In closing, Panosteitis is not a serious disease, however, it is a very painful one for dogs to suffer.  A few words of caution should be remembered when diagnosing lameness in young dogs.  To be sure of a Pano diagnosis, other bone abnormalities should be looked for and ruled out first.

Ununited Anconeal Process (elbow dysplasia) is evident radiographically in puppies at 4 to 6 months of age, and sudden lameness on the front legs is reason enough to x-ray for this problem, and it's an increasing one in German shepherds.   Other bone and joint abnormalities in the elbow and shoulder such as Fragmented Cornoid Process (FCP) and other conditions associated with Osteochondrosis Dissicans can be evident and should be ruled out as well.    Preliminary x-rays for Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) should be done if a dog is limping on a rear leg, or shows weakness on arising, or a tendency to "bunny hop" with both rear legs rather than trot smoothly when moving.  Too often lameness and leg favoring are attributed to Pano, when in fact the cause is due to a serious and detrimental disorder.  When all else is ruled out, or Pano lesions are actually seen on an x-ray you can feel a bit of comfort knowing your puppy will "grow out of it" and be limp free once again.