I TOOK MY 7 MONTH FAMALE CHESSIE TO THE VET AFTER SHE BEGAN LIMPING PRETTY BAD ON HER FRONT RT LEG. SHE APPEARS TO HAVE OCD IN THE JOINT ABOVE THE ANKLE. SHE HAS YELPED TWICE BUT ITS ONLY WHEN SHE LANDS FUNNY AND THEN SHE GOES ON HER WAY. SHE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE IN TOO MUCH PAIN BUT SHE STILL LIMPS. I HAVE READ UP ON OCD AND SAW THAT EVEN SURGERY ISN'T GUARANTEED TO HELP IF THE PROBLEM ISN'T IN THE SHOULDER WHICH DOESN;T APPEAR TO BE WHERE HER PROBLEM IS. I AM OPEN TO ANY ADVICE ON THIS MATTER.

Pate,

Can you give a little more info on your pup? How long has she been limping and favoring the leg? Is it always the same leg? At 7 months I'd be betting more toward Pano (Panosteitis) than OCD. Pano is "growing pains" where the long bone is begining its rapid growth spurt. A fairly good discussion can be found at http://www.labbies.com/dysplasa.htm
Some of the signs od Pano include slight bowing of the leg bones, a sensitivity to the squeezing of the bone, and the wandering lameness of the growing pain syndrome.

Chessies seem to have a prevelance for Pano but in most cases they soon out-grow it. Before doing any surgery, I'd try to keep the pup quiet for a week or so and see if there is any improvement. And if the limping or favoring of the leg seems transient, I'd definately side on a Pano diagnosis baring errefutable MRI diagnosis of OCD. There are discussions of limiting Pano with lower protein foods and the addition of vitamin C.

T. Mac

THANKS FOR THE INFO. I HAVE BEEN MAKING SURE SHE IS KENNELED DURING THE DAY AND LET HER OUT WHEN I GET HOME. SHE IS STILL LIMPING A LITTLE BIT BUT I WAS LOOKING AT PICTURES OF HER WHEN I FIRST GOT HER AND SHE HAS ALWAYS HAD A WEIRD GATE TO HER. SHE IS STILL FULL OF ENERGY AND LOVES TO RETRIEVE. WE HAVE A HRC TEST NEXT WEEKEND AND SHE IS SCHEDULED TO RUN IN THE STARTED. I AM A BIT NERVOUS B/C I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO WORK HER B/C OF THE LIMP. I MAY TAKE HER TO THE LAKE THIS WEEKEND FOR SOME LIGHT WORK. I'VE HAD HER RESTING FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS DURING THE DAY IN HER KENNEL INSTEAD OF RUNNING THE BACK YARD. SHE APPEARS BETTER THAN SHE HAS BEEN. I SWITCHED HER DOGFOOD TO PURINA ONE AND THAT SEEMS TO HAVE HELPED SOME TOO. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FORCE FETCH W/ HER WHILE SHE HAS HAD TO TAKE THIS TIME OFF. SHE HAS BEEN SHOWING GOOD PROGRESS W/ THAT.

I know I should keep my mouth shut. But if she is injuried you should not be force fetching her. Force Fetching is very stressful on the dog if done right and if she is injuried that is stress enough.. Also, you should not be entering her in any events until you have completed force fetching.Once again that part of your training that involves force fetching if done right is stressful on the dog. You should avoid anyother stress. Force fetching should be supplemented with fun bumpers not a hunt test.

I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH HER THIS WEEKEND AND THE LIMP APPEARS TO BE GONE. I GUESS IT WAS GROWING PAINS. I AM STILL GOING TO REST HER DURING THE DAY. I THREW SOME BUMPERS FOR HER THIS WEEKEND AND SHE WAS RETURNING TO HAND AND HOLDING IT UNTIL I TOLD HER TO RELEASE. I UNDERSTAND FORCE FETCH IS A STRESSFULL PROCESS FOR THE DOG BUT I GUESS I JUST GOT LUCKY. I GUESS MY "INEXPERIENCE" IN TRAINING JUST DIDN'T WANT TWO WEEKS TO GO BY W/O DOING ANYTHING TO PROGRESS HER TRAINING. CALL IT BLIND LUCK OR STUPIDITY. THE DOG IS FORCE FETCHED AND NOT LIMPING. I WOULD CALL IT A LITTLE FROM COLUMN A AND A LOT FROM COLUMN B.

PATE

OH, ONE MORE THING. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY DIFFERENT TRAINERS NOT TO USE A FUN BUMPER TO FORCE FETCH B/C IT CAUSES THE DOG TO ASSOCIATE THE FUN BUMPER W/ THE STRESSFUL EXPERIENCE OF BEING FORCE FETCHED. I USED ONE OF THE ROLLED LEATHER BUMPERS FROM DOGS AFIELD TO FORCE FETCH BUT IF THE FUN BUMPER WORKS BETTER WILL SOMEONE LET ME KNOW.

PATE

You misunderstood don't use a fun bumper to force fetch. I mean throw some fun bumpers after a session of force fetch. I use a paint roller for force fetch then once the dog gets it I use a hammer and other objects. I go to bumper after force fetch is complete. There is no such thing as blind luck in force fetch. It's either done wrong or right.

THANKS. I JUST GOT BACK FROM A TRAINING SESSION W/ MY HRC. I PICKED UP A LOT THEIR. WE HAVE A LOT OF TRAINERS THAT REALLY HELPED ME OUT. I HAVE ASKED MY WIFE TO MAKE SURE THAT I SPEND 5-10 MINUTES A NIGHT ON FORCE FETCH. I HAD A HARD TIME GETTING THE EAR PINCH WITH HER BUT HAVE LEARNED IT. I HAVE BEEN USING THE FORCE FETCH BUMPER FROM DOGS AFIELD. SHE WAS TAKING IT WELL BEFORE BUT SINCE I GOT THE EAR PINCH DOWN SHE IS ATTACKING THE BUMPER ON THE FETCH COMMAND. I AM HOPING THAT ONCE FORCE FETCH IS COMPLETED SHE WILL BE MORE INTO LAND RETRIEVES THAN SHE IS NOW. SHE DOES NOT REALLY CARE FOR ANYTHING ON LAND. I AM FOCUSING MY ENERGIES DURING THE WEEK ON THE FORCE FETCH AND REENFORCING HER BASIC OBEDIANCE. ON TEH WEEKEND I WORK WITH HER RETRIEVES. DO YOU THINK THIS IS A WISE SCHEDULE OR SHOULD I STOP WITH THE RETRIEVES UNTIL FORCE FETCH IS COMPLETE? ALL ADVICE IS NEEDED AND WELCOME.

PATE