A slight limp after sleeping? ...
 

Hi,

Our 1 year old(just had her birthday this June) German Shepherd/Boxer mix Shy has a very slight limp after she gets up from sleeping. Heres the info:

I noticed it the other night right after she had gotten up from sleeping. I really don't won't to call it a limp because its very slight. She'll put pressure on it. [B]AND after she walks around a bit shes fine and the limp goes away.[/B]

I've felt both her legs/paws, because for a while I swear it was her left hind leg and then I look and think its her right hind leg. Anyway she shows no pain at all when feeling her legs. She actually went to sleep when I was checking her out lol.

I see no swelling. She doesn't have fever. Her apatite is fine. Her energy is great. She did zoomies in the yard today though I tried not to exert her too much just to be careful.

The day of she did have alot of exercise/zoomie.

Could this be panosteitis? A torn ACL? Just a simple sprain? Are these signs of hip dysplasia? How common is that in younger dogs? Too many questions? lol. Just a little worried. I'm going to make a vet appointment tomorrow but was just wanting some best guesses as to what it might be.

Appreciate any responses,
LittleQueenie

Does it happen every time she gets up? Any differences when sleeping on floors/carpet/dog bed? Any other time it happens?

She could just have slept on the muscles the wrong way :shrug: Or her leg fell asleep.

A vet visit is always good if something concerns you just to be sure :thumbs up

Panosteitis generally shows in the front leg(s) before the hind legs, but an xray would help determine if this is the case

If it was a torn ACL there would be very noticable limping usually also holding one leg off the ground completely

Could be just a sprain, depends on how often it happens and if it occurs at other times as well ie after a walk.

Hip Dysplasia generally shows pain when pressure is put on the hip area, so if she fell asleep while you were checking her hips I'd say no to that one. :D This can also be determined with xrays, it can be an inheritited as well as degenerative disease so unfortunately milliions of dogs every year are diagnosed with the disease.

Only times it has happened(since last night)is when she gets up from sleeping. No difference between sleeping in her bed on the floor or on the couch. It takes about a minute for the limp to go away after she gets up.

Shes fine during walking and after.

I thought about her leg falling asleep. Only thing different that I remember we did the other day was we walked a bit longer than usual and we stepped in alot of puddles because it had just stormed pretty bad.

I at first wondered if her walking in so many puddles of water for longer than normal might have chafed the inside of her paws or something but her paws don't look irritated and I doubt its her paws anyway. Hmm.

I really shound not be googling very rare bone diseases in dogs late at night. It only makes me more of a worry wort. :laughing: :o

Since this only started last night & you went for a longer than usual walk, my :2cents: it's probably a little muscle strain. I don't think the water would cause any issues unless she slipped :shrug:

If she is still showing a little lameness tomorrow afternoon & you are still concerned by all means take her in for an exam - won't hurt. :)

Hi there. :) I would just observe the dog for a few days and take it easy. If the limp goes away, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you have a Whole Foods nearby, go and get some Traumeel. It's a homeopathic remedy for muscle sprains and things of that nature.
With panosteitis the most commonly affected bones are the radius, ulna, humerus, femur, and tibia, though the foot and pelvic bones may also be involved. The dog will respond to direct pressure on the affected areas and he may show reluctance to walk or exercise. From what you describe, it doesn't sound like it's pano. ;)

This deffinately doesn't sound like Pano.

I have seen what my cousin went through when her GSD had it.It started with his front leg and lasted a couple of weeks.He could not walk on it very well.Then it went to the other.Then it was worse when it went to the back.He had a fevor,couldn't eat,lost weight and didn't move around.With him it started at 5 1/2 months.It's also more common in males then females.

I agree with growler.It could be a muscle strain.

My suggestion,hold back on the hard exercise and try to control her zoomies.I know,it won't be easy..LOL..Go for extra walks.Then if the next morning she's fine when she gets up,then you will know.

