket's meat department, unless you hunt or slaughter yourself. your vet is WRONG.

Thanks for saving me a bunch of typing. There were so many items to address in that post that I felt tired looking at it. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Of course we must all feed what we decide is best; like Alice, though, I didn't want to leave unanswered a post about "many dogs" getting "severely sick" from a raw diet.

One thing: If this were my own vet --- QUOTE: My Dr has seen many cases of dogs getting severely sick from eating a raw diet. END QUOTE --- I would ask for details. Was this a raw diet, or was it a dog who had scevenged from the trash or from road-kill? In my dog's training club one member who questioned a statement like that and got a stammering non-answer concluded that the vet *believed* this to be the case and backed up what he believed by saying he had seen such cases. Not saying it's what's happening here, and I know that dogs *can* get food poisoning. I'm just saying that I personally know a few dogs who have gotten sick from eating a bite from a rotting hunk o' yummy out in the woods, and one who ate bad kibble..... none from an actual raw diet.


JMHO!

Thanks guys for all the info. Everyone here is so helpful and knowledgeable. I know sometimes with vets they may see one case and blow it out of proportion because they didn't get all the facts about what exactly happened to an animal. This may have been the case, plus she seemed like the kibble they sold there was the best in the world, I should have seen that as a red flag for her being biased.

I want to find a holistic vet in my area that would be more helpful with my pets needs. I think with this bag of kibble I will be switching over to a raw diet. Actually both of my dogs would benefit greatly from it. My older dog has always had issues with commercial kibble, where I would constantly have to find her a new brand. Thanks again everyone for helping me make the right decision. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Kim

kim,

do not switch over to raw gradually. kibble and raw should not be combined.

to do the switch, fast your dogs for a full 24 hours. make sure they have plenty of clean, fresh water. then, for the first several days, give them only chicken necks that have had all the fat and skin removed.

if they do well on the chicken necks (which are very bland and digestible), no bad reactions, then you can proceed to the full raw diet.

but before you even start, you need to find reliable suppliers and stock up on supplies. i would start with the supermarket meat departments and see what they can get for you by the case lot.

some cuts to ask for include:

whole fryers
chicken necks
chicken wings
lamb necks
lamb riblets
pork necks
beef hearts
beef brisket
turkey necks

also canned fish like salmon, sardines, or mackerel

cottage cheese
whole eggs with shell
plain, unsweetened yogurt

feed organ meats twice a week to keep their bowels regular.

what you can get at a reasonable price (i try to average .50/lb. and not go over .99/lb.) depends on where you live.

please keep reading before you start. there's tons of info and links to be found on this site. there is a lot to know, more than i can write up in one post.