Bulldog- limping

Question
Marjorie,
I have a 11 month old male English Bulldog who has over the past three weeks developed a limp on his right front leg. I have taken him to the vet, and had him examined, but they could find nothing wrong. It seems to be more in his shoulder than his leg, and seems to come and go a bit. He plays with our other dog, and seems to exhibit no signs of pain, and will not yelp if I pull or grab on it. It seems that it is more of a "soft tissue- ligament type" injury, perhaps from playing with the other dog. The vet gave us some pain/anti-inflamatory medicine to try yesterday. I am very worried about him because I can't immobilize him to let it heal. Any ideas as to what this may be?

Answer
Sounds like it might be panostitis "pano" which is often referred to as "growing pains". It exhibits itself as a limp, sometimes in the rear, sometimes in the shoulders. Often if will change from one area to another. There's no treatment except rest and limited exercise. I would keep him crated as much as possible or confined until it resolves itself. At the very least, he shouldn't be allowed to romp with other dogs and should be walked on a leash.