Outdoors
Sponsored by

DVM Help - Dog Limping

723 Views | 8 Replies | Last: 32 min ago by Noname124398
Htownag11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Howdy - quick questions for our resident vets.

My dog (7.5 YO Golden Retriever) started limping last night. She was fine on our 5 pm walk but then later in the evening noticed her favoring her front leg with the pain seeming to come from the elbow area. She can "walk" but putting very little weight on it. I have no idea what she did to hurt it.

1) any clue what it could be?
2) how long should i wait before taking her to vet? Its been ~28 hours. Might this self-resolve in 2-3 days?
Gunny456
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Our 5 year old goober Lab did the same the week of Christmas. We had gone for our daily walk and when we came in he was limping. I checked his toes and pads but saw nothing but he favored it for around 4 days. We were going to take him to our vet on the 4th day but he was good. No problem since. Thank goodness.
Lots of good help on here… Dr. Boogs knows hips, joints and legs etc very well and always willing to help.
TAMU Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences

"Boat Racing is like a beautiful woman.... expensive, high maintenance....... but well worth the fun!"
MouthBQ98
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Happens now and then to our dogs. They strain or sprain something and it hurts a while. If they completely cease using it and won't put any weight on it at all or csnt move it and it lasts a few days then see a vet.
TX_COWDOC
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
If sudden and non weight bearing, get checked out / imaged soon. If a minor limp then I'd recommend watching for a day or few days. Avoid human pain meds either way.
www.southpawprecision.com
Type 07 FFL / Class 2 SOT
Nightforce Optics Dealer
AGM Night Vision Dealer
Crow Valley
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Oh boy same story we experienced last week. My wife's precious 3/4 corgi cross suddenly could not put any weight on its left front leg after the other dog our Aussie had one upped it by beating it off the front porch in pursuit of our nuisance domestic turkeys that come into the front yard begging for bread slices my wife throws them because they look hungry. It was obvious the corgi needed help, so we carried it in the house placing it on a clean meticulously laid out blanket hoping this would help soothe the severe pain it obviously was in. I told my wife No were not calling our vet at 7 in the morning "Lacy" will be all right. Well, I went about my day doing chores and tending to other tasks that seem never ending on the farm. I came in at noon, and poor "Lacy" is still on her blanket looking miserable and only able to hold her head up when wife goes to the pantry to get her another Doggy Biscuit. "Sage" now the Aussie has been confined to the back porch cause Wife is thinking he is partially to blame for this possible life ending injury. Afternoon arrives and still no improvement, so wife continues to treat the injury with doggy biscuits which do seem to give a little temporary relief. I've come back to the house several times to check on this traumatic situation my wife's dealing with and she informs me she's headed to vet clinic to get pain meds. Oh Boy! Wife gets back home and the first pain meds are administered, and Lacy handles them very well because they taste like Doggy Biscuits. Fast forward to the next day and Lacy survived a horrible restless night not even venturing outside to challenge the distant howling coyotes. It's obvious there's no noticeable improvement with pain meds, so wife goes to pantry to get another Doggy Biscuit. Our son shows up for breakfast and not having any emotional ties with Lacy like we do sarcastically suggested amputation cause many dogs get along on three legs. First time I've seen a little reaction out of Lacy other than when my wife says Doggy Biscuit, I decided to play along with this and mentioned how a 3-legged dog won't do us any good and euthanasian would be a better option. Wife visibly upset with this suggestion headed out the back door to feed the turkeys and guess what there goes Lacy on four good legs running like I've never seen her run! This is an honest to God true story, it happened a week ago. Doggy Biscuits!
Htownag11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
TX_COWDOC said:

If sudden and non weight bearing, get checked out / imaged soon. If a minor limp then I'd recommend watching for a day or few days. Avoid human pain meds either way.

It was definitely sudden and probably in between minor limp and non-weight bearing, particularly 36 hours in, as the pain seems to have improved somewhat.

She still does not have her normal gait / pace, however
robbio
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Most common injury in the front leg is the elbow. Three bones make up that joint. We see a lot of "Elbow Incongruity"
dr_boogs
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
In a 7.5 yr old golden I'd get it checked out if it's not resolved. Even if it goes away it's worth a visit to your primary dvm and some x rays. Let me know if I can help, this is right in my wheelhouse. PM me if you want to talk offline.
Noname124398
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I have 2 goldens that are 7 and 7.5 years old and they both develop limps for no apparent reason occasionally. Usually resolves in a couple of days.

However, about a year ago, my oldest one suddenly came up lame and very lethargic while we were out of the house for a few hours. By the next day his foot was starting to swell and seemed to be in a lot of discomfort so i took him to the emergency vet. He had developed some sort of infection that caused his foot to swell so much that there was blood seeping out of his pores near the area. it ended up rupturing about a week later after some antibiotics and left a hole in his paw pad so large i could have stuck my finger in it past the nail. Went through three rounds of antibiotics and 3-4 vet visits and never could find the source of the infection. Took almost a year and a decent bit of intervention on my part (trimming callouses/keratin deposits, paw ointment, etc) until it finally healed and he could walk normally again.

So anyway, moral of the story is i would keep an eye on him for a few days and see how he's doing unless he seems to be in an unusual amount of pain/lethargy.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.