My Rottweiler has severe leg pain from arthritis. What's next?

It certainly could be a fracture and yes surgery is the only option for cure of her limping. However arthritis will still persist so long to her management of that will still be needed. However given Athena's age and breed I would be very concerned about a possible neoplastic/cancerous process. It is much less common in the elbow but I would discuss this with your veterinarian prior to surgery.

Yes, I would be worried. I don't want to scare you but it is actually very common for Rottweilers to get bone cancer. It will often times start out as an occasional limp but then will rapidly progress to a severe, constant limp. Sometimes you will see a noticeable swelling on the outside of the affected leg. Please take her to your vet for an exam and an x-ray of that leg. It is better to catch this sooner rather than later. If it is not that, the other option is arthritis which can be managed well with medications. Either way she sounds uncomfortable and in some pain so it would be best to find out what is going on. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dallas. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian. He may be experiencing age related arthritis, but there are other causes of lameness. His veterinarian will do an examination and possibly recommend x-rays. From there, treatment can be prescribed to make him more comfortable. In the meantime, do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Rex. It does appear that he is having severe osteoarthritis of the elbow. This will directly limit his ability to move that arm and cause some obvious lameness. Unfortunately as seen by the radiographs, osteoarthritis is not reversible and thus managing his weight and activity will be the most fruitful with the goal focused on making him comfortable and not to make him not lame. There are some surgical procedures being explored that in the near future could offer a replacement of the elbow joint in dogs like Rex with severe elbow disease. I would recommend using joint supplements, anti-inflamamtories, and pain medications as necessary to keep him comfortable. Unfortunately, Rex may never be able to walk normally with how severe his arthritis int hat elbow is. You may discuss having Rex referred to an orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation and care. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello. Kasper has evidence of hip dysplasia. It is not severe, but enough to cause your pet some discomfort. We routinely see these type of changes, especially in the larger breed dogs. Treatment includes the use of pain medications, joint supplements, weight loss, & consistent, but easy exercising. Pain meds include NSAIDs such as carprofen, Previcox, Deramax & Meloxicam, additional pain relief such as Tramadol &/or Gabapentin, & joint supplements such as glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate, Adequan injections & ocassionally omega 3 fatty acids. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It's hard for me to say what could be going on without examining Oskar and seeing the x-rays. My concern in a Rottweiler that has persistent limping despite anti-inflammatories would be osteosarcoma, a bone cancer. I would recommend discussing additional diagnostics with your vet, including repeat x-rays, and possibly a biopsy or CT scan.

The next step will be to have several x-ray done to evaluate potential injuries and conditions in the spine, hips and knees. i would recommend asking your vet to send the xrays to a radiology specialist for second opinion as well. according to the result your vet will need to explain a treatment plan, it might be medications or surgery.