Puppy lameness not responding to medication

[Petros]

Hello, my name is Petros Ritsopoulos and I live in Heraklion Crete, Greece. I am a breeder of German Shepherd dogs. At present I am facing a problem with one of my puppies that is 6,5 months old.
A month ago, Jamaica (female) presented a limp in the front left leg. The symptoms are lameness and when she walks the leg seems unable to hold her weight so she presents a limp which appears as a significant shoulder lowering. Also, when she stands, most of the times, she places her left leg slightly in front compared to the right leg and her paw facing outwards. No evidence of pain however or it seems like this.
She has been on medication ever since but the problem does not seem to get any better. She was first administered Metacam which did not work. She is also taking extra calcium (following the Veterinarian's recommedation) as the x-ray of the leg showed a slight lack of calcium. She has also taken GAG Forte tablets (4 per day, 1 box of 160 tablets) but still I do not see any improvement.
Some info regarding her growth: She grew up from 3 to 6 months VERY RAPIDLY reaching 60 cm (at withers) and 29 kg. She is lean all right (and always has been kept so).
Both of her parents are HD & ED normal.
What else if left to do, if anything at all?
I am very worried about her.
Thank you in advance for your concern.

Petros Ritsopoulos
Dipl.MEng., MBA

[Whizzy]

There is a condition in German Shepherd Dogs puppies that is quite common called panosteitis...panos for short. It presents as lameness, sometimes quite severe, and sometimes is accompanied by fever, inflamed tonsils, and an elevated white cell count. Sometimes it migrates from one leg to another. The good news is that it's self limiting and causes no long term problems. There is no cure, it just has to resolve on it's own. Treatment is limited to pain relief and rest. They usually grow out of it around 18 months of age.

The cause of this condition is unknown. Some signs point to a viral infection, but there is also concern that the disease is genetic. It has been suggested that there could be multiple factors involved; genetics, a virus, and even diet.

I would discuss this with your Veterinarian. From what you've discribed, panos could be a likely diagnosis, but only a Veterinarian can know for certain. If it is panos, you just have to keep her as comfortable as possible, and wait it out.

[chowsrus]

Dear Petros--

I am into my sixth generation of panosteitis. I am sure that it is hereditary. It lasts for about 6 - 8 months, then it is as if nothing was wrong. I find that pain medication helps, rest, and massaging the hips. I have had xrays taken of each bitch with the lameness (it seems to hit the females or maybe I've just had more females than males). It seems that pano never shows up on my xrays, but what does show is that nothing is wrong with anything else (no hip or any other problems).

I give my latest female with pano vitamin C, fish oil tablets, a tablet for joints, and now and then a pain tablet.

One paper I read says to switch to adult formula dog food; however, I feed my puppies a mix almost from the day their born. They are onto strictly adult dog food by 6 months.

All my other bitches have outgrown this lameness, and are just fine. If I can be of any help, please let me know.

[chowsrus]

Dear Petros--

I am into my sixth generation of panosteitis. I am sure that it is hereditary. It lasts for about 6 - 8 months, then it is as if nothing was wrong. I find that pain medication helps, rest, and massaging the hips. I have had xrays taken of each bitch with the lameness (it seems to hit the females or maybe I've just had more females than males). It seems that pano never shows up on my xrays, but what does show is that nothing is wrong with anything else (no hip or any other problems).

I give my latest female with pano vitamin C, fish oil tablets, a tablet for joints, and now and then a pain tablet.

One paper I read says to switch to adult formula dog food; however, I feed my puppies a mix almost from the day their born. They are onto strictly adult dog food by 6 months.

All my other bitches have outgrown this lameness, and are just fine. If I can be of any help, please let me know.[/quote]

[Ocala]

Hello, I think my puppy has this:

I noticed a couple times in the last 2 months that the lymph nodes in her neck were swollen. I found that odd, but figured it was a little cold. But for the past month or maybe longer, she has had a strong limp in her front right leg that comes and goes. I thought it could be a little hurt because she plays rough with my neighbor's dog. But she has been limping pretty bad the past couple days and her front right leg went out from under her today. I've felt around and it seems that the lame leg shoulder is raised. She is 7 months old. She shows no sign of pain and always wants to play. Could this be Panos. If so what should I do? I am very concerned and do not have much money for outrageous medical bills. My first thought was displacia, but this sounds more like it. Displacia is only in the elbow? and hips (located in the rear of the animal, not the front.). Right?

I really appreciate anyones feedback.
Thank you.