Lameness in Hind Legs - but not HD

[Marley]

Marley is our 3 1/2 year old golden and over the past few months, (especially since Christmas) she has developed lameness in her hind legs. She has a lot of difficulty getting up after laying down for a period of time and once she does get up, her hind legs will shake (almost as if they were asleep) and then she will limp and walk stiff legged until she gets moving. As she gets moving, she seems to be ok, except on walks, when she runs, her gait is definitely off. She looks as though she is hopping with her hind legs.

We took her to the vet the first week after Christmas. She was especially bad at this time, her mood was off (her personality was different - very lackadaisical). Our vet first took X-rays, because he wanted to rule out hip displaysia and her hips looked great. No signs of arthritis or HD.

He then thought it might be hypothyroidism. Other than the mood change and the lameness, she really didn't show any other of the classic signs (from what I have read) but he took blood tests to check and she was borderline for hypothyroidism, so he put her on Eltroxin.

Her mood definitely improved (for the most part, she was back to being herself) and we thought her 'lameness' was improving but then after about 2 weeks, her 'lameness' got worse again. We took her back to the vet, he was unsure about what to check for - she was showing classic signs of HD, but her X-rays had shown up negative, so he decided to put her on MetaCam to see if this would improve her situation.

Marley has been on MetaCam for 9 days now, and again, we thought we saw improvement after 4 -5 days, but the last couple of days she has gotten worse again.

We spoke with the vet a couple of days ago, and he seems very puzzled by her symptoms. We have to go in this week to see him again, we think he will be testing Marley for Lyme disease (although, he thinks this is a stretch) and then he might have to refer her to a specialist (and perhaps an MRI) as he is thinking it might be some type of congenital muscle disease.

We are very worried about Marley - and we were hoping that someone else might have an idea about what this might be.
If anybody has experienced anything like this with their Golden, we would appreciate any feedback you might have.

Thanks,
Tanya

[johnwa]

"If anybody has experienced anything like this with their Golden, we would appreciate any feedback you might have. "

--Yes! It turned out to be a form of Lyme disease or "tick borne" infection.
If you have not done so already, check the underside of your dog...are there any rashes or otherwise red areas? If yes, that could give some credibility to the Lyme theory, but not necessarily.

I caution you that it may have nothing what so ever to do with the Lyme theory. In a way, I hope that's what it turns out to be, because it is usually 100% curable, but your dog needs to be put on the anti-biotics to fight the infection. Your vet may also put your dog on Rimadyl for a very short time, just to help him with the lameness.

Would you please let us know what happens and what the diagnosis turns out to be? Good luck and thanks very much.

[Acamarrr]

I'm no expert on these things, but try this little test:

Pull her toes backward, and place her foot back on the ground -- she will, essentially, be standing on her toe joint, rather than her pad. This is a reflex test -- if he rights it immediately, at least you know it's not nerve or spinal damage. If she delays, or even leaves it in the toes-curled-under position, it's highly likely to be nerve/spine related. I don't know if that fits in with a diagnosis of Lyme. For us, in our senior Golden, it was a diagnosis of spondylosis, which should show up on x-ray.

Does your vet suspect bone cancer at all? -- your experience with the Metacam reminded me of mine -- a few days of seemingly normal movement, then back to problems, worse than before. Bone cancer should also show up on x-rays, but because my vet is a rural one, her xray machine isn't the best -- we had to go to a University hospital, where she was immediately diagnosed.

Good luck, and let us know!

[bellababy]

I so sorry to hear about your dog. I haven't had any experience with my dog in this matter, but I have seen two dogs that had simmilar symptoms. Both owners said that their dogs had problems with herniated discs or that the problem was in their back. One was a doberman, and the lady was walking him. He did okay, but when they stopped to talk to us, the back legs were shaking a lot. The second one was a dog who apparently lost complete use of the back legs for a while. When I met them walking, the dog was walking but kind of dragging the back legs. It still could run and everything, but didn't have the strength. The owner said that after some accupuncture from the vet, the dog regained at least half of its function back. The man now walks his dog at least a mile everyday strengthening the muscles from the time it wasn't able to walk.
I don't know if any of this information helped you, but I thought that it sounded somewhat related to these stories. I wish you all the luck and I hope you guys find out soon what is wrong with your baby and that she has a quick recovery. Keep us updated, as I am thinking about you.

[Marley]

"If you have not done so already, check the underside of your dog...are there any rashes or otherwise red areas? If yes, that could give some credibility to the Lyme theory, but not necessarily."

