Took Jasmine (10 yrs old about 80 lbs) to the vet as she was limping on right front shoulder quit bad.

The vet examined her and ruled out broken bones , tendon damage , foot/nail problems. Her heart was good.Conclusion was a sprain as he said judging by the severity of her limp if it were arthritis he would have felt it during joint manipulation and she showed no signs of pain during these manipulations.

Prescribed Rimadyl for a couple of weeks and if no improvement , then an xray would be in order. (and yes - I've read up on what signs to watch for for an adverse reaction to the drug).

After 3 days of Rimadyl , other than she seems a lot more comfortable at rest , I notice little change in her shoulder action. She still is limping , though not as pronounced until the drug wears off , then there seems to be little change.

A couple of questions here:
1). The vet said to keep her quiet. How quiet? We live in the country so keep her indoors over night so she doesn't try to chase the deer/coyotes and restrict her time outside. Take her for quiet walks through the day and in the evenings but she still tries to run once in a while (doesn't go far though.Just a few strides).

2) After 3 days I thought there's be some improvement. Am I being too impatient or should I try to get her back into the vet ASAP? (he's gone until next week sometime anyway).

Opinions appreciated.

[Corky/Max]

Originally Posted by BeerHunter

Took Jasmine (10 yrs old about 80 lbs) to the vet as she was limping on right front shoulder quit bad.

The vet examined her and ruled out broken bones , tendon damage , foot/nail problems. Her heart was good.Conclusion was a sprain as he said judging by the severity of her limp if it were arthritis he would have felt it during joint manipulation and she showed no signs of pain during these manipulations.Was she checked for Lyme disease!!?? Will quote from my Home Vet Handbook: The disease in dogs is characterized by the sudden onset of lameness. IN FACT, LAMENESS IS OFTEN THE ONLY SIGN OF INFECTION. One or more joints may become swollen and painful to the touch. Some dogs run a fever and experience weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite and weight loss. The lameness may last only a few days, but in some cases it becomes chronic and persists or recurs for months.

Serological blood tests will indicate whether a dog has been exposed to the disease. Dogs may not test positive until a few weeks after exposure. False positives occur in dogs vaccinated against Lyme disease. They also occur in endemic areas. A rising antibody titer in the absence of recent vaccination, however, indicates active infection. X-rays of swollen joints show fluid without degenerative joint changes. SYNOVIAL FLUID ANALYSIS (in which a needle is inserted into a joint to remove fluid for examination) may show spirochetes.

Prescribed Rimadyl for a couple of weeks and if no improvement , then an xray would be in order. (and yes - I've read up on what signs to watch for for an adverse reaction to the drug).Not so sure you would see liver damage signs until too late!! I've had a little experience with this 'poisonous' drug and never again will any of my dogs be on that crap!!
Sorry, I had to say something---everytime I hear that word and somebody's dog is on it--I cringe!! And some dogs have a fatal reaction with the 1st pill!

After 3 days of Rimadyl , other than she seems a lot more comfortable at rest , I notice little change in her shoulder action. She still is limping , though not as pronounced until the drug wears off , then there seems to be little change.

A couple of questions here:
1). The vet said to keep her quiet. How quiet? We live in the country so keep her indoors over night so she doesn't try to chase the deer/coyotes and restrict her time outside. Take her for quiet walks through the day and in the evenings but she still tries to run once in a while (doesn't go far though.Just a few strides).Not sure what to offer on this! Just don't let her get excited or stressed out where she would overdo the shoulder in her excitement. Little confused--Is she or isn't she in any pain--wouldn't think the vet could rule out arthritis--this comes and goes too as far as the pain! How long has she been limping?

2) After 3 days I thought there's be some improvement. Am I being too impatient or should I try to get her back into the vet ASAP? (he's gone until next week sometime anyway).Sounds like your vet wants to wait for a couple of weeks to see if it improves (which it sure should if it is just a sprain) He may be going to check for Lymes disease--x-ray and all if it hasn't gotten better. And from the quote I gave you above--the Lymes disease may not show up until after a couple weeks of exposure. Lymes disease is a tricky thing to diagnose-- If Lymes disease is not found--Don't rule it out esp. if your dog has more symptoms 'down the road'. I would suggest you study up on this disease so you can be aware of possibilities----If it is Lymes--if not treated--will lead to severe arthritis and other problems.

Opinions appreciated.

Hope your dog improves and it is just a sprain!

Thanks for the reply.

She wasn't checked for Lyme disease but it was mentioned during the exam. I'm assuming that if she does end up back in the vet's office there will be blood work done up as well as the x-ray.

As far as Rimadyl is concerned , after 3 1/2 days there's no signs of any adverse reaction. She's eating well (in fact almost better than before ) but I'm only keeping her on it for the prescribed time as it's not on;ly a pain reliever but an inflammatory drug as well.. If she needs long term pain medication for relief I'm looking elsewhere.

As for being in pain with no medication , she's not whimpering or anything but her eyes don't have that sparkle and she simply looks distressed (other than the bored expression. Part Border Collie )

She had a very mild limp for quit a while (off and on) and I mentioned this to the vet. His reason for dismissing arthritis as the cause during the exam was that for arthritis to cause such a severe limp , there would have been a very noticeable feel in the shoulder during manipulation. He didn't rule it out entirely and said only an x-ray would be definitive but at a cost of $125.00 (cost isn't a factor when it comes to our pets) and the fact there was no one in the office to perform the x-ray , he felt the 2 week trial might be worth a go.

But thanks for the insight and the heads up about Lyme disease. I will read up on it and become informed and make sure the vet checks it out if we need to.

I give my dogs a product that is made with human grade ingredients-so no harmful side effects and they have a $$ back guarantee. Keep us posted on how your pet is doing! Email me if you want info on the product I use. Best of luck to your pet!

She has improved significantly and we're taking her off Rimadyl.

She did seem to be a bit constipated but don't know if that was the drug or lack of exercise.

Think she'll always have a mild limp on that shoulder now (she had it for quit a while prior to the sprain) and her days of chasing the deer are over but then again , we'll never hike the Chilkoot again either..time takes its toll.

As long as she's comfortable,not in any pain and can still enjoy relatively quiet walks with us with the odd spurt of puppy hood energy , I'm satisfied.