HOD with my Lab-Great Dane Pup

Question
Hi.  I rescued a male lab mix they tole me.  I am now guessing he's great dane with his size & the rapid growth (he looks it to and our vet believes he is as well#  Well today the xrays showed he has HOD in both front legs #he has had 2 wks of limping after playing hard with a dog at the dog park & hurting his left front leg# Well, he's on Previcox for pain and inflammation & bed rest for the next 2 wks.  He's 5 1/2 mos & we've put him on the large breed adult food by Nutri Source out of MN & after reading posts I'm going to look at the 'taste of the wild' petfood tomorrow.  I'm wondering how can I get him to not want to play & jump around #being the pain pills mask the pain & he thinks he's ok# without just keeping him in a kennel all the time?#My lab & him LOVE to play together#  And is HOD something I have to worry about  the rest of his life or if I can get the inflammation to go away when will I know if his growth plates were damaged because I don't want him to be in pain. My heart would break to lose him...is there anything I can do to help any more than what I am now?

Thanks for any help.  I live in MN

Answer
Unfortunately he is a puppy so there really is no way to stop him from playing and jumping around unless you just restrict his activity, this would mean put him in a crate or put him in another room. HOD is something that once they have it, most times it does not go away, and putting him on a better food may strengthen his bones. If you feel that he is in a lot of pain, well then you need to do what is right by the dog, but that would be a decision that you need to discuss with your vet. He will not tell you that he is in pain, as most dogs have a VERY high pain tolerance, but your vet will be able to tell you. I would not recommend that you keep him locked up all the time but because right now he probably has a lot of inflammation and swelling I would restrict his activity. Painkillers are not going to allow you to see if he is in pain unless they start to wear off...I hope that answers your questions and I would also try the food that I recommended to another person in a previous post...let us know how it goes...

PS Sorry for taking so long to get back with you, apparently my vacation label did not go up because I was out of town since Tuesday :)

Have a good one...