Thanks for the feedback...we checked Marley and could not find any red areas or rashes on her underside.
However, this did remind us that earlier this past fall (probably October), she had some type of rash on her legs. We could pull the fur out in chunks on just the lower part of her legs (both front and hind legs). There was also this 'tacky' brown film on the end of her fur - closest to her skin (it looked like her skin had mud on it). We took her to the vet, and at the time, they could not identify this as anything specific. We ended up washing her legs daily with an anti-bacterial soap and it eventually went away.
Now looking back, we are wondering if this could be related to her current situation.
Any thoughts?

We also tried the toe reflex test as suggested by "Acamarrr" and her reflex seems to be fine. Thank you for the suggestion.

Thanks again everyone for the feedback and support.

[Goldenglittergirl]

Thoughts and puppy kisses going out to Marley :dogbark ..Keep us updated!

[angenbear]

With hypothyroidism on people, the bones tend to be achy, stiff. Since your dog is borderline, could be that he is expereincing the achy/stiffy part of hypothyroid.

I hope you can find more on it, and hope for the best for your pal, give him hugs!

[Rusty-14]

I am so sorry this is happening to you and your family. It must be driving you crazy not being able to help her. Poor baby.

This sounds so much like what an older dog like mine is having but not with a 3 1/2 year old.

I hope you find the problem. This is just terrible. I am so sorry.

Best of luck with this and please let us know.

[Rusty-14]

I just wanted to ask you if the vet took xrays of the spine? Maybe a pinched nerve.

As you can see I am worried about your baby. It is so sad.

[lvngold]

I hope you find out what this is. It is so sad to know that something is wrong and they can not tell you what it is.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[Cheyenne]

Hi, I know you said the vet ruled out HD but did they check the knee area to see if maybe the ligament was torn? It's just like an ACL injury in humans and I was told in can be quite common in dogs, especially large breeds. My dog does have HD but before being diagnosed with that she had hurt her back leg and displayed the same symptoms you refer to with your pup and thats what they told me was wrong. Fortunately it wasn't bad enough to require surgery at this time but they can operate and fix the torn ligaments, etc. I would imagine if she has had xrays and everything they probably ruled it out but just a thought. I wish you the best of luck and hope its something treatable and your baby feels better soon!! Keep us posted

[Marley]

Marely update:
We took Marley to the vet this week. He took another blood test to check for her thyroid and her levels were back to normal after the medication. But since she is still having problems with her hind legs, he has ruled out the thyroid as a potential cause.

The vet has also ruled out Lyme disease.

On the positive side, we did take videos of her getting up and running (she is running very awkward these days) and when we showed the video to the vet, he thought it could be a ligament problem (similar to what you said in your reply Cheyenne). He checked her ligaments, but could not find anything obvious, but he still thinks it could be a partial tear....to be safe though, he has decided to send her to a neurologist for some more testing. She has an appointment this week.

At this point, we are really hoping that it is only a ligament problem.

Thanks again for everyone's support and kind words.

[coopersmom]

we have a 4.5 year old golden showed some of the signs you have mentioned. we found out he has cushings disease which is a tumor on the pituitary gland, an ACTH blood test would show for sure. hope this is not the problem but doesnt hurt to check. good luck

[Marley]

Marley Update:

We have finally found out what has been bothering Marley. After some neurological testing, (which she had responded ok) she had some x-rays done on her knees and we found out she has torn both of her knee ligaments.

Due to her size (she has a large frame, long legs and weighs approximately 90 lbs), the animal hospital recommended that she have TPLO surgery.

We still do not have that much information on this type of surgery (our appointment is next week to see the surgeon) but have been told that they will be moving and rotating the tibia and adding a bone plate. Apparently, this will be better (in the long run) for Marley although it is quite an intensive surgical process.

We have also been told that she will have one leg done first, and then the next leg 6-8 weeks later and she will need extensive re-habilitation.

Has anybody had any experience with this type of surgery and/or rehabilitation process?

[Andi]

Glad to hear that you finally got a diagnosis! Kudos to you for following through and not giving up! :029

I sent an e-mail to a friend of mine since I think this is exactly the same surgery that her Great Dane just went through late last year. I will let you know what she says....I'll try to get some info. I do know that she had to go to a veterinary orthopedic surgeon and when they did the surgery...she had to pay both her regular vet and the orthopedist if I remember correctly....not cheap but I think it's worth it.

[Andi]

Here's my friend's response.....if you have any more questions, please let me know and I will definitely run it by her.....btw....prices will vary by vet and region of the country....my friend lives in CT and goes to a rather expensive (but excellent) vet.

"Anyway, yes, Lijah had the TPLO surgery. Lijah was fine, wanted to play soon after surgery, but you know Lijah! Only rehab was walking increased with time-the walking also strengthened the muscles and she is doing great now! Some stiffness after prolonged couch potatoing(?) She is taking Glucosamine & Chondroitin daily to help lubricate etc.,, the joints.

Expensive surgery ($2700 one knee) but apparently less likely to re-injure the joint due to the leveling. Vet must be specially trained to this surgery, but do not believe it is required, I would check to see how many he or she has done and success rate. My Vet’s Newf had this surgery last year performed by this surgeon he recommended to me so I figured could not go wrong if his baby had it by this guy!"

[Cheyenne]

Marley, I am glad they finally figured out what the issue was, but not happy it was what I thought. The "good" news is they can fix with surgery and in the long run should help but can be expensive and maybe difficult for pup. Please let me know how it goes as I am still looking for information on this type of surgery just in case my pup does end up having it. Last they checked they wanted to hold off on the surgery to see if the leg would get better but honestly I don't think it is and worried it may be time to go forward with something like this. Hugs to Marley and keep us posted on how it goes. Also thanks to you and your friend Andi for some additional info there.

[Marley]

We are so upset -

Marley had her TPLO surgery today. Everything went well with the actual knee surgery (I can fill you in later on those details) -
but right now we are very scared for her.

She is in intensive care - she had problems coming out of the anesthetic and started to get agitated and when they gave her some drugs to calm her, she went into cardiac arrest (her heart stopped 4 times) - They had cut her chest cavity to massage her heart. Fortunately she was having here knee surgery in a university hospital - and they had the ability (poeple and resources) to react quickly and keep her breathing.

The surgeon says he has no idea what happened. All of her bloodwork was fine prior to surgery. He is suggesting that it is some freak thing - that this type of cardiac arrest (or reaction) only happens 1 in 10,000 surgeries.

He is being positive, saying that because of how young she is (3 1/2) and how strong she is - (she was apparently fighting hard to stay alive) that she has a good chance to pull through.
Right now, we are just beside ourselves--the waiting is horrible. The next 12 hours are crucial for her.

We are sooo sad....

[Acamarrr]

I'm praying for Marley, and for you and your family.

[GoldenLady]

You and Marley are in my thoughts and prayers as well.

GoldenLady

[maine-girl]

All my prayers are with you. I know the anxiety and pain of worry with your furry family members.... You can't even sit by them in the hospital, like you can with your less hairy family members. Keep up the fight Marley, we're with you.

[Cheyenne]

I am so sorry to hear that. How scary!! Very glad the doctors were able to do so much so quickly for Marley. I will keep you in my prayers and hope everything turns out fine. Stay strong, the waiting must be very difficult, I am sad for you. Lets hope she comes through with no further problems. Please keep us posted. Hugs to you and Marley!!

[Andi]

I will say a prayer for you and your pup.....she'll pull through........stay positive. That has got to be one of the most horrible things to go through....

[Marley]

Marley Update:

Marley is definitely doing better tonight, but unfortunately, the doctors still say that she isn't out of the woods yet.They are still a little concerned with how long she is taking to wake up.

This morning was horrible, we really didn't feel confident that she was going to be ok - but thankfully, by this afternoon she was starting to make some slight movements on her own and showing signs of improvement. She is still not conscious but her movements indicate that she is trying.

We feel fortunate that the doctors were there at the right time yesterday when her heart stopped. We don't think she would have made it if the situation was any different. Plus, we are very thankful for the staff at the vet hospital - everyone is so nice to Marley. Even though we can't be there all the time - we feel that she is being loved and taken care.

Thanks for all of your support here at the forum. It is nice for us to have a connection with other individuals who truly understand how important dogs are to our everyday lives.

Thanks again and I will give an update on Marley's condition tomorrow.

[maine-girl]

glad there is some good news.... still in my prayers alot.

[GoldenLady]

Thanks for the update! I've been thinking about Marley throughout the day, and checking back hoping for some news (the right kind of news, of course :) )..... I'm so glad to hear she's doing better. It's really nice when the staff are so wonderful - having the confidence that your baby is in really good hands does wonders for the owners' peace of mind, for sure.

I'll continue to send you positive thoughts for Marley's recovery.... Fingers and paws are crossed here, hoping that she'll only continue to improve.

GoldenLady :)

[goldengal]

Hope Marley is continuing to improve. She has been in my thoughts too.

[KilasMammy]

Glad to hear that Marley is hanging in there...you certainly have a fighter there :) and fingers crossed she will keep improving :)
Its so hard to have to leave them alone....we dont expect parents to not be with their children during such times......should be no different for our pets :)
Marie

[Marley]

Marley Update:

Marley had a pretty good day yesterday. She is definitely coming out of it - albeit slowly. Yesterday morning we had a chance to spend a couple of hours alone with her (it was so nice to just be with her) - Marley would wake up and try to lift her head (as if she wanted to get up) but she had some difficulties supporting her head and she could not roll over on her own. But she did eat - which was very positive.

She is definitely improving but the only thing that we are concerned about now is that her vision has not come back yet - the doctors say this is relatively normal due to the trauma that she went through and they say it should come back in a couple of days. After everything she has been through, we believe that her sight will come back. Marley is definitely showing us that she is a fighter.

