Update on Bella's Limp

We are back from the vet and they have ruled out luxating patellas - they said her patella seem very tight. She determined the pain was coming from her hip. They took x-rays and said it does not show any signs of hip dysplasia and that this pain and limping could be one of two things. Best case scenario is that she has some soft tissue damage which we now have medication for and should subside in a week. Worse case scenario she could have something called "legg calve perthes disease." This is a disease where blood the femur suffers a loss of blood supply and because of the blood loss the bone dies. I just did some research on this and it affects puppies ages 4 to 12 months (which she falls into) and is always in toy breeds - most common in terriers, poodles, min pins, etc. I could not find much online of it ever affecting a Cavalier. Also, all the research I did said that it is believed to be genetic and a OFA certification on the breeding stock should likely prevent this disease. Our breeder did all health testing and certs out there. I am praying she does not have this as it is a very painful surgery with a recovery period of up to a year. Has anyone ever heard of this disease or experienced it in a cavalier before? Any information or warning signs I can look for would be most appreciated.

I haven't heard of it until now. Please keep us updated.
:hug::hug: Hugs to you and your little one! :xfngr: Hope she feels better soon.:flwr:

This is odd as my son when he was 4 or 5 had this condition. The bone doctor took a conservative approach and did not do surgery. I had to keep him down and not let him jump on his hip, or there was a chance of fracture. It was a difficult time but we made it through. He is now 30 years old and has never had any other problems. In all the years since, I have not heard anyone speak of this disease until now and it is occuring in a Cavie. I am sure the Vet will take great care of little Bella. Good luck.

Marsha

:xfngr: Lets hope it is just soft tissue & will mend swiftly.

:xfngr: it is the less serious of the 2!

I have never heard of that condition either!! :xfngr: That it is just soft tissue damage!! Most likely is, the way puppies bomb around and twist and jump about!! Big kiss for Bella and a gentle hug :hug: :hug: each!!

I've never heard of that; poor thing. I can imagine how concerned you are right now. Let's focus on the best case scenario as that is surely far more likely to be the issue. :flwr:

If your vet isn't familiar with SM make sure she has that info too. Hind or forelimb weakness/limping with seemingly no cause can be one of the symptoms. This is because the syrinxes affect the area of brain/spine associated with motor movements. It is just an alternative to consider if it doesn't seem to be a soft tissue problem. You'd want to ask for a refferal to a neurologist and/or an orthopaedist I think before making any assumptions about the cause if she doesn't improve. I completely respect vets, but when the diagnosis starts to get into speciality areas, I want a specialist opinion.

Are there tests they can do to confirm whether it is the more unusual hip condition?

I've never heard of that condition either. :xfngr: that it is tissue damage. Keep us posted on updates.

Joly had a bad shoulder for a few weeks, after no apparent accident (we'd been at a county show all day ). The vet eventually found a sore spot right up inside the 'armpit', but it was hard to spot.

Some vets like to mention the unusual. One young one, who examined Izzy for a sore ear (He always half closed the relavant eye if his ear was sore) stared at him for ages and declared that it could be an ear infection or he could have a rare type of palsy.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I am cautiously optimistic that it is just soft tissue damage. In terms of the SM symptoms Karlin, she isnt limping for what seems to be no reason. When the vet put pressure on her hip joints she definately felt some pain there. We then moved onto an x-ray and didnt see anything except maybe some darkening in the joint of her hip but the vet said it was very non-conclusive. Her major concern in thinking it may not be soft tissue damage was because Bella felt some pain in both hips - one more than the other but definately pain in both. We now have her on Rimadyl and the vet said if it is soft tissue she should be better in a week. So now it is just a matter of time. I am glad to hear that no one has heard of this disease in a cav before - that makes me feel much better! In the next few weeks if she doesnt get better we will take her to an orthopedic specialist and will find out for sure then. I will keep you all updated!!

I should have been clearer there -- I didn't mean 'for no reason' as in pressure wouldn't cause pain, but 'no reason' as in they can't find a specific cause for the pain, though the dog would signify that this is a painful area (neurologists test for SM by pressing on joints, too, and looking for signs of pain). It's just another thing to keep in mind to look into if she doesn't improve -- as a vet will be very unlikely to know too much about checking for SM (indeed all they can really do is refer a dog to a neurologist of the dog isn't responding, as vets do not have the training to diagnose a specialist condition like this). Your vet would probably refer you to an orthopedic specialist if she thinks it might be the other condition as that sounds fairly unusual, too.

Good healing thoughts though and sure hope she is doing much better before too long. :flwr: