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Was playing with her favorite pal (a chocolate lab)...they play together very well...but all of a sudden she couldn't put any weight on her paw...it was totally useless and I thought it was broken!!! I held her back from play waited a bit and thought it best to bring her home. She's putting weight on it and can walk but...shall I say she limps when she "gallops". Should I not let her play with other dogs during this period of extreme growth at 10 weeks? I was so scared she broke that big ankle bone. My brother's dog hurt herself when she was a puppy and always had a messed up shoulder as an adult dog...now I'm freaked out to let her play with other dogs....and my neighbours feel so bad that their dog did it. I assured them this could have happened anytime even if it was with her litter mates or mother and for them NOT to feel any guilt what so ever. I am grateful they allow Marley to rough house their lab...she's so patient with Marley's little needle teeth and the lab often squeels when she nips an ear. Am hoping the Lab will teach Marley her limits but she's quite a softy.

Anyway hope this limping thing heals on it's own...just thought I'd share and ask your expert opinions...I'm so nervous for her little "big" bones.
PS: note the party hat, it was the Lab's birthday party believe it or not and they invited Marley...and she got hurt : (!

We have a nice shepherd mix dog next door that Zoe has always played with. They race around at top speed, and can "turn on a dime", etc. When Ozzie came along he used to sit and watch them race in circles, and once they stopped he'd run over and pounce. Now Ozzie, at 93 pounds, is the biggest dog of the three, and he tries to match their moves and he just can't do it. They are gazelles and Ozzie is a moose. Sometimes I ask myself if he is favoring a leg or not, and if so my husband insists that it's the playing that does it, as opposed to our 1.7 mile walk that we take him and Zoe on in the morning. Trust me, it's a very sedate walk when Ozzie is along, we go again later in the day with just Zoe, and that's much more exercise. So I've decided to get him the glucosamine and chondroitin, and MSM (?). I'm wondering about brands and sources if anyone has any info.

This is what Robin posted about it on another thread

"I discussed this with my breeder who recommends the glucosamine supplents (Synovi G3 or similar) in older dogs. The amount of glucosamine/chondroitin contained in quality dry food is plenty for dogs not suffering from joint discomfort.

She does however recommend that puppies and adults be given 1 Ester C tablet per day and 1 fish oil capsule per day. Further and very importantly she recommends Osteoform be started when the pup reaches 4 months (which is approximately the age that they start teething) as the teething process will pull the calcium out of their system which they need for bone develpment during this vital growth stage. She recommends continuing this regimen until 10 months of age. Then the Osteoform is discontinued at 10 months but the Ester C and fish oil are lifelong supplements and we get ours at Costco.

We fed Kahless on the Inova Large Breed Puppy until about 9 months and then switched over to the Inova LB adult. His kibble is always supplemented with one of the following freshly cooked chicken, eggs and/or veggies. Or sometimes a combination just to keep things interesting.

He turned out very well on this program. I hope this helps."

It seems now all is fine...total scare and I don't let her play too much anymore...when they get too rambuncious I put her on the lead.

(05-23-2010 07:04 PM)Marley and me Wrote: [ -> ]It seems now all is fine...total scare and I don't let her play too much anymore...when they get too rambuncious I put her on the lead.

Good that you found out early on that seemingly harmless play can be very dangerous. In Sadie's case it was very dangerous, painful and costly.

Kahless and Sadie used to play a lot of tug of war. We think that could be how Sadie ruptured BOTH cruciate ligaments (knee joint ligaments) in her rear legs. Kahless is much bigger than Sadie and she is very stubborn; she doesn't like to lose so she won't give up. These dogs look incredibly strong, powerful and indestructible. They are NOT!

Sadie suddenly began limping and seemed like she couldn't support much weight on first one leg then the other.

We took her to the vet who took radiographs, made the diagnosis and then referred us to a surgeon. It will cost about $4,000 per leg to repair the damage and the recovery/rehab will take about 2-3 months per leg. If we had waited any longer to do the surgery she would have done irreparable damage to her knee joints possibly crippling her for the rest of her life.

Sadie goes in for her first surgery next week. Please wish her luck.

Awwww best wishes for Sadie's surgery and recovery of your pocket book, I know it's worth it to you : ) Big kisses to Sadie from Mar

(06-07-2010 06:37 PM)Marley and me Wrote: [ -> ]Awwww best wishes for Sadie's surgery and recovery of your pocket book, I know it's worth it to you : ) Big kisses to Sadie from Mar

Thank you very much Jill and Marley, Sadie sends kisses and thanks! What is money for if not to care for the ones we love in every way.

And how is Marley doing now? All better?

I updated the thread on Sadie's surgery to include how well the surgery went and how blessed we are to have Dr. Leeds as her surgeon. What a great doctor and human being.

Thank goodness there have been no further incidents of this........these pups really are sensitive, I've never been so fearful of injuries with any other dog I've had in my life, and there's been several.