[pstinard]

Originally Posted by Mistymillar

Sorry for asking if this has already been discussed loads but I searched and couldn't find specific posts (weirdly when I search more recent posts come up before anything relating to my search topic). But anyhooo, Alfie will be 2 in August, (apart from his allergies) he is a healthy, energetic dog, he chases his ball every morning before we go to work then gets a great run in the park chasing his ball every evening. He is a slim build, not a great foody, but we are careful that he gets plenty to eat, he likes to work for his food!! We can leave a bowl of chicken down for him and he won't really eat it until we throw his ball (he is a little weirdo) so I am happy he has good nutrition and is slim and muscular (tiny wee muscles, but muscles all the same) due to his love of ball chasing.

I started noticing that his bones click a lot, when I fit him out of the bath, when I just lift him from the bed or floor, when he stretches sometimes or generally when he gets up from his bed. It is like when you need to click your finger joints.

I feel it is in his hip area rather than his knees, like I say he is an active dog and jumps on and off the sofa all the time, I have a stool for him to get on our bed but he would never choose to use it to get off.

He shows no signs of pain, limping and I swear he runs with the speed of a greyhound, should I be worried about this? He is due a visit to his vet derm as he is at the end of his first course of Apoquel so I will talk to her about this too, but wanted to know if this is a sure sign of joint problems or arthritis?

Poor mite has had such a hard time with his allergies for almost his whole life that I can't bear to think he may be plagued with painful joints too.

Clicking noises *can* be a sign of a joint problem like hip dysplasia, but if your dog is showing no other signs, it might be nothing. Only a vet can tell for sure, so I'm glad you're taking him in soon. Let us know what your vet says, because others with the same problem will be reading your post for information. Best of luck!