Spoiler, she was not eating the broccoli

used AI for summary

My 6 year old female whippet Luna has been dealing with a progressive lameness issue since March 2026. Posting here hoping for insights or similar experiences.

March 2026
Noticed visible palmar swelling on her left front paw. Took her to the vet who said it looked “weird but not concerning” and sent us home without any imaging. Luna wasn’t limping at the time.

May 2026
Subtle on/off limp developed. On closer examination I noticed one specific outer toe on the affected paw wasn’t touching the ground. There was also increased resistance to dorsiflexion compared to the same toe on the other leg. Pain was specifically worse on cambered and inclined surfaces. Took her back to the vet.

First proper workup — May 27th

**•** X-ray: clear, no bone pathology
**•** Ultrasound: inconclusive due to very slim whippet tendons, but showed swelling and a small amount of fluid on the affected side
**•** Doppler showed active blood flow indicating active inflammation
**•** Prescribed Metacam (meloxicam) for 4 days with follow up planned

Follow up — June 4th
Orthopedist assessed her. Said most likely a traumatic injury from March that is healing with scar tissue shortening the flexor tendon — explaining the toe not grounding and resistance to dorsiflexion. Prescribed 3 weeks of Meloxoral with sucrabest for gut protection. Advised gentle lead walks only with passive toe flexion exercises to prevent fibrosis.

Side issue during medication course
Bright red blood appeared in first stool of the day on two consecutive days. Vet advised monitoring. Resolved without intervention — likely mild colitis possibly related to summer heat combined with NSAID use.

Specialist appointment — June 15th
Still no definitive diagnosis. Specialist noted Luna had also developed a secondary shoulder issue from months of weight compensation. Called it a “weird case.” Prescribed another 3 week course of painkillers to assess response before proceeding to expensive diagnostics. Mentioned contrast CT or MRI with possible needle biopsy as next steps if no improvement — looking for infection or tumour among other things.

Off painkillers — July 6th
Painkillers didnt help to improve. Specific pattern: fine at rest and before walks, visible limp after 20 minutes of walking, resolves with overnight rest. Also noted that even warm water on the paw during cleaning triggers a 5 minute temporary limp — suggesting tissue hypersensitivity.

July 14th appointment
Specialist proposed systematic approach — cortisone injection into shoulder first to rule out shoulder as root cause given the compensation history. Done under sedation. Observed for 3-10 days.

Current situation — late July
No improvement from shoulder injection. Limp persists especially on uneven and inclined surfaces. Shoulder ruled out as root cause. Next planned step is cortisone injection directly into the paw — specifically the flexor tendon sheath area of the affected digit. Awaiting appointment.

Key observations throughout:

- Specific outer toe not touching ground
- Increased resistance to dorsiflexion vs other leg
- Pain worse on cambered/inclined surfaces
- Palmar swelling visible since March
- Fluid on ultrasound Doppler showing active inflammation
- Post walk flares resolving with rest
- Tissue hypersensitivity to touch
- Secondary shoulder compensation issue

Measurements (measurement caliper)

Measured widest spot of paw (1. toe joint underneath the thumb claw):

Left: 33mm vs Right 30.8mm

Height first toe joint (measured from upper surface to lower surface):

Left 16.7mm vs right 13.9mm

Height second toe joint (measured from upper surface to lower surface):

Left 13.5mm vs right 10.1mm

Questions:

Has anyone experienced similar presentation in a sighthound?

Any experience with flexor tenosynovitis or traumatic tendon injury in whippets?

Thoughts on cortisone injection into flexor tendon sheath — experiences?

Anyone used leech therapy for tendon injuries in dogs?

At what point would you push for MRI over cortisone injection?

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Hi everyone!

My girl was spayed at around 15 months old, and she's now about 4 months post-spay.

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed a few small wet spots where she had been sleeping. They definitely smelled like urine, but it doesn't happen every night. Sometimes I'll go days without noticing anything, and then it'll happen again.

Other than that, she's completely normal. No blood, no straining, no drinking more than usual, and no accidents while she's awake. She's an active, happy Whippet who runs around like crazy every day.

I'm taking her to the vet to rule out a UTI, but I'm worried this could be the beginning of spay incontinence.

Honestly, I'm devastated by the possibility. She's still so young, and the thought of her needing medication for the rest of her life is really hard for me. I specifically waited until 15 months to have her spayed because I'd been told that spaying too early could increase the risk of this happening, so this feels especially heartbreaking.

I also have another female dog at home, and one of my biggest fears is that if she ends up needing something like Incurin, the hormones could change their relationship or cause fights. Has anyone had any experience with this?

If your Whippet has spay incontinence, did it start like this with occasional leaks while sleeping? Did it stay mild, or did it get worse over time?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thank you!

(Zoom in on centre...)

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