Panosteitis in Dogs is a very painful condition,
It affects the long bones in the legs and can cause lameness. It is a self-limiting disease that mainly effects young dogs as they are growing, and that is predominantly seen in the German Shepherd breed, although others can be affected.
Now…
If your pup contracts this condition he is in for a painful process and recovery time, so you should make sure that pet insurance is the first thing that you buy after purchasing any new puppy or dog.
What is it and what does it do?
Canine Panosteitis is an orthopedic disease which young dogs from large or gigantic breeds often get as they grow up. Their limbs stretch out and their bones grow quickly, leaving them susceptible to it.
The pain from this condition…
Occurs when bones stretch quickly, leaving their surface membrane (the Periosteum) becomes swollen as a response. In this condition the Epiphyseal Plate (or Growth Plate) in your dog’s leg or legs is going to really hurt until it passes.
Typically…
Called growing pains in humans, the medullary cavity (that is the center of the bone where the bone marrow is stored) has not yet grown enough to keep up with the bone. This results in inflammation of the aforementioned Periosteum and leaves the dog in pain.
This disease is not…
Dissimilar to Hypertrophy Osteodystrophy and the two might even be confused. Symptoms are the same but the path of the disease is different. Where Astrophysicist necrotises the bone ends Panosteitis does not, and will often resolve itself by the time a dog has reached maturity.
A Periosteil reaction…
Is a real possibility here, and this basically means that the Periosteum attempts to grow new bone as a result of what it perceives to be a trauma – that is, the new bone that has formed so quickly. In an attempt to rectify this, it may grow a protrusion. An X-ray will show if this is the case.
Panosteitis is…
One of many self-limiting bone diseases that occur in large breed dogs. It is ultimately triggered by rapid growth and is likely to go away as time passes. Your veterinarian may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications until it passes. Pain treatment is also effective in the meantime. Clinical signs of this condition include limping or lameness in one or all of the legs, lethargy and an intense dislike of anyone touching their poor sore legs.
This condition is partially…
Inherited and partially caused by the rapid bone growth of the legs, if your dog is a long-legged breed then they already have a high chance of suffering from this condition as they grow. Vets recommend that the symptoms will have completely disappeared by five years old, although it is much more likely to only last for a few weeks at a time and be gone by the time your pup reaches maturity.
Affected Breeds
The list of breeds likely to suffer from this temporarily debilitating condition is long and not nearly exhaustive. However, those we do know about are as follows:
- Afghan Hound,
- Akita,
- American Cocker Spaniel,
- American Staffordshire Terrier,
- Basset Hound,
- Bernese Mountain Dog,
- Boxer,
- Bulldog,
- Bullmastiff,
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever,
- Chinese Shar Pei,
- Chow Chow,
- Dalmatian,
- Doberman Pinscher,
- English Setter,
- German Shepherd Dog,
- German Short Haired Pointer,
- Giant Schnauzer,
- Golden Retriever,
- Great Dane,
- Great Pyrenees,
- Irish Wolfhound,
- Labrador Retriever,
- Neapolitan Mastiff,
- Newfoundland,
- Rhodesian Ridge-back,
- Rottweiler,
- Saint Bernard,
- Springer Spaniel,
- Weimaraner,
- West Highland White Terrier.
…To name but a few… It is important to remember that if your pup happens to be a large or giant breed of dog but isn’t on the list that doesn’t necessarily exclude them, you should also check your pup’s parentage when you buy him to see if there is a family history of this condition.
Treatment Options
It is unlikely that your vet will want to treat this condition once they have given your pet an examination and potentially sent them for an X-ray. Radiographs may be taken to help with diagnosis, but it is nothing to worry about. Your vet may want to prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or anti-inflammatory drugs until the problem passes and, if your dog is in severe pain, they may wish to prescribe pain medications too.
Surgery might also be considered…
If your dog has started growing extra pieces of bone from its growth plates but this is rare and easy enough to fix.
Which brings us to…
Were we like to remind folks that we here at IndulgeYourPet are not doctors, veterinarians or medical professionals. All we are is a bunch of folks who just happen to be passionate about animals and only want what’s best for them.
This is why…
If you feel like your pet may have panosteitis (or any other health issue for that matter) the first thing that you’re going to want to do is have him or her check out by a vet ASAP!
Because…
The truth is, an early diagnosis will often lead to the “best” medical outcome for your pet regardless of what is bothering him or her, but beyond that diagnosing a medical condition early could save you a bundle in medical costs!
And while…
Many of this condition may not appear to be life threatening, it can certainly become quite expensive to deal with particularly if surgery is needed to help alleviate the pain!
This is why…
We here at IndulgeYourPet also recommend that any new pet owner take a moment and see what it might cost for you to purchase a pet insurance policy for your new animal.
Now will a pet insurance policy be right for everyone?
No, probably not. But until you fully understand what these policies “will” and “won’t” cover and how much these pet insurance policies cost, how will you know if one might be right for you?
For more information on who we feel currently offers the “best” pet insurance policies out there, we would encourage you to check out our Best Pet Insurance Policies article.
