Thanks Jackie and Jen. The hardest part has been trying to keep her quiiiiiiettt!!! Not easy! She started having a zoomie session an hour ago, so I grabbed her and calmed her down, so she then set about Georgie She seems find on that leg I have to say, but then she hasn't lied down much tonight, we'll see in the morning then.

Hi Helena

Cox has had exactly what you described in your first post twice in the 7 or so months I have had him, each episode lasting only for a couple of days at a time. Slightly lame on getting up, but fine after a couple of mins. Turned out just an injured muscle and nothing to worry about. Hope it is the same with Zena too.

Let us know how she gets on.

Hi Helena,

Sorry to hear you are having troubles with your lovely puppy In answer to your question; if it was joints it would be happening all the time - not so! That's not to say it is joints, and if it is - it can still pretty much be sorted. I experienced something quite similar many years ago when my late boy was a pup, I took him around three different practices for differing opinions, the concensus was that he was suffering growing pains (incl. pano), they also did a physical exam for a joint mouse (the condition you have described and came up with nothing), but I could not understand why he was apparently in so much pain and discomfort - I was never very happy!

Does your pup seem fairly well in herself, or does she require the rimadyl to do that? My advice would be; if her pain and lameness recurs, intermittent or not and the vets are sure it isn't pano - especially as she is quite heavy in the bone as you say - get her thoroughly checked out. I know you're an experienced gsd owner so I suppose I'm appealing to your gut instinct to let you know if something doesn't seem quite right. There's no need for alarm, and I take it you have her insured, I wouldn't worry too much if it has just happened and could likely just be local trauma, as you know young boisterous pups tend to knock themselves all the time and we all worry ourselves to death!

Good luck and hope it's just a passing phase!

Hi H, sorry i've just seen this - hugs to mad zoomie wannabe Zena - is she driving you and georgie mad yet ????

Hey i may be wrong here but mind rimadyl covers the symptoms and makes the dog (any dog, lol - not just Zena ) so if she does manage to have a few sneaky zoomies, she'll not realise she's in pain (or not)

Heres hoping it's just a case of something simple like growing pains.

Do you anywhere she could to hydrotherapy if needed? Exercise without strain.

Thanks skilaki, that's comforting to hear actually

Thanks for all that valuable info Magic, much appreciated. On looking back to that two days ago episode when she took that nasty tumble, and then that SAME night she had a fit of the zoomies in the evenings, I was on the phone, and I heard an almighty crash and Dave said she had knocked over a small, tall cabinet thingy, so maybe she actually bashed into that with her left shoulder??? Could be! This didn't start the afternoon I thought it did, because it happened a day or so before that in the afternoon when she got up, I noticed a limp,but because it went almost immediately, I thought I was seeing things, but then this WAS the afternoon of that morning stumble, and I also saw her "trip" on the same front leg when walking along too which gave me alarm bells Then I remember I did hear a couple of small "cries" very slight, when she was laying down one afternoon (probably that same afternoon of the morning's tumble though!) and again I thought I must have been hearing things coz on checking her out, she came over to me with tail wagging and no sign of pain.

The vet yesterday did have a good feel of all of her joints and Zena didn't flinch once, but then of course she's a gsd (soooo good at disguising pain aren't they!) Although we both noticed that she wasn't too keen on the leg stretching which would point to shoulder. If you could have seen that dear little face, with both ears pinned tightly back, the drooping sad eyes, and I swear that dog was pouting! Lol! This was after the examination when she was just sitting there though, soooooo cute, too cute for words wish I had that camera!

Now, this morning Dave said there was NO sign of limping when she got up - so that's good. She hasn't shown any signs of pain, or limping when we went out, and we stuck to a lead, even though we did our usual walk on soft grass, coz I didn't want her to be pounding away on hard pavements with a muscle or any other injury quite honestly. She had no Rimadyl since 1 pm yesterday lunchtime, coz I thought it was too near to give her the 2nd one at 9pm with a bit of food, so I left it out. She had one at 8.30 and she will get a 2nd one tonight same time in the evening, and then I'll cut it down to one in the morning by Sunday like the vet said, and hopefully, I will see no signs of injury when we stop them next Wednesday, finger's crossed.

She is being incredibly good though, I just told her to be quiet and go and lie down and she did coz she wanted to go mad outside in the garden, but that's a big no-no for a few days yet!

What about putting some ice on her shoulder for 5 mins or so, would that be a good idea??? It can't do any harm can it, and if it IS shoulder muscle related it would actually do some good? What d'ya think then please???

Thanks Linda, yes I know it will cover the symptoms, BUT,my main aim with it will be the anti inflammatory effect it will have on whatever is causing the problems, and I'm also thinking to myself that if it IS muscle injury she would notice a huge difference when on the Rimadyls whereas if it was more serious perhaps she wouldn't notice such a great pain relief? That's just my weird way of thinking when you have pain yourself, painkillers don't always work on something really serious do they, but muscle injuries they do?

Btw Linda, Zena is now in that Size 5 harness and it fits superbly and I told you NOT to get the size 5 She's now 26.75 kgs about the same size as Mont?

She wasn't actually in pain with that leg I don't think, she didn't feel all sorry for herself, she just couldn't use that leg properly and hobbled on it for those few seconds, then she was mad as a hatter once more as only Zena can be!!! She's mad that dog!!!!

Awwwwwww sorry to hear your wee flower hasn't been feeling great.I know only too well what it's like trying to stop em from diving about lol.Give her huge hugs from me and my lot and hope the big bad limp disappears fast xxxxx

my first thought was OCD,as a friends (Not Same lines) gsd pup got it at around the same age years ago.

Its prob just a soft tissue injury from her tumble, rest her properally, im sure she will be fine, of course the thing wioth rest is real rest. ive rested all my three from two weeks to 4 months, all when they were under two years old, i know its hard, but if you are consistant they soon learn to adjust

Thanks Mich. I'll look up on that OCD coz I don't know what it is, although I've heard of it of course. Never had lameness in any dogs quite honestly, apart from an odd pulled muscle which has disappeared as quickly as it came.

Funny you should say that about the adjusting, coz I cannot belieeeeeve how quiet Zena is being for me today. We had our 30 mins but walking only this morning, she didn't mind that once she knew she was on the lead for the entire walk THEN when she started getting hyper again mid-day after her morning kip, I told her to be quiet and lay down which she did at first, and now she's playing, shhhhhhh, very quietly, shhhhh, with Georgie's 5 year old beloved hard rubber ball, shhhh coz he doesn't know yet She quietly chewing it and looking at me with those adorable eyes asking me if she's being as good as I want her to be! Bless her little cotton sox, this dog is truly something else!!! Might be a different story when DAve gets home though, but I'll do my best with her. I'm not going to do a 2nd walk today or a 3rd, she's going to have to stick with just the one lead walk and lots of rest for another 5 days at least coz I want this to work, I don't want her lame by next Thursday when the pills have finished.

Pmsl you looking for a straight jacket for dugs now H xxxxx