Lame Danes and kitty snacks

Dear Dr. Forsythe:  My sister is out of the country, so I’m in charge of her puppy “Filbert”.  He is a six-month-old Great Dane who has started limping pretty bad almost every time I take him out.  I have checked his paws for a thorn or something but didn’t find anything.  Also, sometimes it seems like his limp is on one front leg, then the next time I see him it changes.  Can this be true?  Am I confused about which leg has a problem, and what do you think the problem could be?  My sister won’t be home for a few weeks, so I am a little nervous about what to do. –

DL, Boyes Hot Springs

Dear DL:  There is a fairly common orthopedic disease called Panosteitis that affects young, large breed dogs causing lameness and bone pain.  We don’t know the cause, but with this inflammation inside the bones, shifting leg lameness is often seen.  Rest assured that you are pretty astute to have recognized this in Filbert, but now I would get him examined by a veterinarian to be sure of what is happening.  During a physical exam of a pet suspected of having panosteitis, the veterinarian usually elicits pain on firm palpation of the affected long bones.  An X-ray of the legs will confirm the diagnosis – and show evidence of the disease that looks like a cloudy area of inflammation within the bone.

The good news is that this is a medical disease and Panoesteitis does not require surgery to fix.  In most cases a pet will feel relief through the use of an NSAID such as Previcox to reduce pain and inflammation as the pet grows to maturity.   Although the disease can recur, it usually resolves by the time the dog reaches two years of age.  I guess another way of thinking about it is that if Filbert does have Panosteits, he is feeling tender and achy in his bones that probably feels akin to the teenage boy or girl who shoots up a foot in one school year. It wouldn’t surprise you the least to notice some growing pains. Thanks and good luck. – Dr. F

Dear Dr. Forsythe:  My mother got really upset when my father gave me two finches in a small hanging cage.  The problem is our kitty cat, Ding-Ling who lives at my mom’s house.  Just after I took the cage inside, Ding-Ling came running and flew up onto their cage and they escaped, flying around.  Thank goodness my father caught them before Ding-Ling did.  What can we do to protect the little birds? The cat is outside my door all the time just waiting to attack them. –

Kirstin, Santa Rosa

Dear Kirstin:  It’s great that your father had the presence of mind to get Ding-Ling away from the birds while they were twittering around the house.  That sounds like a close call but isn’t it CATS who have nine lives? Perhaps the little birds’ cage would be best kept in your room with the door closed, lest the cat will feast like Sylvester tries to do to Tweety.  There really is no magic way to protect the birds from the cat other than keep them SEPARATE.

When I was a boy, I got a parakeet named Thadeus as a birthday gift from my auntie.  Our two Siamese cats went absolutely bonkers trying to get to Thadeus.  We tried hanging the cage high, anchoring, covering it, spraying the cats with water from a spritzer to keep them away from the little parakeet.  But nothing worked.  Not long after we got him, Thadeus disappeared and all that was left were a small pile of yellow and green feathers in his empty cage.  Oh, and our cat Hanki-Poo was licking his chops in satisfaction.  In my opinion keep the door to your room closed at ALL times and make sure Ding-Ling never gets the chance to take a little snack when you’re away.  Good luck and I hope you enjoy the birds. – Dr. F