Lameness, Treatment Options, and Chiropratic Care
My 5 y/o male corgi has been limping fairly consistently on his right front (although it gets better and worse with rest and use) for 5 months. He has seen the vet twice so far: first recommendation was for crate rest/rimadyl for 2 weeks (seemed a bit better, but still not sound); second recommendation was for x-rays. X-rays showed mild changes in the shoulder, but nothing acute that could be fixed. Again, rec'd for crate rest, rimadyl and tramadol for 2 weeks.
Two weeks is now almost up, and he is the same as he was before. At times he almost appears sound, then will come up lame and limping quite severely with just a minimal amount of activity. Vet told me the next step is to see ortho and for possible ultrasounds, MRI/CT scans, etc. I have been doing some research and am curious if chiropractic care might be an option as well. He has been lame in the past (typically front right or left), but always got better within a 2-3 wk crate rest window (no meds).
I am wondering if others have had similar experiences and what steps they have taken to remediate lameness issues. Have you gone ahead with ultrasounds or MRI/CTs and did they actually find anything? Has anyone had luck with the chiropractic route to resolve lameness?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by georgie lin schneider on
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my old corgi, PHIL, was large...at 5 he started to gain weight and as a consequence he started to have joint problems in his shoulders and one back. i tried all the dog foods in PetSmart - I read , and read , and read.Tried all the weight reducing, low cal, etc....natural - u name it I tried it over a year with no luck and he was getting worse and could not go out for walks or up stairs anymore. I was desperate and the vets I talked too were useless. So many of them know nothing about dog nutrition - all they do is try and sell you what they have. And I could not afford the treatments they suggested which were all surgical, invasive, drugs....etc... and never ending too.
Finally a friend , online, suggested I try the raw diet - real meat and food only. Well in the supermarket one day I decided to jump in and bought some chicken. In two weeks , my Phil was a changed dog. Running around, playing, up and down stairs, and going for walks. Real food saved his life. His joint problems disappeared and never returned.
So instead of putting all your money into vets, give this a try. Nothing to loose and everything to gain. It is easy, cheaper to feed, and your dog will love you for not feeding him commercial fillers, grain, and crap. And there are tons of other benefits also but I wont go into that here.
You feed 3% of the ideal body weight for your corgi - mine for example gets 8 oz of meat per day for a corgi under 30 lbs. Bones are not a problem as long as they are raw - chicken bones also. And they will give your dog the most sparkling white teeth too.
Best of luck, Hope you take the plunge and help your dog the natural way.
Georgie lin
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Permalink Reply by Brian Ambrosius on
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THIRD UPDATE:
The original ortho/surgeon called me and discussed the options. Since the ultrasound was inconclusive at best, only ruling out a lateral bicep muscle tear, she said that likely he just has a "really bad sprain", and likely on the medial portion of the shoulder joint. She suggested steroid/cortisone injections to the site, as well as aspiration of some of the excess fluid from the shoulder joint noted on ultrasound.
Brian went in for the minor procedure, which required light sedation (when I asked, the vet reported that it is needed to help ensure that the injection is placed correctly, especially as the area was on the inside of his elbow/shoulder). Took about 20-30 min total. After the procedure, which again consisted of aspirating some of the excess fluid in his shoulder capsule, then injecting a cortisone shot into the medial muscle of the shoulder, the ortho told me to try to keep him quiet, give him a pain med to limit pain if possible (I gave him a baby aspirin) and to monitor him closely in the next two weeks for any improvements.
The first 24 hrs, Brian looked terrible. His limp was about 5x worse than it had ever been and he looked in pain. But by the next day, he looked like he was walking better and bearing more weight on the right side, causing his gait to be more fluid. I continued to limit exercise (i.e. no walks other than walking around the house or short exits for bathroom breaks outside) but not complete crate rest so that he would not become stiff. Everyday he has appeared to be better and better, and we are allowing increased walks and activity (although no games of fetch or things that might re-injure his shoulder). It has been 3 weeks since the procedure, and (knock on wood!) he looks sound at this point. No evidence of limp of favoring his right side at all. We are still taking it slowly so as to not cause any issues with the healing process.
Sorry I have been so long and detailed in chronicling this "saga"; I am hoping that this thread might help someone else who has similar issues with front leg/shoulder lameness in their dog (corgi or otherwise), since I know there was very little information about the affliction that my boy wound up with.
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only thing I question in his treatment is why use Steroids and cortizone in a joint problem. Steroids and Cortizone erode the joint over time, and have to be re-administered often. They do a miracle in the short term , but long term they cause degeneration. Plus steroids also have many side effects which are not good .
I dont understand why Adequan or another similar product (hyaluronic acid - sorry for the misspelling) was not perscribed and given instead as it does the same, but does not erode the joint over time, but it encourages healing.
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