Bugsy's shoulder

 Finding the issue is the beginning of resolution!  Sorry it has taken this long to sort out.  On the plus side, you've been resting him and doing more swimming anyway, if I remember right, so the healing has already begun. 

 Feel better, Bugsy!  I know you love the swimming, fella, lol.

Ok Bugs...this means low impact...do you understand "low impact"  

shadowsgin

Ok Bugs...this means low impact...do you understand "low impact"  

 I think we all know that Bugsy doesn't understand low impact and if he did he'd scoff at that idea.

Thank goodness you've got the lake so close, Karen.  I don't know how that will work out once the water gets cold but hunting dogs spend plenty of time in very cold water. 

JackieG

shadowsgin

Ok Bugs...this means low impact...do you understand "low impact"  

 I think we all know that Bugsy doesn't understand low impact and if he did he'd scoff at that idea.

No, I think Bugsy understands "low impact" very well -- that's when you take your feather dummy and whack it repeatedly on the ground.  That's a LOW impact, right??? "high" impact would be if you whacked it on Mom's table or the branch of a tree.  Sheesh -- humans ... they make everything so difficult!!

Karen -- like everyone said -- finding it is the first step.  I think you deserve HUGE credit for persevering even after a "specialsist" couldn't come up with the answer.  Good luck and you have my good thots and prayers!!

I'd imagine is a relief to have some answers and it doesn't sound like it's anything super serious, so that's good to know. As others said, you're already doing exactly what you need to do with the rest and swimming, so you'll hopefully be able to keep that up and keep Bugsy comfy.

   I'm relieved it's not serious; when I saw " Bugsy's shoulder", and then having "some lumps checked out", I started thinking cancer. As the others said, kudos to you for remaining persistent in finding the cause for his limp. I think your vet also deserves some kudos for figuring out the problem when specialists weren't able to. It's great that you have a lake close by and that he likes to swim.

I'm glad you were able to get a definitive diagnosis and that it isn't anything horribly serious.  But knowing how long it takes for tendon injuries to heal in people (never mind an exceptionally active dog!), I'm sure it'll seem like a very long recovery period. 

As others said, it's a good thing Bugsy is such a happy swimmer.  If the water is too cold in the winter, maybe you could find an indoor therapy pool for dogs nearby? 

Bugsy, you're going to have to take up some more "relaxing" hobbies, even though we know how much you love a good adventure and having high energy fun!

jessies_mom

when I saw " Bugsy's shoulder", and then having "some lumps checked out", I started thinking cancer.

Anyway yes I am glad to have a diagnosis but I am also very aware that this will likely remain with him for the rest of his life. I did a bit of reading last night and without surgery it seems to never really heal. Surgery would mean a TPLO-like recover = 6-8 wks of nothing followed by a slow rehab.

For now I am going to do the swimming as often as I can, keep him on a strict diet, rimadyl/tramadol as necessary and hope he gets feeling better.

The problem with him is if he feels better he is still as nuts as when he was young. I gave him a rimadyl this morning and I just had to stop him from running inside zoomies 

I will wait and see what the lumps come back as, deal with that, then decide our next step.

kpwlee

He's had the lump on his shoulder for 12-18 months and I have pointed it out several times to vets and no one ever responds about it. The vet yesterday immediately said I want to check this one out He was clearly thinking Mast Cell so we'll see

  I hope it's just fat; Jessie has lumps all over her, and they're all fat. Let us know what the lab says; ((( hugs)))

 well the vibes and thoughts worked again - it was a lipoma, just odd in that it is very hard and it is kind of small. Regardless we thrilled. And the other lump we had tested was some sort of cyst (it is a nasty looking thing, about two times larger than a pencil eraser) I didn't get the specific type it is but it is benign so all is good. We might have to remove it but for now we are just happy we got two benign results.

I tell you he's got nine lives this dog LOL - I was told that he has a classic lipoma under one of his front legs and that if I felt a lump that literally felt like steak fat it would be a lipoma. This one feels nothing like that one. So we'll hope that whatever lumps pop up keep being lipomas :)

As for his shoulder, we went for a fun swim today and he was thrilled to get out and do something. He swam well and had no increase in limp afterward

karen, how's Bugsy's doing?

 Thanks for asking Sue...............I 'think' we are making progress. I have limited his walks to a mile or less and he's been a swimming fool. Really incredible to me that he wouldn't/didn't swim until he was 2 and has always been a so-so swimmer and now he runs into the water and off he goes!

I am going to upload a video later of him just swimming LOL amazing to me

Anyway he is swimming further and longer and I am seeing the limp much less frequently and haven't seen a significant limp in a week may be. This morning we walked 1/2 a mile and no limp at all, when he was really bad he couldn't make it to the end of the driveway without limping 

So we'll keep swimming and limiting our walks and hope to have a full recovery sooner rather than later.

Link to swimming video

Awesome video!  Now your gonna have to do more video's cause I love that!