Sports injury limp or something else?

[2BullyMama]

Thanks guys! Here's to a non-surgical fix!!

absolutely!

 

[Cali Doll]

Quick update:

They just called me and said that they will have to sedate her to do the xray. Unfortunately, she was already given breakfast, so they can't sedate her today. (They said that sedation must be done on an empty stomach.) They said that the doctor will examine her leg today to see if she can determine anything without an xray. (They've done this visual examination before, and they've never seen a problem. I don't have a lot of hope, but I'll let them do it.) Then, if I decide to have the xray tomorrow, I shouldn't feed her breakfast and they'll do the xray.

 

[Donnam]

Cali, I'm sorry about Bella's limp. I hope it's a quick fix with no surgery involved. Sweet Bella--I just love her!

 

[Cali Doll]

Cali, I'm sorry about Bella's limp. I hope it's a quick fix with no surgery involved. Sweet Bella--I just love her!

Thank you! Bella is so blessed to be surrounded by so much love!

 

[Texas Carol]

Continued prayers over sweet Bella & hugs for Momma!

 

[nycbullymama]

yeah, they prep for sedation is the same as anesthesia. but don't worry, they are not the same.

fingers crossed it's nothing serious. keep us updated.

 

[dolphin]

Thanks guys! Here's to a non-surgical fix!!

Agreed!

 

[ltpyro]

Pepper started to limp one day after a good run around the backyard with cinnamon. We noticed it was going away after a week or so and had the vet look at it. He said basically the same thing "sports injury" we made her calm down for a week or two and she was back to normal.

 

[Cali Doll]

Pepper started to limp one day after a good run around the backyard with cinnamon. We noticed it was going away after a week or so and had the vet look at it. He said basically the same thing "sports injury" we made her calm down for a week or two and she was back to normal.

Yeah, Bella plays REALLY hard. She's like a border collie or something...the only thing bulldog about her is the way she looks. Hopefully I get some insight after the xrays tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep her tied down...somehow.

 

[Cali Doll]

The latest:

I just picked up Bella from daycare and I spoke with the vet. She said that she felt Bella's leg all over and she doesn't seem hurt at all. The vet says there's a definite limp, though. It's with her right front leg, and Bella lifts her head as she walks to keep the pressure off the leg. Because Bella doesn't show any pain when the vet feels along her leg, she thinks it might be higher up in the shoulder, and it might only bother her when she puts pressure on it. She said it might be an injured tendon.

Whatever it is, it doesn't slow her down at all!

She gave us more Rimadyl, and she said they'll look at the xrays that we're getting tomorrow (and they'll send them off for a radiologist's review, which I'm happy about). The xrays are Orthopaedic xrays, which get images of the whole chest, and both legs for a comparison.

She seems to think the xrays wouldn't show anything wrong, though. She said that if they don't see anything on the xrays, and Bella is still limping, she'll recommend me to an Orthopaedic specialist, who may have more knowledge.

In my heart, I feel that Bella hasn't rested enough to heal her initial injury. So, depending on what the xrays show, I want to make her rest for a couple of weeks (like some of you guys said), and I think I'm going to give her supplements. If she's still limping after a good, long rest, I'll see what the Orthopaedic dr says.

Aren't NuVet supplements for bone strength? Should I give her those?

Does that sound like a good plan?

Thank God I have you guys! Bella and I are so grateful!

 

[nycbullymama]

The latest:

I just picked up Bella from daycare and I spoke with the vet. She said that she felt Bella's leg all over and she doesn't seem hurt at all. The vet says there's a definite limp, though. It's with her right front leg, and Bella lifts her head as she walks to keep the pressure off the leg. Because Bella doesn't show any pain when the vet feels along her leg, she thinks it might be higher up in the shoulder, and it might only bother her when she puts pressure on it. She said it might be an injured tendon.

Whatever it is, it doesn't slow her down at all!

She gave us more Rimadyl, and she said they'll look at the xrays that we're getting tomorrow (and they'll send them off for a radiologist's review, which I'm happy about). The xrays are Orthopaedic xrays, which get images of the whole chest, and both legs for a comparison.

She seems to think the xrays wouldn't show anything wrong, though. She said that if they don't see anything on the xrays, and Bella is still limping, she'll recommend me to an Orthopaedic specialist, who may have more knowledge.

In my heart, I feel that Bella hasn't rested enough to heal her initial injury. So, depending on what the xrays show, I want to make her rest for a couple of weeks (like some of you guys said), and I think I'm going to give her supplements. If she's still limping after a good, long rest, I'll see what the Orthopaedic dr says.

Aren't NuVet supplements for bone strength? Should I give her those?

Does that sound like a good plan?

Thank God I have you guys! Bella and I are so grateful!

Cali- We went through something similar with Wellie recently.

We did see an Orthopedic vet and he didn't even bother with x-rays. He checked him over (very roughly but they need to in order to find where the pain is coming from) and determined
it was in his right elbow. Said it can take up to 6 weeks to heal provided he's resting most of the time.
We were only allowed to take him on short bathroom walks. No playing, no running, nothing. Rest and 50mg of Rimadyl twice a day.
If two weeks later on the re-check he didn't show any improvement, then they were going to x-ray.

We went back and while he was still limping, he barely showed any pain at the next exam. So back to Rimadyl and rest. This time 50mg once a day for 2 more weeks.

In total, I had Wellie on rest for over 6 weeks but he's fine now and there hasn't been any limping in over a month.
I think the rest is even more important than the Rimadyl.
There's really no way around it, you have to keep her calm. If she's really high strung, that may require crating. But whatever it is, it needs time to heal.

 

[Cali Doll]

The vet didn't seem to think the xrays would reveal anything, but to be honest, I want them just to ease my mind. I will put her on extreme rest and I'll see if she improves. I guess I'll give it a couple of weeks and see if she feels better.

I'm curious, though...do you think I should see the Ortho right away?

 

[dolphin]

I'd wait and I would do exactly like you're planning to do and put her on extreme rest. There's so many things that it could be and your momma instinct is probably right on. If there isnt significant improvement in a week then I'd make an appt.

 

[ChrisRN]

Soft tissue injuries take a long time to heal and can easily be re injured. Rest and mess are the best option, but it's tough for dogs to follow those orders. Now Mabel on the other hand would be easy to keep down.

 

[My Otis]

Sending Loads of Love, Prayers and Positive Thoughts to your Sweet Bella.