What can i do for my limping dog?

Question

i have a wonderful dog of 4 yrs old. She seems to be limping on occassions, but is fine when going for walks and swimming, its just when we are home and it doesnt stope her wanting to go on walks or jumping about and i have examined her paws and legs and no cuts or sore patchs and she doesnt seem to be in any pain. Any ideas?

Answer 1

What kind of dog is it?  Many dogs, especially larger dogs, can develop him dysplasia.  That is where the hip ball does not sit correctly in the joint, or is out of the joint entirely.  It can cause what the kind of symptoms you are speaking of.  How long has she been doing it?  Could also be a partially torn ligiment in her knee or just a sore muscle.  You should first try to rest her for a bit and maybe giver her unbuffered aspirin, they make is specially for dogs at Petsmart and other places with that.  Rest her for a week or so and see if she still limps.  If so, take her to the vet.  They may want to take xrays.  If it is dysplasia, its rather expensive to fix, but they don't always need surgery.  You can a perscription from your vet and order the medications online for a lot less money than getting them from the vet, and they do help.  Also, if she is not on Glucosomine, Chondritin and Omega 3 fatty acids, all that helps with any joint issues they may be having.  

Answer 2

well i had a similar problem with my 4 year old retriever. she would go for walks come back home and she would be fine. but then she would go for a run, come back home and she would start limping. we couldnt find anything in her paws. well we later found out she had snapped her cruciate ligament. she had an operation to fix it in june. take your dog to the vets

Answer 3

It could Possibly be that she has a thorn in her pad that has gone in a long way she is not noticing the pain much when she is excited on her walks or swimming but notices it more when she is just mooching about at home. I say this because my dog had  a huge thorn stuck in his pad for 6 weeks!!! He was fine out on walks but lame round the house. It was a complete mystery.Even the vet was mystified. One day I looked at his front pad and saw a small pink spot. I squeezed it and out shot this thorn of over half an inch long. Eureka!

Answer 4

Immediate lameness is usually due to some form of traumatic injury. This can range from simple and usually obvious causes such as a cut, wound or foreign body (e.g. a splinter) occurring in the pad or pads of the foot or to more devious conditions such as ruptured ligaments, fractures or joint diseases or infections.

Talking about a dog's feet for a moment, if a dog is l*****g its paws excessively and is lame, this could suggest a cut or foreign body affecting the pads or skin of the foot, but it can also suggest an infection called Interdigital Dermatitis that often occurs between the pads on a dog's paws. This dermatitis is, itself, sometimes caused by an injury or allergy that the dog has being l*****g excessively. The more it licks, the more it itches so the more it licks. This 'l**k/itch' cycle establishes quickly and veterinary treatment is often necessary to resolve the problem though sometimes, bathing the wound in salt water and applying a soothing cream may help.

One common cause of immediate limping occurs when a dog ruptures its Cruciate Ligament in the knee joint. This is often seen in active, energetic dogs. The typical history is that the dog was racing around the garden playing with the owner, often chasing balls, when it suddenly slipped and was then lame.

The Cruciate ligaments cross through the middle of the knee joint and stabilise the joint. When ruptured, the tibia (the shank or shin bone) and the femur (the thigh bone) which meet at the knee joint, slip and slide over each other in a most unhappy fashion. The joint loses its strength and stability and the dog experiences pain and discomfort. The best cure for this condition is surgery to repair or replace the ligament.

  

Answer 5

Could be all kinds of things, even early onset of arthritis (it can happen even in young dogs. I would advise a visit to the vet for a check-up.

Answer 6

depends on the breed of the dog, some have hip problems as they grow older. Could also just be a pulled muscle, try to massage your dogs leg and see if she has some tender spots.