# Canine OCD - shoulder joint



## Bwana

Anybody ever had to deal with this?

Seems our lab pup started limping about the Fourth of July but then she seemed better only to start getting worse after a bit. Two weeks ago she was really limping so we took her in. The vet said it could be one of three things; growing pains, OCD, or something else.

She's been on anti-imflamitories for two weeks and seems to be getting a bit better but she still limps noticably. According to the vet the fix is typically surgery (for OCD) which I just know has to be really cheap. 

Have tried rest and with very limited exercise but would love to hear if anybody else has had to deal with this before, what you did, and what were the results.

She is a GREAT dog and has some serious potential but starting over would NOT be an easy thing for any of us although I ain't spending a ton of money on the pooch either.

Almost forgot the OCD is some tear/divot in the cartlidge between her leg bone and shoulder bone which results in a bone chip in the joint.

Would love to hear any thoughts and/or experiences anybody is willing to share.


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## Bobm

I had a brittany that hurt her shoulder it took 5 months on leash with no exercise to heal.

Two weeks isn't any time at all on this type of energy due to limited blood flow to the tissues involved.

The cheap way
Keep her on a leash give her no exercise and wait and see.

If she gets better and exhibits no symptoms continue to keep her quiet for 4 more weeks then gradually bring her activity level back up starting with swimming.

She is young and that should help.

The expensive way
MRI or Xray fo bone chip. If thats what it is it won't heal surgery will be needed.


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## Bwana

Thanks for the advice and I have taken it to heart. Have been really limiting the exercise, etc.

What about vitamin supplements to aid in the recovery, like Glucosamine which is supposed to aid/support joint and connective tissue issues? Would there be any benefit to that or simply a waste of money?


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## always_outdoors

I have to agree on this one with the above post. my pooch either had a sprain or a partial ACL injury. We did 2 weeks of lease only, followed with 3 weeks of water excercise and when I saw she had progressed, we move to walks on lease for about 2 weeks, and then finally some build into running.

When I say lease only, I mean only to go the bathroom and back into the kennel or house. This is a terribly long process, but if she is worth it to you, then you need to do this.


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## hylyf

I have a 7 month old Fox Red Lab, he has OCD in his shoulder. We tried the anti imflamitories w/ not much success. The surgery was done roughly about a week ago. For those wondering about price, it was $399.00. The first day was a killer, he was in a large amount of pain. Every day since has gotten considerably better. He has already started walking using the operated on leg, and is limping no worse at this point than before the surgery. The rehab that has been prescribed is 2 months of leash walking, no running or jumping. Walking, steps, and most other activities are ok. It is something i would recommend. I did quite a bit of research on it before opting for surgery, but it is the best thing for a dog in this case, especially since this problem occurs in most dogs under a year of age. If the problem is left go it normally results in severe arthritis or lameness. I will continue to update as we go through his rehab. Hope this will help anyone who is considering. 8)


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## Bwana

Just an update for anyone who cares: We talked to several other vets via the phone and found one who appeared to know a good deal about the problem so we gave him a try.

His stance was that the surgery was not necessary in 95% of the dogs and that most of them come out of it quite nicely using his treatment protocol which consisted of 4 injections over the course of four weeks along with a follow-up visit.

She did have a bit of soreness and limping after her first day of hunting ducks and again on the opening day of pheasants but after giving her an aspirin that night she was ready to go the next day. Took her out numerous times since then and to date no more soreness or limping has occurred.

Not sure if she is cured but so far, so good and my fingers are crossed.


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## Maverick

BWANA
Question for you? Did she start limping after you ran/hunted her or was it noticeable after she woke up in the morning?

Reason I ask is because my 9 month Britt. will limp sometimes after I run him. He will not limp while running or even right after but more so after he has rested a bit? It has been getting better (because I really haven't ran him since it was noticeable ).

