It is supposed to turn hot and humid again this weekend. It was nice this past week to go out and do some training without a lot of humidity. It is summer and I suppose the humidity was bound to return at some point. On this particular training day the brown dawgs did a water double and we ran a couple of land blinds. It has been so dry around here that we have very limited water to train in and as you saw in my Wordless Wednesday post, we have to share with the blow-boaters who informed me that they were having their regatta. Had to laugh at that, but they have been pretty good about sharing the water.
Storm was very enthusiastic to train, but her marking was not as good as usual. Her handling kind of stunk too. She is due to come into season and Thunder has been showing a lot of interest in her so that may be why she is just not focused at times.
Some pictures of her work:
Next up was Thunder. He did great on both marks and the blinds. I have video of his blind work, but I haven’t had a chance to upload it. I will try for next week.
Thunder spent yesterday at the vet. On and off this summer he has come up lame in his front leg after training. We rest him and it goes away, but then once he starts running again, the limp reappears. We have him entered in some tests coming up and I was starting to worry that maybe he needed total rest. The clinic where we take our animals has an orthopedic vet on staff. By chance I called yesterday to see when he would be seeing patients and he was seeing them that morning, but only for a couple of hours. I threw Thunder in the car and headed off. While any of the vets could have handled this, I really wanted the orthopedic vet to look at him. Usually when we have a dog with a limp, they will gimp all around the house and then you get them to the vet and presto no limp. I was pretty sure Thunder would limp a bit at the vet. 🙂
First the orthopedic vet had me move Thunder down the hall so that he could watch his gait. Then he felt and manipulated the leg that was not affected, and then the one with the limp. He said he didn’t feel anything out-of-place or loose. Thunder is getting older and he is a big dog that runs hard. I asked if maybe we should just retire him from training/testing. It is supposed to be fun and not cause the doggie to come up lame.
The vet did not think total rest or retirement was necessary. He felt he could manage the issue with medication while Thunder is training/testing but wanted permission to take a couple of x-rays of his joints. He said that he doesn’t like to just throw medication at a problem without knowing what he is throwing the medication at. Also, he likes to take a holistic approach where appropriate. I was fine with this approach, (and figured he would want x-rays). Thunder’s elbows OFA’ed normal when he was about 2 years old, but the orthopedic vet was looking for any injury or arthritis. He was also going to check his wrist for injury or arthritis and shoulder for injury, arthritis and tendonitis. Unfortunately they would need to sedate him to get good pictures so Thunder spent the day. (No hard feelings Thunder, right?) It was good timing because the vet had a light surgery schedule and would be there to go over results when we picked up Thunder that evening. Sometimes things just work out.
The good news is that his x-rays were clear. The vet went over them with us in great detail, and explained what any problems would have looked like. Actually, Thunder’s joints look very nice. I think the vet was a bit intrigued by Thunder’s case because he took a couple of extra x-rays for his own information and did not charge us. 🙂 We decided to put Thunder on a course of medication for about a month to see if we can make the limp go away. Then we will probably introduce some supplements for his joints and maybe manage with additional medication, but we will wait and see how he does in the next month.
We have two training days planned for this weekend. Hopefully we will see some improvement.
Have a nice weekend!
Poor Thunder! I’m glad the x-rays were clear, and I hope he makes a quick and complete recovery!
Out of curiosity, how do you keep your dogs apart when Storm is in season?
We keep them totally separate. Storm gets the front of the house and the upstairs. We potty her in the front yard so Thunder doesn’t have to smell “it”. That makes a big difference for Thunder’s sanity. Thunder hangs in the family room and back yard. Now we have Freighter so he will hang with Thunder too, (but we will watch them in case one decides to go macho on us).
Storm is going to be bred her next season so she will probably be gone during the worst of it. Then once she finishes her show championship, we plan to have her spayed. After that it won’t be an issue. 🙂
I can’t wait to get Phoebe spayed. I am finding I don’t like living with an intact bitch. She loses her mind completely. I guess I need to finish her so I can get it done.
A friend of mine had kennel runs built so that she could exercise her in-season girls without risking an accidental breeding. It works, but the boys shriek for three solid weeks.
Storm looses her mind too…lol.
