[Morgaine]

We have noticed our newest son Arthur (almost 7 month old) has had an unusual gait, and stance since we brought him home - but it seems to be worsening. He does not seem to be in any pain at all, he still runs, plays, jumps - however, he now walks with a pronounced limp. His front left leg has a distinct bow shape to it - it almost appears as if he has a bulldog's stance.

We have a vet's appointment, but I thought I would check to see if anyone else has encountered this, or if this is in any way normal for developing bones?

Thank you so much!

 

[murraysmom]

http://www.heatherweb.com/cyberhound/board...ighlite=%2Bpano

The above link is to a page listing threads in which pano is discussed. (I went up to "Search", typed in pano, and this is what came up)

Your boy is in the right age range for this- just something for you and your vet to consider.

I've heard of vets not familiar with bassets recommending unnecessary surgery for basset pups-of course, this could be any number of things besides pano, but I just wanted to throw this out to you so you and the vet can consider it.

 

[Betsy Iole]

Sounds like a possible angular limb deformity, which reflects abnormal growth of the bones and most commonly affects the forelimbs. Surgical correction is often indicated.

Angular Limb Deformities (D. Degner DVM, DACVS)--nice illustration of process
On the Forefront: Looking at canine angular limb deformities in a new way (Veterinary Medicine)--photo of a basset with deformities of both front legs.

 

[Betsy Iole]

On the Forefront: Looking at canine angular limb deformities in a new way (Veterinary Medicine)--photo of a basset with deformities of both front legs.[/b]

These guys are in Missouri, which might work out well for Arthur.

An uncompensated biapical deformity is one in which the deformities occur in the same direction, and, thus, the angulation worsens along the length of the bone. Some early evidence suggests that chondrodystrophic breeds, such as basset hounds, may have a higher incidence of biapical antebrachial deformities than other dogs do (Fox DB, Appel SL. University of Missouri-Columbia Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Columbia, Mo: Unpublished data, 2007).[/b]

 

[Morgaine]

Thank you so much everyone, I've got some reading to do and I will be well-prepared for the visit to the vet. I can't thank you all enough. I hope to have some pictures up tomorrow of our boys Merlin and Arthur, and I'll try to do a video as well with his limp.

 

[Mahna]

My boy is no longer a puppy, but he is a perfectly healthy bowlegged basset! Both of his front legs are bowed, and the stance of a bulldog is the perfect way to describe it. I wasn't around him for the growing process, but now he runs and walks free of pain, but in a funny way. Often he'll almost walk a little sideways, from the front anyway. When I first adopted him, I took him to two vets, and a bone specialist. They took x-rays. All of which said if he can walk and run fine, and isn't showing any signs of pain, there is no reason to operate. The vets also said he's probably develop arthritis earlier in life, but nothing to worry about.

In the meantime, I have a dog that is happy, healthy, and adorable, even with elbows.

 

[Morgaine]

We had our doctor visit this morning, and the vet said that at some point in his young life, Arthur's leg was broken! We're not sure when this happened, the doctor felt it was an old break, and while it's healed (and with his growing bones) still healing. The doctor does not want to do surgery for the first option, so he gave him a shot of something that will rebuild his cartilage and should help the bone heal better.

I didn't get to write down the name of the injection, trying to console Arthur - but I remember he said it has Glucosamine and Chondroitin in it. He said we should see improvement in his limp within 3-5 days, and if so, we can continue a regimen of the shots for the near future. However, if we see no improvement, we may have to look at other options.

 

[Betsy Iole]

Early injury to the growth plate is responsible for many cases of angular limb deformity. Injury to the growth plate causes it to close prematurely. When this happens, the two bones in the lower forelimb are no longer able to grow in a coordinated way. The uninjured bone keeps growing normally, and is forced to curve around the injured bone, because of the way the two bones are held together by soft tissue. One of the links above has a nice schematic of this process.