I have raised 3 GSD's.My current is 12.I have never exercised them hard till they were around 14 months.This way their bones are much stronger.And this was suggested to me by my breeder when I got my first GSD.:)

It [I]could[/I] be the first symptoms of hip dysplasia, so it would probably be a good idea to have your dogs hips evaluated. If it does turn out to be hip related, early intervention with supplements, good nutrition and moderate exercise can be invaluable in mitigating the progress of the dysplasia. And in the best case scenario, finding that the hips are fine would set your mind at ease. :thumbs up

I agree with hazelrunpack, i think it could be the early signs of hip dysplasia. Have she been hip certified or even x-rayed as a puippy? Because hip dysplasia is soething dogs are born with and ussually doesnt just [I]develope[/I] later on in life .Personally, i have hip dysplasia(but it has a big c word in front of it to show that its a human form) And i never started experianceing difficulties with my hips until about a year ago(im 15). German shepherds are proned to hip dysplasia and im not sure about boxers but i think if you buy a pure bred boxer, they have to come with a hip gauantee,so i think that may be a major isssue in boxers too. If she has been checked as a puppy for Hip dysplasia than , i doubt she has it.

You may ask your vet if you can start her on glucosamine / chondro supplements. It might help. :shrug:

Actually Katherine,HD can/does develop later on.You can have a perfectly healthy dog at the age of 3,then this perfectly health dog can get HD at 5.;)

Also,hips get certified at 2 yeas of age..This is why no breeding should ever take place before 2.You can have pup xrayed at 6 months(like I did with my guys)and the hips can be clear.Then done again at 18 months(like I did)and the HD can show.Knock on wood none of mine have had it.

Even with both parents being clear,they can still produce pups with HD.

LittleQueenie,any of this happening with Shy?

- Generally less active.

- Problem with stairs.

- Less jumping

- Trouble rising, or laying down.

- When running will exhibit a Bunny hopping style gait

- Painful reaction to the extension of the rear legs.

- A faint popping sound coming from the hip.

These are a few signs for HD.

Hi everyone,

No she was adopted at the shelter so she hasn't been hip certified - can you be hip certified if your a mix? Mother was a GD.

And mona_b of the things you listed the only thing I've ever noticed is when she does her zoomies in the yard she will bunny hop sort of. When she runs she actually looks more like a greyhound.

Today I've kept her quiet and the limp seems to be a little better so I think I'll let her rest and give it another day and then if not bettet make a appoinment. I definately want to get her hips checked out though.

Oh! I have noticed today anytime she gets up from sleeping she'll stick her butt in the air and stretch more than usual. Though not sure if that signifies anything?

Appreciate everyones responses! :)

The butt in the air stretch is probably her just realising it feels better if you stretch first before you get up :D

Dogs do not have to be purebred to be OFA certified.

[URL="http://www.offa.org/faq.html#3"]OFA Certification FAQ's[/URL]

Generally, if you're certifying a dog through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) they won't do a 'final' until the dog is 2 years of age. Prior to 2, they'll give you a preliminary evaluation, but it isn't "official" until done again after age 2.

However, you can get your dog evaluated even if it's not a purebred. All it takes is an xray and an experienced orthopedic vet...I'm not sure, but I suspect that OFA will evaluate an xray for you for the same price as they'd evaluate one for certification. It's pretty reasonable (last time we did it I think it was US$35 for a hip evaluation...above and beyond what your regular vet charges to take the xrays, of course) if you want to go that route.

If you don't want to use OFA, any experienced orthopedic vet would be able to help you out. :thumbs up

The extra stretching almost sounds like she's working a kink out of a muscle--so maybe she just has a soft-tissue injury :fingerscr

Oh, thanks, growler! madame hazel couldn't find the link... :D

If you want to be on the safe side,make an appt to get her checked.:)

Till then,cut down on the hard exercise and careful with the zoomies.Or should i say "try"...I know it's not easy.

If everything checks out and she's ok,no hard play for a while..Not till her bones get a bit stronger.Especially if she has more of the GSD in her.:)

My dog also limps a little after a nap. Front right leg.
 

Phoebe, our female 8 month old lab cross also has a slight limp in her front right leg after sleeping in her crate. It goes away after a minute or two and really looks like she just slept on it wrong and her foots asleep.
Anyone else experience this or have any new ideas?

My family and I just got a 2 month old German shepherd lab mix and she does the same thing I just noticed it today, I think it's from them sleeping cause nala is very lazy she loves her sleep! But after playing for a little she's fine, no more limping..