Growing pains?

Hugo's 10 months old now and 120 lbs.
Being new to large breed dogs, I'm not familiar with normal growth pains they may get....
I've noticed he seems to have a bit of trouble standing up or sitting down, almost like he tries to put most of the weight on his front legs and gently bring his rear to the ground; that or he just kind flops to the ground.
He also hasn't started lifting his leg when he urinates yet.

For the most part I've just assumed it was growing pains and puppy clumsiness. He can make it up a flight of stairs fairly easy, and doesn't show any signs of pain when I palpate/feel his bones and joints.

So I guess before I get too nervous, does this sound normal or out of the ordinary?

Hi there

Puppies do get growing pains and these can be really quite severe, particularly if it is due to conditions like panosteoitis (? spelling) which usually effects the long bones or HOD which affects the joints (with this condition they are usually unwell with fever etc). These conditions can be diagnosed on x-ray.
I would say straight away that we always advise that puppys DO NOT have access to stairs and do not run up and down stairs as this can do damage. We are very fortunate that we live in a bungalow. It is not at all unusual for him not to be cocking his leg at 10 months and we still have a 2 year old that pees like a girl LOL. Not sure how much exercise he is having, but I would be being careful with that as well. Has he seen the vet?? As I have said there are other conditions it could be, but there is always sadly a risk of hip dysplasia in our lovely breed even from hip scored parents. It is worth getting his hips x-rayed, but they cannot be sent off for scoring until the dog is 12 months old. If it is worse case senario and he does have signs of some HD do not think it is the end of the world, as we have had dogs who have had HD diagnosed as puppies, but have lived to great old ages with good quality of life. Once the muscle builds up around the joint they cope really well and things like hydrotherapy work well. We lost a 9 year old last year who had severe HD and ED but she had a fab life with us.
My advice would be that if you are concerned, get the vet to check him over and do some x-rays.
If you are in contact with his breeder, it is always worth having a chat with them and perhaps taking him to them to see and they will point you in the right direction. Hope this helps

Karen x

Brutus and Rufus are almost 8, Rufus picks his foot up off the ground maybe 2 inches and Brutus never hikes his leg to pee. And my yellow lab Apollo same age doesnt lift either, he squats as low to the ground as he can. None of them have any hip problems. Some males, especially those castrated young dont ever hike their legs to pee.

Poor Hugo. He's right at that age... Hope he's feeling better soon. I'd make a trip to the vet just to make sure there is no Hip Dysplaia causing the pain. Good luck.

Pano (Panosteitis) - is extremely painful and can rapidly become debilitating. The symptoms usually to come on suddenly. Owners of affected dogs may notice one or more of the following signs:

Sudden lameness, usually in one leg at a time (acute onset)
Shifting lameness, from one limb to another
Fever
Loss of appetite (inappetence; anorexia)
Lethargy
Weakness
Pain on palpation of the legs
Depression
Reluctance to rise
Reluctance to engage in normal activities
Exercise intolerance
Whimpering or other vocalization when rising, moving or being touched
The sudden onset of panosteitis, and the obvious suffering that it causes to affected dogs, can be enormously distressing for concerned owners. Fortunately, panosteitis is not difficult to diagnose and normally can be well-managed medically.

Dogs between five and twelve months of age are at increased risk, because this is a period of rapid growth, although panosteitis can affect dogs as early as two months and as late as five years of age. Males are more commonly affected by panosteitis than are females; the reason for this predisposition is unclear.

During the acute stage of disease, dogs with panosteitis require rest, restricted activity and supportive care. They may be given one of a number of different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain. Corticosteriods normally are not used to treat this disorder, as they cause immune system suppression. In especially severe cases, stronger pain medications, such as opioids, may be appropriate, together with short-term inpatient care, intravenous hydration and nutritional support. Of course, a veterinarian is in the best position to assess a given dog and recommend appropriate treatment protocols.

Fortunately, panosteitis almost always is self-limiting, which means that it normally resolves on its own without causing permanent disability. As long as the dog’s pain is managed, it should return to full unrestricted function in several weeks to months after onset of the condition.

He is currently seeing a vet and we've got a checkup scheduled for early next month where I'll bring any concerns and questions I have.
His exercise is rather light.... I take him for a short walk around the block when I get home from work, and he plays in the yard for a bit. Usually once or twice a week he plays with the neighbors puppy.
I'm just a worried parent, I started looking into growing pain symptoms and next thing I know I'm researching every bone/joint condition that's out there and wondering if that could be the issue.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain and is just as happy as always. We'll see what information the vet can give us next month.

If it was me I would book him in sooner than waiting till next month, you can't be too careful especially with saints and joints, good luck!

Hi

I have a 13 month old Saint bitch who had pano (can't spell it either Karen!) that started around 4 months old. Very slight lameness front left leg, then over a period of a few weeks went lame on every leg in turn,eventually coming back to the same front leg. At one stage she was so lame she was on 3 legs & I was convinced something was going to drop off!! (and I'm not a new Saint parent!!)

She came sound & stayed sound but I decided to have prelim Xrays done on her hips under sedation on the same day I took my Golden boy for hipscoring, just to have a looky.
It turns out she has severe HD but as Karen says it isnt necessarily the death sentence people make it out to be if managed correctly. I'm glad I xrayed her when I did (10 months old) as I started her straight away on Hydro, extra Vitc & some other supplements & she plays up the field once a day off lead on the soft ground.

She comes from decent scored parents, raised correctly on good quality food, not excessive exercise - I also live in a bungalow, so it's just one of those things. She was a VERY chunky puppy which may or may not have anything to do with it but I keep her weight at 70kg now which for her height of over 35" at the shoulder is about right.

She is hideously happy with life in general & it does appear to be under control at the moment.
With this enormous breed it could be one of so many things, they are so big & grow so fast. I would swing by the vet sooner than later just to rule out anything that may need something doing to it now. May turn out to be nothing but better safe than sorry!

Heather