Diagnosis is often a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that other possible causes of lameness have been ruled out, such as hypertrophic osteodystrophy and osteochondrosis dissecans. History, signalment, and clinical signs can help a veterinarian form a presumptive diagnosis. On physical exam, the dog may display signs of pain on palpation of the long bones of the limbs. X-rays may show an increased density in the medullary cavity of the affected bones, often near the nutrient foramen (where the blood vessels enter the bone). This evidence may not be present for up to ten days after lameness begins.
Panosteitis
Osteitis
Osteomyelitis
Knee arthritis
Osteoradionecrosis
Osteochondropathy
Visceral gout
Acroosteolysis