Hannibal, our beloved Rottie, has been limping on his front right leg for several weeks now. Sometimes it's just a slight limp, and other times, he hobbles around, barely putting any weight on it. I was thinking he had just run too hard, for too long. After all, he is 10. However, he still acts like a puppy. My sister-in-law, who is a veterinarian, mentioned it a few weeks ago, and I acknowledged it, still thinking maybe he had been over doing it. It's summer time, with creeks to swim, balls to chase and a toddler to follow around. He's known to overdo it a bit! But this past weekend, it got progressively worse. I mentioned it to my friend, Frances, who is also a vet, and she said he needed to come into the clinic for X-rays. The sooner the better. She seemed quite grim while discussing him, and I pushed her to tell me what she was thinking. She said it could be bone cancer, as older, larger breed dogs are prone to getting it, and it progresses very quickly. I, of course, don't like this news and all day cry over the thought of losing my sweet Boonie. Yesterday morning, he was really limping, favoring it to the point of almost not putting any pressure on it. We then all took a much needed 3 hour nap, and when he woke up, he wasn't limping at all. When I told this to our other friend, Kay, also a vet, she said it sounded more like arthritis. Whew! Some hope! Needless to say, we've made an appointment at the clinic where Frances and Kay both work on Thursday where Shannon will drop him off for the day. He will be sedated and X-rayed, and we will know more from that point. Please pray it's only something as minor as arthritis!!! We (especially Pyper) adore this dog!
Hannibal and Pyper. Pyper was about 4 months old in this pic...
Never thought I would say this about a Rottie but, What a great dog.
ReplyDelete