HOD or something else?

nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
Bobby will be five months old on the 17th. He is probably in the 55-60 lb range now.
He has been doing great until this last week. In the past four days he seems to be falling apart.:confused:
He has developed a very strange stance..he is standing very "tucked" under with his back legs. He appears to be limping on the front and rear. He seems really sore on the left front when I manipulate that knee.
I watch him carefully and I don't think there's any way he could have injured himself. (Though nothing's impossible).
I will take him in to see the vet obviously, but wanted to get some opinions as well.
I am attaching some (crappy quality) pictures so you can see what I mean. He is about the age to develop HOD. I am wondering if this is what is going on or if it's something else entirely.



Any input at al is appreciated.
 
DAWNMERIE

DAWNMERIE

Active member
I'm not sure what HOD is? Obviously you've tried manipulation, I know it's hard to notice pain when they are pups. You could also try a paper test. At a stand, place a piece of paper under foot and slowly pull the paper away (pull back once & pull to the side the second time) and see how he tries to stand and what his reaction is, and pay attention to see timing & stance and if it's different on each side. May be able to let you see any differences. Just a thought for now.
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
Well, Junior went to the vet this morning to get checked out.
First thing they do in the exam room is weigh them. As soon as they put him on the scale I knew what his problem is. He is 19 weeks old and weighs 68 lb. He has gained 15 lb in the 3 weeks since he was there last for puppy shots.
Doc Brooking checked out all his limbs. He seems fine on the front...no tenderness. On the rear he is VERY lax in the knees and he said he could feel them pop. Yay. (not!)
So basically I have to slow his roll on the weight gain. Going in a few minutes to look for different food for him. Also going to add a couple of supplements to the ones he's already on.
Can't tell if he has HOD without X-ray and we decided to wait because he'd have to be put under for them. He thought he is a good weight and that he's just gonna be a huge newf.

Dawnmarie, HOD is hypertrophic osteodystrophy...short version is that it's a disease of the long bones in rapidly growing giant breeds. The ends of the bones do not calcify properly.
 
Angela

Angela

Super Moderator
Wow, that's a lot of weight. At 16 weeks Splash was 44 lb. Is he tall?
From what I read these days it appears the Calcium/Phosphorus ratio is more important than the amount of protein.
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
No he's actually a lot shorter than I remember Gabriel being at this age. But his head is huge. I just think he's going to be a big stocky boy.
I ordered new food for him from Chewy. Should be here Friday. Lower fat. Lower calcium and phos. levels. Lower calorie too, so I shouldn't really have to cut him back on amount.
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
Yes, I am afraid he almost certainly does. I am hoping some pro-active therapies will help him.
He's barely five months old, so there aren't many options for him at this age.
 
D

Darwinsnewfie@1855

New member
Hope the x-rays turn out good. Fingers crossed! Ella went through a phase at that age where she limped a little and walked funny, but my vet just watched it closely and chalked it up to a fast growth spurt. At that time she also gained 15 ponds in less than a month. Now at 2 years old she is less active, never limps and maintains a healthy weight. Hopefully your little guy is just giving you a good scare.
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
Thanks. That makes me feel better that maybe he will grow out of it and be okay.

After the Hell I went through with Gabriel and Sophie I was hoping for a trouble free pup this time.

Got him on new food with less calories and fat hoping to slow him down a bit. I also cut him back 1/2 cup at each meal.
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
Just wanted to update everyone on my baby boy's progress (or lack thereof).

He will be six months old on Sunday. He now weighs77 lb. His gaining has slowed somewhat on his new food schedule.

Last Friday (the 8th) he got X-rayed from neck and spine to knees including hips. All the X-rays look wonderful. Nice clean joints and not an abnormality anywhere to be found. We even sent them for radiology consult to get a second opinion.

So I am happy that my boy is orthopedically sound, but that doesn't help him any. He is still limping badly on the front. Same leg all the time. Some days worse than others. He plays and doesn't seem to be in great discomfort.

I will give it a little while longer. Next move may be chiropractic consult.

If this is just pano how long does it usually last?
 
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