Thanks
Taylor


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## mburgess

I take a joint supplement for arthritic knees that rheumatologists are supporting around the country. It is called Celadrin and if you google search it to their home page and go to testimonials they are giving it to animals as well. I've tried antiinflammitories, glucosamine, and celadrin has been far superior with no KNOWN side effects. For me it works better than 800 mg of advil but not as good as 2 Aleve tablets. I took glucosamine for 2 months and got more relief eating M & M's than this stuff. Supposedly it is a natural antiinflammatory and helps lubricate joint surfaces. I don't buy into supplements much but the AMA is supporting this stuff so it might be worth a try, even if you do the surgery.


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## hylyf

BWANA,

Just keep an eye on her, OCD normally produces chips of cartiledge that continue to chip and fall out of the joint. Our lab was bad enough that the injections wouldn't have done any good what so ever. We are just a week removed from surgery but his limp is already less than what it was prior to the surgery. It could possibly have been due to the size of our dog, but his should was very bad. We had the Scope procedure done, prior to that we tried the drugs and supplemental treatments with no result. We are beginning hydro therapy as well in the next week, should be a great help.

Hylyf


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## Bwana

hylyf: I hear you and have been and will continue to keep an eye on her to see if the problem resurfaces.

Maverick: When it first started bothering her it was while she was being active but after the treatments the two times it showed up was after hunting her hard and then putting her in her crate for the ride home or just to rest. After taking her out of the crate it was like she had stiffened up.

The first time it happened it was after the ride home at the end of the day so I simply kenneled her and gave her an aspirion with her supper and the next day she was fine. The second time we had hunted pheasants from morning until about 1 pm and I put her in her crate to rest while we ate dinner. When I took her out for the afternoon hunt she was limping so I put her back in. After a couple of walks I decided to let her back out so she could stretch it a bit on the last walk which was going to be very short and easy. After a minute or so she was no longer limping.

As before I gave her an aspirin with her supper that night and the next day she was fine and even hunted all day long with no sign of a problem at all afterwards.

Other then those first two instances, there have been no other reoccurences to this point and my fingers are still crossed!


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## stonebroke

I did a considerable amount of research on OCD a few years back. OCD usually occurs in dogs between 4 and 10 months of age. It's cause is usually the result of trauma on the joints that have not fully developed (like from jumping out of pickups, being pushed too hard in the field at too young of an age, etc). Pups from larger breeds that are overweight are more prone to OCD than the smaller breeds or pups that are kept trim. So, it's extremely important to keep a pup from being too heavy during its growth period (and actually for its entire life), and it's equally important to not push a growing pup too hard. Don't allow it to jump from places like pickup beds. I woudn't hunt a pup under a year of age in places like swamps and marshes, cattail sloughs, etc. either as running through mud and very heavy cover is hard on growing joints, ligaments, etc. Ditto for deep, heavy snow. It has been suggested that there is a genetic factor with OCD also.....that it could possibly be hereditary, but I spoke with a vet at either the University of Indiana or Ohio (can't remember which) who is considered the leading authority in the U.S. on OCD and his opinion is that it is more likely the result of trauma. Although it could be hereditary in nature, there is no proof that it is.

X-rays and/or an MRI will reveal how severe the problem is and treatment should be based on that. Mild cases can be treated with rest and anti-inflamatories. Rest means total rest......the dog should be kept in a crate (Like a large vari-kennel) and should only be allowed out to walk on a leash to relieve itselt, eat, drink, etc. The length of rest depends on the age of the dog and the severity of the OCD. Four weeks of rest would be a minimum amount of time. If you don't allow long enough for the joint to heal, you will be right back to square one.

Surgery can be expensive.. I've not heard of a vet who will do it for under $400.....that would be bargain, but sometimes surgery is the only option.

Do not give pain killers (aspirin) to a dog with OCD. Pain is a message from the brain telling the dog to not more so that the joint can heal. If the dog feels no pain, it can cause further damage to the joint.


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## Aliva21

Thanks for taking the time to help, I really apprciate it.


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