The Vet has treated hundreds of cases of Strangles and dozens of cases of HOD but has never seen HOD w/o high fever and tenderness in the leg when palpated. Vet did say all HOD was seen on x-ray. None of the Strangles cases has presented like this one either. Today lymph nodes were barely enlarged.
Kate, Are you saying HOD was confirmed by x-ray eventually, but did not show up on x-ray while the pup was in the early stages of lameness? Or was it never confirmed by x-ray?
Vet recommended lowering the protien and fat level in the food just in case.
I had a lame puppy from strangles, so yes it can happen. This sounds like strangles to me and the symptoms can vary from pup to pup. You will probably see a pretty good case of it because of the delay in treatment, so be ready. It needs to be hit hard for a week or two and then tapered slowly. I treated with Pred and Clavamox. If you catch it early and know the classic signs the case may be very mild. Strangles is a tricky and not so pleasant experience for puppy, breeder, or owner. Vets do not all agree on amount of steroids and if it's too small a dose the strangles will not be knocked out.
Yes, it is correct to say that my puppy did not have HOD visible on
x-ray at the early stages but was later confirmed on x-ray. I learned that
strangles and HOD can co-exist on a spectrum of immune mediated responses.
My puppy got very sick before he got better on high doses of steroids for 6 weeks. But he did not have a high fever at any point. And he never got all
the pustules characteristic of strangles. He did develop what appeared to be an ear and eye infection that did not respond to antibiotics but did respond to
steroids.
I'm sure you are OK if he is getting steroids. Be sure to continue the steroids an appropriate length of time. If you discontinue too soon, symptoms will recur. Sometimes you have to taper, restart, and taper again if the symptoms got well established and are hard to treat. Good luck with your baby. I know you must have been scared.
If antibiotic ointment doesn't clear up the eyes within 24 hours, I would jump immediately to suspect strangles. Hopefully there will be no long term damage!
