What to ask the vet? 2ND UPDATE< A MORE SERIOUS DIAGNOSIS. SURGERY PLANNED

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Boris came home from day care last Tuesday week with a sore leg. He wasn't limping but he wasn't putting all of his weight on his left leg. He was also stiff when getting up from sleep and it eased out as he moved it.  He was due his annual boosters and well check last Friday so I kept him rested and didn't let him out to play. The vet gave him the Bordatella vaccine and I have an appointment this Friday to do the rest of the vaccines as I like to stagger them.   The vet isolated his shoulder as having the problem and gave me three days anti-inflammatory tablets and said she would check it again this week.  She also said that it can take a week to ten days for an injury to heal and that if it hadn't she would do xrays. 

Two things of concern. It is now Wednesday (eight days on)  and whilst Boris isn't sore getting up from a lying down position he is still not putting his full weight on his leg. It is not obvious unless you are looking closely but I'm sure that whatever the problem is has not resolved completely.  Also today he started coughing, it seems to me like a mild Bordatella cough and the exact same thing occurred one week after the vaccine last year. The vets said this couldn't happen but I am sure it is happening. 

I am bringing him in this Friday and I wonder what questions I need to ask especially in relation to his shoulder. Are there any genetic problems that I should be concerned about and what tests do you think I should be requesting if they are not suggested. If it is an injury from rough play and this is highly possible would an Xray reveal the problem?  I will of course me mentioning the cough and hopefully it will not get any worse. Last year it lasted 24 hours and was minimal and I am hoping for the same this time around.

*UPDATE*

We were back to the vet today and this time it was our regular vet (there was a locum last week). He gave Boris a much more thorough examination than last week and said there was no soreness or injury which I was 99% sure of but just needed reassurance. He said I could start letting him off leash again but of course he could hurt himself again with rough play. Obviously I knew that! He also said that the slight cough which is also gone now is normal with the nasal vaccine just as F said and that some dogs get a full blown reaction which needs antibiotics but that happens rarely. Boris was perfectly behaved (he loves the vets and the nurses) jumped on the table and waited patiently for the treat at the end. 

*UPDATE * 2.  The shoulder issue seemed to have gone away until this Thursday. When Boris came home from a long walk he was limping on the same front leg again so I brought him straight to the vet who isolated the pain to his shoulder again and decided that he needed to XRay him this morning. I left him in at 9 and called at 2 as instructed to be told that Boris was awake and that the Vet had looked at the X-rays and sent them to the Veterinary Hospital for a second opinion. Of course I was very worried, actually felt sick all afternoon,  but had to wait until 5 pm when we went to collect him and consult with the vet. It turns out he has osteochondritis dissecans” (OCD). Common enough in Labs and Golden Retrievers, a degenerative condition. Bottom line he needs to have an operation very soon and we are assured that the outcome is generally very good. It's complicated but there are lesions on the  shoulder ball joint. He will be referred on Monday to the Veterinary Hospital where he will have keyhole surgery and will also be checked to make sure it is not in the other shoulder also. This has been a huge shock but we are very h)opeful that he will make a full recovery and the keyhole surgery will make recovery easier.Meanwhile he is home and happy though we have to try to keep the boys from any rough play so for now they go out to the yard one at a time ;

For anyone who wants to check it out further i am including a link here:

http://www.animalmedcenter.com/faqs/category/ocd

[DJ & Chance]

Here's hoping for a successful surgery and quick recovery for Boris.  What an ordeal for you.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

I am sorry to hear about Boris  I hope and pray everything will go smoothly for him and he will be fast on the road to recovery.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Nicky, I'm sorry to hear that Boris has to have surgery, hopefully they will be able to do it arthroscopically so that his recovery will be easier and faster. Hugs to you and Boris. 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Thanks Donna, yes arthroscopic is the method they are going to use. Do you have any idea if anyone else has had this issue with their doodle? I would love to hear from someone who has dealt with this issue and the surgery.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I spoke with the hospital administrator today and they have Boris on a wait list for any cancellations as my  Vet had called them yesterday to ask. She also told me that surgery is usually planned one or two days after the consult so if they don't see him until Jan 6 we won't have a long wait after that. They seem really lovely and said they would do their very best to fit him in so I am keeping the phone close by for the next couple of weeks. 

Have there been any other people here with Doodles who have had OCD surgery? I would love to know more from someone who has gone through this.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm so glad you had a good interaction with the vet hospital. Still hoping for a cancelation. Sending big hugs and sloppy doodle kisses to you and the boys.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hope they get him in sooner, too. The waiting really is the hardest part. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't remember reading about this on DK.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I had a reply back from the breeder, she said yada yada ( never had a puppy with OCD ) what I expected but she did add that she would like her vet to talk to mine which I will organize for her as I do believe this is a genetic condition. I need to find out more information about the origin of it. I can't see that I did anything to cause this. I was very careful when he was a puppy that he didn't over do it and his weight has always been very normal. Someone I met told me that a whole litter of guide dog puppies had OCD and had to be operated on!

[F, Calla & Luca]

This is an oldish article, from Romania, but I gather from it and a few other things that genetics may play a role but not always is the causative factor. Hard to say in an individual case really.

http://www.usab-tm.ro/vol7MV/11_vol7.pdf

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Thanks F for finding that for me. I will be interested in what the ortho specialist has to say.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

From Cornell University June 2013 (in relation to horses) 

 We hypothesize that OCD is the result of aberrations in the signaling processes of key regulatory proteins controlling cartilage maturation and formation into bone.