I hope you do a follow-up on Thunder and let us know how he’s doing. I am having the se problem w/Lexie. Jan. she developed strong limp. Developed to point where she chose not to take walks ( not like Lexie, she never gives up walk). Z-rays show no arthritis, no bone prob. Clear. Meds made better. Came back after woods walk March, meds totally cleared. Just after vacation we were back to not being able to put much weight at all. Vet manipulation again shows no problems!? Sorry, I hope Thunder’s clears up with no recurrence.
Sorry to hear about Lexie. You might want to have a recheck done. Lexie’s case sounds a bit different than Thunder’s because he will limp after he has been sitting a while, but then it seems to work out and vanishes. It hasn’t ever stopped him from running or walking. But it bothers me. 🙂
That’s great that you have an orthopedic specialist at your fingertips! Lucky duck!
Glad the x-rays came out good! You’ll have to let me know what joint supplements you try out, I have been trying various ones of the years and I am using one that I like right now!
I know we are lucky to have an ortho vet handy and believe me he is always busy. I haven’t really had these issues, so I kind of forgot he was there until a memory bubbled up yesterday….lol. He recommended Omega 3 and glucosamine. He recommended pharmacy grade glucosamine rather then buying it at say, Costco. According to him, store brands do not metabolize the same for dogs and often are not as effective and can cause stomach upset. (He is very mindful of stomach upset.)
Interesting that Thunder’s x-rays came back okay. I mean, it’s great news, but strange that he is having a limping problem. Could it be due to muscle strain? Hopefully it’s nothing serious and the medication makes a difference.
I love your training photos. Your dogs always look so focussed and intense. Today I kind of wish I could leap into that water with them!
Yes it could be soft tissue or the start of arthritis or tendonitis that is not showing on the x-ray. Tendonitis will not show on an x-ray exactly, but there would be changes in the appearance of the bone indicating a problem. But really he just feels it is part and parcel of an aging athlete.
I should add that Thunder is not new to injured paws/legs. He runs so very hard. He has had broken nails and cut pads which ended him at the vet. Sometimes I wish he wasn’t so hard charging since he is a big dog.
Sending good thoughts Thunder’s way, don’t you love it when the planets all align properly and we actually get what we need, without waiting?
I have a friend with WGSD’s who are constantly injured, and just from playing in the backyard, I do keep a close eye on my guys seeing they are larger dogs and at the first sign of ANYTHING, off to the vet. LOL
I’m thinking it’s time to get them on some type of joint supplement as well.
I remember the summer Delilah had her season, it was just awful, but Sampson had been neutered so he didn’t seem to be bothered too much by it, thankfully.
Keep us posted!
Jodi I thought of you yesterday and your worrying…lol. I was thinking what if it is some growth that I can’t feel in a joint or something, (seeing I have had so many removed from my animals lately). lol Thanks for the good wishes.
I am glad the x-rays were clear! Aw, I am sure Thunder doesn’t want to retire entirely! Have a good weekend and stay cool!
We hope Thunder feels better and that you have a good training weekend! Great photos as always!
Bella and DiDi
Those are great shots, I especially love the one you captured just as he was putting his mouth around the bumper.
I sure hope Thunder’s limp goes away for good. Sounds like your timing could not have been better for the vet visit.
I like the sound of your vet, he takes an appropriately cautious approach with medicine. It’s great that Thunder’s x-rays were fine, and I hope his limp goes away fast. 🙂 Happy training weekend! 😀
I’m glad the x-rays were clear for Thunder. I hope he makes a quick and complete recovery.
Blessings,
Goose
Good to know that the x-rays didn’t show any kind of injury, probably all he needs is rest.
Great pics as usual.
So glad that the vet found nothing on the x-rays and hoping it is just some minor soft tissue injury that clears up on its own. Looking forward to seeing Thunder’s video when you get a chance to upload it! 🙂
We’re very glad Thunder is okay. I haven’t had to have one (surprisingly!) but Bella has had one and so has our Bubba. Mumma was scared when they both had them, but afterwards she said their pictures were cute. She’s a little bit crazy our mumma – she even thinks our bones are cute! Beary xx
Thunder and Storm are almost as good at swimming as me! Just kidding! Glad Thunder’s x-ray was clear!
Your pal, Pip
I am glad they didn’t find anything wrong. it must be concerning though because it keeps happening again and again.
Hi Guys,
I sure hope you’re ok Thunder, sounds like you’ve got some great Vets looking after you buddy 🙂
Love that picture of him as he gets the bumper 🙂
Have a fun weekend,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
Glad to hear that Thunder is ok and please let us know when you have an update! Around here, we know all about limping dogs but of course, ours aren’t super training/hunting dogs like yours 🙂 Good luck with training this weekend!!
