Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 5/26/2009

Question

"Hello, Thank you for taking the time to answer this question. I would like to know your thoughts regarding Panosteitis or "pano." I noticed my 5 month old German Shepherd (male) limping so after research and observation i decided to take him to the vet. I explained to the vet that i thought it was pano. After the exam and some leg manipulation he confirmed it was Panosteitis. It is my understanding growth disease is more common in large, male dogs. It can show up as young as 4 to 12 months and usually does not occur after a dog is 18 to 20 months. Now i have read some studies that have linked genetic and food protein to the cause, but there is not enough conclusive evidence to support that theory. I feed my dog a 75% dry dog food( Taste of the wild) and 25% cooked /natural food diet. The dog's diet is made up of about 20% to 25% protein; is this to much protein? The vet told me to give the dog 1/2 of a 325mg bufferd aspirin for pain or 2 81 mg baby aspirins. Should I give him vitamin C or ester C too? What about a calcium supplement? Thanks for you help have a great day

Answer
I am not sure if it has ever been confirmed that food has any relationship to panosteitis.  There is another disease called HOD (hypertrophic osteodystrophy) that has been linked to foods.  Panosteitis is "growing pains" and it is very common.  Aspirin will help, but the newer NSAIDS, like Previcox work better, but they are more expensive.

The dog will resolve the panosteitis episode in the current location, but it can shift to another leg at any time.  After about 9 months to a year of age, these seem to go away without treatment.