A slight limp after sleeping? ...

[LittleQueenie]

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. AND after she walks around a bit shes fine and the limp goes away.

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

[growler~GateKeeper]

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 Or her leg fell asleep.

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

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. 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.

[LittleQueenie]

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.

[growler~GateKeeper]

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

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.

[Sabine]

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.

[mona_b]

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.

[hazelrunpack]

It could 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.