I am relieved to hear that Thunder’s x-rays were clear. It is a worry when they limp.
Boy, I’m glad Thunders x-rays were fine. Do you think it could be a muscle or did the vet feel all his muscles were okay? Fred hurt the muscle in his back leg last summer and was on rest and meds until it healed.(nightmare) But lately when we walk him, we sometimes notice a clunking noise coming from his one back leg. He had x-rays last year and they were clear but I don’t know if that can change over time. I will be interested in knowing if Thunders meds work. Good luck!
P.S. – I loved your comment about Thunder when he was a puppy and the little girl next door!
Hi Y’all!
Thanks for visitin’.
So glad Thunder has no decernable problem with his leg! Hawk came up gimpy one day after some hard training and play reward. After rest and massage he was “all better”. But we no longer play much or throw balls high so he is tempted to jump for them. We still hide bumpers and send him on retrieves. Massage and accupunture have always been important for our horses, so it was only natural that we use the same treatments on ourselves and the dogs.
BrownDog’s Human
I LOVE all the great action shots. 🙂 🙂
Woofs & huggies, <3
~Bailey (Yep, I'm a girl!)
This is a very interesting post. First, our collie girls get all funky when they get ready to go into season. First, they cant concetrate and are really friendlier than normal then they turn a switch and become crazy, cranky, short-tempered…. joints… we have had several collies through the years who would come up limping. They were usually the big guys who ran the hardest. Others, like Laddie, who is small would run just as hard if not harder, but never came up lame. But, the big guys always did…. interesting. Hope he feels better soon and will there be Chessie puppies in the future?
God Bless You! Great post!
the collies and chuck 🙂
So glad everything is clear on Thunder. Hopefully a little rest and he will be back at it.
Thanks. He is hanging in there.
Happy to hear there isn’t anything permenant (so far) injuring him – and that he can keep up wiht his training! I get the impression that the dawgs really enjoy their training and competition, i’m sure he’d be sad to leave it for good.
He does enjoy training and the doc didn’t want him to have to give it up unless it was absolutely necessary.
When Sophie’s arthritis begins acting up, we give her alfalfa pills and they help a great deal. We give her one 1,000 mg per 10 lbs.
Thanks. I will have to keep this in mind. Right now we aren’t adding supplements because of the medication, but we will once he comes off that we will. Did the alfalfa cause gas at all? Have to also worry because he bloated once.
I don’t know how I missed this post… must’ve been busy with all the visitors I’ve had over the last 6 weeks… Flo has been having trouble with her shoulder, which has been x-rayed, though not recently, (along with all the joints in both legs) and same thing – lovely joints and no sign as to what is causing her limp. Unfortunately we don’t have a resident orthopedic vet here and we’ll have to wait another few months before one comes up to visit. At the moment Flo is getting a series of 4 Cartrophen injections. I’m also throwing green lipped mussel powder, apple cider vinegar and glucosamine at it as well as resting her as much as it is possible to rest her without crating her. I’d be really interested to hear what medication you first tried with Thunder. I see he’s now on low dose steroids and anti-inflammatories. I am trying to avoid the steroids (because Flo’s still so young), and the anti-inflammatories because I am hoping that a bit of pain is the only thing that might slow her down and give the leg a chance to heal AND they make her incontinent. Any tips gratefully received! I’m glad you’ve found something which is helping Thunder.
I think Thunder’s situation is a bit different than Flo’s because he has just a slight limp when getting up from rest after hard training or testing. We didn’t try anything before his current treatment other than aspirin. He is getting 5mg prednisone daily. (At 100 pounds, that is extremely low for Thunder). He is also getting tramadol on the days he is not training or testing. The idea is not to mask pain because we wouldn’t want him to injury it worse. We are not resting him at all. The ortho vet did say that if this did not work, he has a lot of tools in his toolbox and he was confident he could manage the issue. It may just be the beginning of arthritis that is not showing or it could be soft tissue that just may flare up now and again since he is getting older and is so big. With competition dogs it is just something that happens over time. Coincidentally, we have a friend with a lab with a similar issue (another competition dog) and he is on the same medication, but he also has to rest. We will add supplements, but not until after the medication.
Good luck with Flo!