Hey guys,

I know there are alot of dog owners and lovers on i-club and I just wanted to get some input and advice on a few things...

1) My dog Tank for the past 2 months has been really tender footed on his back right leg. The thing that gets me confused is that sometimes he will be bolting up and down the hall like everything is ok and other times, he seems to be limping around a little bit. I try and get him to calm down so he doesn't run up and down the halls as much when I get home from work to avoid any additional injury. He runs and walks fine on our daily walks, but seems to have to take his time one step at a time when going up and down stairs. When he sits, he has to put his back left leg down first and doesn't really like to put a lot of pressure on his back right hip/leg. Anyone ever come across this issue or know of this issue? I know I will end up taking him into the vet soon, which leads me to my next question...

2) What vet do you guys recommend? I am looking for something not super expensive and is somewhat local. I am located in San Francisco. I currently bring Tank to Pets Unlimited on Fillmore but they are $$$ everytime I have a concern with him ($90 just to get him checked out each time).

Thanks in advance guys!

 

What breed is Tank? How old is he? Did something happen 2 months ago before he started doing this?

 

I believe tank is a pitbull, super super friendly dog . Damn Andy I'm sorry to hear this, i hope you figure it out =(

 

Sounds like it could be a number of things, like a bone spur, or the beginnings of hip displasia. How old is he?

 

Hip displasia is common among pitbulls. I know of one that had it start to show pain from it at just over 3 months old.

Among other things have you looked at his paws? They could be calousing due to the hotter temps lately.

Sorry, i'm in Idaho now, or else I would try to recommend one.

Try blocking your stairs with something to keep him from running around so much. Or go directly into a room with a closing door. This can help with the excitement of coming home.


Ryan~

 

Yea, I did some research and it sounds like hip displasia. Tank is only 3. I'm just kinda bummed because it hurts to see him struggle up the stairs at such a young age. Do you guys know if they can treat displasia?

 

http://www.peteducation.com/article....2+2084&aid=444

i hope it's not full blown yet. this page is pretty thorough on all aspects of the subject. i suggest speaking to your vet asap. hope tank gets well!

 

if it is hip dysplasia and you decide to treat it w medication, check out www.smartpak.com. They provide horse and dog supplements, have a huge variety and very fair prices. Everything can be autoshipped so you never run out of meds/supplements. They will most certainly carry the medicines and supplements need to treat that, and they are just an awesome company to work w.

and, fwiw, my horse has been on previcox for the last yr to help w her joint issues (prev is a dog anti-inflammatory) and it has done WONDERS! Plus, it's only about $1.50 a tablet.

hope your pup feels better soon!!

 

I'd have him checked out at the vet to confirm the diagnosis. Unfortunately, the only way to treat hip diplasia is with surgery. In the meantime, get Tank on this stuff asap. It's mainly for horses and you can find it at most feed stores, but it works wonders on dogs as well!

 

WTF? What's up, Ryan. Nice of you to drop in!

Steezy- Hope all goes well with your pit.

 

Good that you're taking him to the vet soon, but that is something that in the future you shouldn't wait two months to have checked out.

Dogs are very stoic animals. We had a Newfoundland with two discs in his back that were calcifying together and we didn't know until they were completely fused together because he never showed any signs until he couldn't move at all. So Tank may not be showing signs because he's so excited when you get home that he is ignoring the pain. Probably goes back to having to hide pain and weakness to retain dominance in the pack, but thats just my uneducated theory.

 

Ya I was at home relaxing and decided to stop in for a bit lol

Steezy,

Did you take Tank to the Vet yet? How did things go? Keeping hip displasia from getting worse is the real treatment. Like I said before, keeping him from running around when you get home and little things like that will go a long way to helping your dog through the pain. He will still live a normal life just with some problems which we all have our own. Its just tremendously sad to see young dogs in pain from overbreeding problems. Hope Tank feels better soon, my best wishes for you and your Pup.