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Panosteitis aka PANO
(wandering lameness)
What is it?
PANO is a spontaneous self-limiting condition of young, rapidly growing large & giant breed dogs. The cause of the lameness is the inflammation of the periosteum (the membrane surrounding the bones of the dog) during the growth phases of the bone. The “job” of the periosteum is to “heal” the bone by creating more cells (osteoblasts). When the bone is growing (lengthening) the periosteum becomes inflamed and goes into “hyper-drive” creating bone density very quickly. Often when this occurs, the dog shows signs of lameness, ranging from an occasional limp to a severe limp in all four legs. Although x-rays can indicate PANO, a blood test (specifically a CBC looking for an abnormally high eosinophil count) can confirm PANO when all other clinical signs are present.
For many years PANO has been referred to as a disease or disorder when in fact it is really neither. It is an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the bone and the pain of the actual growth of the width of the bone usually occurring as early as 5 months and typically ending around 14 months - though it has been known to continue past 20 months.
How to manage PANO?
Notice first that the word use in the question above is MANAGE, not fix or cure - you can manage something that is not a disease or disorder, this is self-limiting and it WILL go away as quickly as it came on!
First, make certain your dog is not overweight. An overweight dog puts too much stress on the bones and will exacerbate the inflammation.
Second, rest your dog. This is not the time to have your dog doing strenuous activity.
Third, treat your dog with warm compresses and an NASID to make the dog comfortable and should be used along with standard NASID precautions. If you do not know the precautions - consult with your vet.
Fourth, pay attention to your dog, make certain he/she is not so restricted in his/her rest that he/she atrophy’s.
Fifth, DON’T baby your dog too much... it can become a game with the smarter breeds and you will have to unteach the game at a later date.
Sixth, relax & breathe - remember if you hurt too badly to be up and moving, you would sit down and relax and so will your dog. PANO is painful, however it is not life threatening - your job is to limit your dogs activity, not panic over your dogs lameness.
If you DO NOT know what PANO looks like, check with your vet for a diagnosis - it’s ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry, however it doesn’t do any good to continue to take your dog to the vet again and again if your dog has already been diagnosed with PANO and you have no reason to believe your dog sustained an injury.
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