Hypertrophic osteodystropy ("Barlow's disease") - any experience

Our poor 15-week-old pup, Lula, went down with this yesterday. The day before she seemed right as rain. Then yesterday we noticed her poo was slightly runny for the first time. And she seemed stiff in the legs and reluctant to get out of bed. We'd taken her on a slightly longer walk than usual the day before (30 mins, as opposed to her usual 20) and thought it might just be muscular stiffness. Within a couple of hours it became clear it was more than this, and she began to whimper a bit even when she wasn't trying to move.

So we took her straight to the out of hours service at the local animal hospital, where the vet gave her a physical exam and x-rays confirmed the diagnosis of Hypertrophic osteodystrophy. She was running a high temperature and squealed in pain when the vet pressed her front legs. She's stayed in over night and has apparently eaten, which we hope is a good sign. In the agonising hours since leaving the hospital, we've read just about everything there is on the internet about the condition. We're currently waiting for a phone call to let us know whether she can come home today. She's clearly going to need a lot of rest anyway.

What's struck us as surprising is that it almost always seems to be large or giant breeds who get this (especially Weimaraners, Irish Setters and Great Danes. We've searched high and low online, but can't find any accounts of Staffies with the condition. Is there anyone else out there who's been through this and would be willing to share your experience?

Huge thanks in advance.

I haven't come across this before however hopefully someone will be along soon who has   

I'm sorry to hear this, poor lula   xxx

It's not something I've heard of so have just googled it and see like you say it seems to affect large breeds, is lula a purebred staff or could she have been crossed with one of these larger breeds back down the line somewhere?

Whoa.. I hadn't heard of it before your post. I hope things are better this evening.

Thanks, everyone. Yes - she's purebred staffie. She's a blue, but I think it's just an odd coincidence that Weimaraners - which are pretty much the same colour- are particularly susceptible to the condition.

We had a call from the vet this afternoon, saying she's much-improved, which is really heartening. We'll speak to them again later today, but I think the consensus is to keep her in another night, rather than risk letting her come home too soon. Sounds sensible to us. So glad we decided to take her in last night and not wait till this morning. We had no idea what it was- but now that we know, I've read so many awful things about not getting it treated quickly.

She's going to get heaps of gentle but heartfelt cuddles when she's home!

the link ive just read says some terrier types can be affected - hope she feels better soon x

Glad to hear she's doing ok, she'll be back home with you before you know it x

Thanks again for all the encouraging comments. Forums like this can make such a difference to how you're feeling! I'll let you know how she gets on. x

Golly never heard of it poor Lula lets hope she is back home with you soon and yes lots of cuddles and tlc xxx

Goodness me never heard of this but hope everything is back to normal soon, must be such a worry for you

Well the vet phoned this morning to say the pain in her right front paw has resolved, but her left paw's still sore. So they're keeping her in today, and almost certainly tonight. But there's definitely progress!

While we're dying to have her home, we're also keen not to rush things, so that she has the best chance of a full recovery. So another 24 hours of round-the-clock expert care seems like the best way to go. She's going to need a lot of bed rest and very limited exercise when she gets home. Stopping her moving around too much is going to be difficult, as we were silly enough not to crate train her. We're just going to have to keep her confined to small spaces where she can't hurt herself.

Thanks again for all the supportive comments. We'll keep you posted.

Yes if she needs to be at the vets best to leave her there   

Well Lula's home, and we're over the moon to have our baby back. We've been told she needs strict crate rest for six weeks, only going out to relieve herself (and then we have to carry her into the garden). So the poor little thing's going to have a frustrating six weeks, and we're going to have to do everything we can to stimulate her mentally. But it will be worth it. We just wish she could understand that not being allowed out to play is for her own good!

Thanks again for all the supportive comments. x