Hip Click, growth spurt?

[LeahO]

So Ben has been going through a growth spurt lately - I think - sleeping a lot at 11.5 months. He was horsing around, as newfies do, and I heard a few yelps. He was limping, attempting to play through the pain and whining when I slowed him down from his spastic/painful moment. Then he just laid there as I felt his tendons and bones, (which is saying somethin' coming from spaz-boy mode).

He got up, a little apprehensive, but not limping and we went home to chill out.

Fast forward 2 days. Now, when playing our regular merry go round tug of war, I hear/feel a popping from his R hip and a higher pitched pop (like a tendon popping over a surface) lower on his leg. Of course, you know what I'm thinking - he's almost a year and never had his hips checked out.

What would you say the next step is? Does this happen during growth spurts? Should I wait to go into see a vet (I'd say we're up to 6K in vet bills so far just because I was doing as told for his allergies) or should I just get him on the x-ray table and see?

I usually wear the pup out, but now I'm afraid of joint deterioration. I think he's in a little pain because he acts a little different on walks, but largely he ignores the popping and clicking, as any pup would when given the choice between play and pain.

Thanks for your words of wisdom!

Leah

 

[Angela]

If he were mine I would restrict his activity for a few days. Newfs are very stoic actually, so he may well be in pain and masking it.
If you are still concerned then a trip to the vet for a check up would be my next thought.
Keep in touch, and I hope it's just a strain.
Oh, and btw, if my guys are limping from extra activity or a bump I give Arnica 30 which seems to help. Not saying that fixes major problems though!

 

[padkins]

Oh no, so sorry to hear this. If you are concerned, I would say go to the vet to find out exactly what is going on. Sometimes you can be over-reacting, but sometimes its better to be safe than sorry. Please keep us updated. :grouphug:

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

With the popping sound going on down lower in his leg, I'd be more worried about a meniscus or patella injury than hips...

At the very least (if it were me), go to your vet, have them do an ortho exam and top it off with xrays if they think it's warranted. After my girl's cruciate tear (coupled with her extreme stoicism), I aways say "Better safe than sorry"

 

[LeahO]

Thanks all! He seems to have gotten a cold for the first time, so his energy is decreased enough to not hurt himself.
Angela, I love that you give Arnica - I'm a ND so that's the first thing I did when we got him inside. Picture perfect arnica state, "No, I'm fine... yelp! ...everything's fine."

 

[jane]

The clicking you are hearing in his hip could be joint laxity. My Roger was diagnosed with it when I started hearing the clicking around the same age. I took the advice of the people here and worked his hind quarters to build better muscle. I very rarely hear it anymore.

 

[LeahO]

Wow! Well that's a different approach than I have been taking! How did you work Roger? I usually just go for walks and play fetch (although the dog park wears him out, I try not to go there too much because he's such a spaz). Maybe I can put him to work around the house somehow...

 

[jane]

Swimming, of course, is the best excercise. Roger is not a swimmer. I would bring him to the water and he would wade in the water up to his chin. Just walking around like that in the water made a difference. I was also told to get him to walk with his head up. That throws the weight to the rear and works the hind quarter's. While walking, I would pull out a treat, walk backwards holding the treat above his nose. That would keep his head up and I would eventually give him the treat. I would do that a decent part of the walk. The other thing I did was walk him up hills doing the same thing. Holding the treat in front of his nose, so he would keep his head up while walking up hill.
All this made a big difference.

 

[2Paws]

Jane's advice is good and so is Angela's. If you have access to a rehab center, a weekly trip to the water treadmill would also help with building muscle and strengthening all those ligaments and tendons.

If you would feel better after visiting an orotho by all means do but just remember he's still growing and things can change in just a few months. I tend to be very, very conservative with treatment and like to exhaust all natural means before resorting to surgery or drugs.

 

[jane]

I tend to be very, very conservative with treatment and like to exhaust all natural means before resorting to surgery or drugs.

Sue...When Roger was diagnosed with the joint laxity, an ortho here(who has a rep. for being knife happy) tried to tell my vet that Roger needed a TPO for the joint laxity!!!! I think not!!!!! My breeder sent me to a ortho in New England who was highly respected by NCNE. He told me that ortho was completely out of line for wanting to do a TPO for joint laxity. He said what everyone on here said. You deal with joint laxity through excercise to build the hind quarter's. No med's, no surgery, just excercise!