My pup is coming up on 12 weeks old and all of the sudden his feet started pulling in and he almost can't walk on his front legs. My vet doesn't seem to worried and thinks that he hit a growth spurt causing his bones to grow faster than the ligaments. She says the ligaments will catch up in a week or so and that I can stretch his legs out to speed up the process. I can't find anything of the sort on the internet and was hoping to hear from somebody who has been through this. It is killing me to watch him go through this even though he doesn't seem to be having any pain.

Talk to your vet about the pup having a vitamin defiency. I heard about this once, with a number of pups from the same litter and for whatever reason they had some form of vitamin defiency that when added to there diet straightened the front legs back out.

BVM

This ailment is called panosteitis. http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/depano.html

Pup will generally grow out of it in a week or two. There have been articles stating that adding vitamin C to the pups diet can help.

T. Mac

I have heard of this problem but have not experienced it but have been told to mix some table spoon of canned dog food. It does not have to be quality can food. I was given an explanation but can't remember what was exactl said. I know I'm stupid.

What I have heard from some long-time breeders reflects what your vet told you. I would recommend providing your pup with a less-rich diet. This slows his growth rate (allowing his ligaments to grow at the same pace as the bones), but does not change his size at adulthood. If your pup is on a growth or puppy food, try switching to the regular adult or maintenance version of the same feed. You can still add some vitamin C if you want.

Claire

The puppy hasn't gotten any better, worse actually.

Thanks for all the replys!

The vet has asked to keep the puppy for a few days so that she can monitor his food, give him the vitamin C, and she has bandaged his legs to give him some support.

From the replys, internet articles, the breeder's thoughts, and my vet I'm confident that everything will be ok. It is just super scary to see the fellow in this situation.

I will update when I get the puppy back.

Quick, find a new vet. Never, ever splint or wrap a pups legs unless there is a major compelling reason. Pups legs virtually grow inches a week, and bandaging can severly cripple a dog if not done right and for the proper reason. And these reasons are not perscribed by your symptoms. Pano can be confirmed via good x-rays analyzed by a orthopedic vet. I'd strongly recommend that you find a board certified orthopedic vet quick and have your pup evaluated.

Other diseases that might mimic Pano would include OCD but again wrapping of the legs would not be perscribed as surgery or extreme rest are the general treatements. But OCD generally doesn't show itself in such a young dog.


It has only been 2 days since your first post. Do not expect pano do go away over night. It will take a couple weeks. And during that time you may notice that the lameness will vary from leg to leg. Back way off on the protein content of your food, and just let the pup rest and be a puppy, no major training or long walks etc.

Pano seems to be fairly common in Chessies. But it does seem to vary greatly in its severity from dog to dog. I had a pup from my last litter that had symptoms very similar to what you are seeing, although maybe a little less severe. Puppy's owners were like you and very concerned about their dog. After a couple weeks of rest and lower protein food, the pup was back to near normal and today is doing very well.

T.Mac

I have seen this several times. Yes, it is attributed to high of protien dog food and a vitamin or a calcium defiency seen in some lines of dogs. Like suggested put your puppy on a good maintenance level food, depending on how bad it is, try supplementing with a pet-tab & ester C, it if has become sever you may need to supplement with Cal-tab (with pet-tab and cal-tab us recommended dosage on bottle). Vets usually don't like giving the cal-tab, and you definately don't want to give it any long then is necesssary to straighten up the condition, but it is the fastest way to get your puppy back on shape. If you do nothing this condition will usually worsen to the point that they puppy will be unable to walk, treated the condition should clear up completely in about 3-4 wks depending on the severity. I have never seen nor heard of any long term effects from this condition. It is also a good idea to restrict the puppies activity depending, again depending on the severity.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Daphne Black,

Old timers would call it HOD. Do what you will it goesaway in 2 weeks almost always.

Good News!

I picked my puppy up from the vet today and he is walking normal.

My orders are to scale back on the total amount of food and to break it up over 3 feedings per day. I'm also supposed to give him 1/4 of a 500mg tablet of Vit. C, twice a day.

I appreciate all of the response to this post. I will update in a few days, sooner if something changes. Thanks again!

Glad to hear things worked out. Hopefully the vet bill didn't cause you to take out a 2nd mortgage.

BVM

My vet is great! I live in a small town where you really get the small town treatment. I have met vet's cell phone number and can call her 24/7 without fear of getting cussed.

I made the first visit to report the initial problem. On this trip I saw a new New Orleans vet who was displaced because of the storm and is working a part-time gig until she can get back home. I talked with my regular vet that night, on her cell phone, because I was still very concerned. I brought the puppy back in to see the regular vet for a second evaluation. I brought the puppy in for a 3rd visit and he ended up staying the weekend. The day I picked him up he was due for his next round of shots.

She charged me $80 for a 3 day board and the shots.