The disease is marked by pain and lameness which may be accompanied by fever, muscle wasting, and unthriftiness. A dog can suddenly become reluctant to exercise and lose appetite. Pressure over the shaft of the affected bone elicits pain. The disease routinely affects multiple long bones for a period of weeks to months.
The lameness shifts from one leg to another and may return to a previously affected leg. The German Shepherd Dog, German Shorthaired Pointer, St. Bernard, Basset Hound, Great Dane and Doberman Pinscher breeds at greater risk and male dogs are four times more frequently affected than females. Panosteitis rarely occurs after 18 tp 20 months of age.