Corgi with a limp - PLEASE! Input needed!
Our darling 15-week-old Pembroke, Emma, has a limp. We noticed this for the first time when she was about 5 1/2 weeks old. At that time, it was a very pronounced limp - you couldn't miss it. It seemed to be her front left leg. She received an x-ray, which showed nothing out of place. As she has gotten older, the limp has become MUCH less noticeable - to a point where my husband and I sometimes think it's gone! The only time we really notice it is when she has just woken up or after a long walk (in which she runs the entire second half home). She has NEVER seemed to be in ANY sort of discomfort from it. She does hop more often than other corgis and only uses her legs independently if she is walking – much faster than that and it’s a hop (both front legs together).
As mentioned previously, she is now 15 weeks. I took her to the vet this morning to finish her vaccinations. They kept us there a few minutes after giving her shots just to make sure she didn't have any severe reactions, during which she decided to take a little nap. About 15 minutes later, one of the other vets walked in to see her (EVERYONE there loves her) and he noticed her limp. I explained to him that she has always had it and so on and so forth. He bent her front legs back as much as he could - they wouldn't bend back (at least not very far). That's where he thought there was a problem. He said her (front) legs should bend all the way back at the joint and neither of hers have ever done this. Now he wants to X-ray her legs, have a radiologist possibly look at them and see if we can do anything about it. while it is expensive, the money isn't my primary concern. I don't want to put this dog through unnecessary treatment if it's just "the way she is."
SO... I guess my question is - Do your corgi's front feet bend all the way back at the joint (at the "knee"/wrist" as opposed to the two upper joints at the shoulder)? How far do they bend? I really appreciate any input you are willing to give. I love my dog and I want what’s best for her - I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill...
Thanks!
As mentioned previously, she is now 15 weeks. I took her to the vet this morning to finish her vaccinations. They kept us there a few minutes after giving her shots just to make sure she didn't have any severe reactions, during which she decided to take a little nap. About 15 minutes later, one of the other vets walked in to see her (EVERYONE there loves her) and he noticed her limp. I explained to him that she has always had it and so on and so forth. He bent her front legs back as much as he could - they wouldn't bend back (at least not very far). That's where he thought there was a problem. He said her (front) legs should bend all the way back at the joint and neither of hers have ever done this. Now he wants to X-ray her legs, have a radiologist possibly look at them and see if we can do anything about it. while it is expensive, the money isn't my primary concern. I don't want to put this dog through unnecessary treatment if it's just "the way she is."
SO... I guess my question is - Do your corgi's front feet bend all the way back at the joint (at the "knee"/wrist" as opposed to the two upper joints at the shoulder)? How far do they bend? I really appreciate any input you are willing to give. I love my dog and I want what’s best for her - I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill...
Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Renee Kovacs on
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As it happens, I found this article today
http://www.cardicommentary.de/articles%20-%20Charlie/WHAT_KIND_OF_D...
There's some very interesting things regarding the growth of the forelegs, and in particular it talks about the two bones growing at different rates which can lead to a 'twist' or bow. Sometimes, the deformity corrects itself with the two bones ending up the same length - but other times, not. THIS is what happened with our dog, Ed.
He would limp, but only after some heavy-duty running around followed by a nap - when he'd get up, he'd be real sore. Once, he couldn't even get up (and my brain went right to 'back injury' and I rushed him to emergency, where he promptly had a miraculous recovery in the lobby).
I went from vet to vet - one thought R.A., one thought lack of nutrician (??? seriously doubted THAT one), but meantime I'm learning ....Corgi's are not the run-of-the-mill dog bodies, and a lot of vets just don't have much experience with how they can be unique. This wasn't the first time for this little lesson - his first vet wanted to pull his adult canine teeth as they were coming in, because they weren't 'biting' properly and he was getting slightly ulcerated gums from them. Thank goodness I decided to give it one more week ...because within a week, his jaw growth leveled it all out and he's now a happy 6 yr old with all his teeth!
Anyway ...please read the article, and see if you can find an ortho specialist - I found one, and he knew by looking at the dog and confirmed by looking at the xrays (I'd brought with me, as suggested here) that it was this discrepancy in growth rate between the two bones in the lower forearm. For $6,000 they could fix it ...Ed is now 6 with all his teeth and one slightly bowed leg, which is just fine as long as he doesn't FRAP around too much.
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Forget to add - you can't bend his paw back at the wrist without pain, on this affected leg. I do wonder if THAT is how he sometimes causes his limp - FRAPPING around TOO much, perhaps it's getting bent backwards & stressed. Ball-chasing and laser-light chasing have to be watched, not too much time on those things because WE have to be smarter than him about how much he can do. I'm also watchful of his jumping - he doesn't get to sleep with us for that reason, I don't want him super-dog jumping off the beds.
I don't use the pain-killer they gave him, either. My contention is that a little bit of pain is about the ONLY way to force him to rest that leg when it needs it. When he is hurting, it's often hard to tell (he's very tough) but he'll have real trouble with the stairs when it's bad. Really, this only crops up maybe once a month or so and will last about a day.
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