Canine Panosteitis Symptoms and Treatments

Canine Panosteitis illness affects the fatty tissue in bone marrow and literally means inflammation of all bones. The dog will suddenly exhibit lameness in one of its legs, and then another, and when the legs are palpated the dog will find it acutely painful and will pull away.

There is no history of trauma and the actual cause of this condition is not always clear. The pain will affect the dog's psychological wellbeing and he is likely to be depressed because of the level of pain. It tends to be more common in male dogs than in females.

It appears to occur in large dogs between 5-14 months according to specialist sources, and affects males more than females, although some dogs much older have been reported as having this condition as have some very young puppies.

Diagnosis can be difficult particularly as it mimics conditions such as osteochondrosis dessicans and is associated with other conditions such as hip displacement and abnormalities with joint structures. However, evidence will often be seen on X-ray which shows a kind of woolly texture to the outlines and centres of bones and that is usually sufficient to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment is not given apart from pain relief and inflammatory drugs to deal with the pain, and a lot of TLC from the dog's owners. Aspirin can sometimes be given but it's best to check dosage with your vet rather than administer tablets meant for human consumption.

The condition may last for anything up to three months which can be extremely distressing for the owner seeing their dog in such pain, and distressing for the dog because of the constant discomfort and inability to get about as easily as usual.

In most cases the condition will resolve by itself in about a year but there may be minor relapses. It may be helpful to keep your dog fed on a high protein low fat diet so as to keep his strength up and keep his weight down whilst he is inactive, but it is best not to encourage him to walk much until he is relatively pain free. Gentle massage of his back will help to soothe him and help him sleep if the pain has been keeping him awake, and will give you the chance to bond with him and let him know that you are around and looking after him. It will also help to reduce stress which some vets is a contributory factor to his recovery, since it is being suggested by some that stress can trigger the condition.

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