We just worry because she seems so confused. When we speak into her ears, she recognizes our voices, but we know she can't see us because of the way she moves. She flips her head around - trying to locate where we are. It's breaking our heart because we can't help her.

So hopefully this morning when we go to visit her, she will be able to see a little and that she is getting stronger. each visit seems to bring a new hope to all of us - as she is improving all of the time.

[Cheyenne]

My heart goes out to you and Marley. I am very glad she seems to be improving. It sounds like it just takes time, but for you in couldn't be fast enough!! I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep letting us know how she is doing.

[maine-girl]

I hope all the news is good, I've been checking a couple of times a day to see if there is aposting for Marley. I ahave alos been praying constantly that Marley is okay. Does anyone know how Marley is doing?

[GoldenLady]

I hope all the news is good, I've been checking a couple of times a day to see if there is aposting for Marley. I ahave alos been praying constantly that Marley is okay. Does anyone know how Marley is doing?

I've been wondering about her as well.... I've been sending positive thoughts for her recovery, and will continue to do so. Hopefully it's just a case of "no news is good news".....

GoldenLady

[Marley]

Marley finally came home from the hospital! We are so happy to have her back.

She is doing well - she still has some vision problems, but she seems to be improving (they think that everything with her vision will come back - it might just take time)

She is still quite weak from all of the stress she's been through this past week (seems like a year has passed to us!)
but she is definitely managing.

With her TPLO surgery, we were going to have to limit her mobility - so now we just have to take it a bit more slowly because of her emergency thoractomy (she has a 10" incision on her left rib cage where they performed the cardiac massage).
What amazes us is how well she has rebounded from this situation. She continues to amaze us - and she has no complaints. Goldens are such stoic and beautiful animals.

Going forward, we have follow up appointment next week to have the staples removed from her leg and chest.

The recovery time for the TPLO is 4 months and then (what scares us most) is that we have to get another TLPO done on her other leg.

We've spoken to the doctors, and they really don't have any answers as to why her heart stopped. They have explained this as a 'freak' incident and that they would feel completely comfortable performing the next surgery and putting her under again. We, however, do not have the same confidence - it scares us, but we are not sure what choice we have as she will need to have her left leg repaired as well.

Right now though, we've decided to take it one day at a time - work with her on getting her healthy again. We are going to love her like crazy and then figure out when to have the next surgery done.

Thanks again for all the good thoughts - Marley is a strong girl and fought through a horrible situation - and we'd like to think that all the positive thoughts everyone sent helped her come back to us.

We feel so lucky to have a second chance with our baby.

[Snowball]

That is so great to hear Marley is doing well!!!! They are amazing dogs!

[maine-girl]

You have made my day (after I had to have an emergency root canal)..... I am so so so happy that she is home and doing better. My prayers will still be with you... keep in touch

[GoldenLady]

That's terrific news - thanks for the update! I'm so glad to hear that Marley is back home with you, and is well on her way to recovery. :happy2 I like your "one day at a time" philosophy - works well in a lot of ways, I find, and for life in general. :cool:

Please continue to keep us posted, and give your sweet girl an extra-big hug for me. :)

GoldenLady :)

[goldengal]

I too have been checking to see how Marley is doing. Have a friend whose Golden had the same operation last week and encountered problems (different than Marley's though). Must call her tonight to give her the good news. Your comment, "Goldens are such stoic and beautiful anaimals" says it all. Take care.

[KilasMammy]

Great to hear Marley has made it home :) you have a tough little fighter there....and I am sure she will be even more spoiled than usual considering the week you have all had! I can understand your worry re having the second leg done. Its hard enough knowing that they are going under for surgery normally but when Marley had such problems this time I can imagine the worry you must have for the second one!
You have time before the second will be done...do some research and love your baby as I know you do :)
Glad you have your baby home :dogbark
Marie

[diiorio]

Glad they found out it was torn ACL's. Large breed dog's are prone to it.

However are they sure her t4 levels ar off because of Hypothyroid. How far off was it? If it is confirmed Hypothyroid then keeping your dog on Soloxine (or Thyroxine) will be needed.

THey shoudl have doen all the tests from the get go. Checkign the knees for Draw (looseness), run a Lyme test, ect all in one visit. This saves time.

Xrays don't really show a ACL tear (tissue won't show up easily), they usually grab the knee and ty to minipulate it to see if their is draw.

Surgery works to stabalize the knee, however later on Arthritis is still a concern. Concider using Hills J/D or Condrotin/GLucosamine and Fish oil suppliments. If he later does well on jsut that, then there is no need for Nsaids.

[maine-girl]

How's your furry friend doing? It's been a little while since you posted and I was thinking of you guys!!!!