My Dog ​​Is Limping – What Can I Do?

How To Tell If Your Dog Is Limping

• Your dog’s gait pattern is irregular. the dog walks stiffly.
• Your dog will find it harder to get up
• The dog simply drops to lie down
• The dog takes both legs at the same time when walking up or down the stairs (caution: small dogs always do this at higher steps without there being a problem
• Your dog will not put any weight on one leg at all
• Your dog shuffles or drags a leg when walking
• Your dog does not put one leg fully down, but only taps it or only partially weights it

Dog Limps – First Aid

Feel paws

• Gently feel the affected leg for swelling or tight muscles.
• The easiest way to do this is to compare the sides: bend one joint after the other, always holding the two adjacent bones.
• Pay attention to whether and where your dog shows a pain reaction.
• Check the pads of the paws, the area between the toes, and the claws. Are injuries visible? Have foreign bodies, such as wood splinters or shards, got in?

First Measures

• For example, if you spot a small splinter or a wasp sting that isn’t that deep, you can carefully remove it yourself with tweezers. Some splinters are stuck too deep and are therefore not visible. You can often tell by the fact that your dog keeps bringing the affected paw to its mouth and licking or nibbling on it.
• If your dog has small superficial wounds, you should carefully clean and disinfect them (note: not every disinfectant is suitable and is used in the same way as humans) and, for example, apply a healing ointment.
• If your dog does not put any weight on the leg even after a short recovery period, you should consult a veterinarian, as a joint could be dislocated or a bone fractured, for example.

Preparation For The Vet

• If the dog has had an accident or has had a bite with another dog, call the vet before you go to the vet so that everything can be prepared in good time for your arrival.
• Place your dog carefully in the car and make sure that the affected leg is not put under any further strain and that the dog cannot lick the wound
• Handle your dog with extreme care and caution. Some dogs tend to bite in situations of pain.

My Dog ​​Is Limping, When Do I Have To Take Him To The Doctor?

If you do not recognize the reason for the lameness right away and no first aid measures are effective, you should go to the veterinarian at the next consultation.

You should also see your vet immediately if your dog:

• completely refuses to walk or can no longer walk at all
• the leg is obviously broken
• howls in pain
• has deep, bleeding cuts
• shows paralysis

If you are unsure whether the injury is minor or serious, you should still contact a veterinary practice to be on the safe side.

Possible Causes Of The Limping

Leg pain and injuries

• Bruises, sprains, strains
• Splinters of wood, glass, thorns, or other foreign objects
• Cuts through e.g. broken glass
• Bites from other animals
• sore paws due to road salt, hot asphalt, etc

Cracked Claws

If the claws are too long, they can tear easily. The pain is sometimes so severe that the dog cannot stand with the affected paw and consequently hobbles. If torn claws bleed profusely, a pressure bandage should be applied for a few minutes. If the bleeding still doesn’t stop, see your vet. In the future, it is important to ensure that the claws are trimmed regularly.

Overweight

Extra body weight interferes with movement, causing your dog to limp. Adipose tissue is one of our largest organs and produces inflammatory substances. Therefore, you should urgently ensure that your dog loses weight. Ask your vet for advice on this. It is much easier with a special reduction diet.

Inflammation Of The Tendons (Tendovaginitis)

The tendons can become inflamed for a variety of reasons: mostly from overuse, but also from a blunt blow, infection, or tendon tears. The pain also prevents the correct appearance. In this case, the treatment must be carried out by a veterinarian. This is often very tedious.

Cruciate Ligament Tear

A cruciate ligament tear is one of the most common causes of limping in one of the hind legs. The cruciate ligament rarely tears suddenly due to a wrong movement. It is usually a chronic degenerative disease in which the structure of the ligament changes over time until it tears. The affected leg can usually only be stabilized in the course of an operation.

Patellar Dislocation

Patella luxation is either genetic or caused by an accident. Inherited it occurs mainly in very small dog breeds. The patella (kneecap) is part of the knee joint. When the patella is dislocated, the kneecap jumps out of its guide groove. As a result, the dog pulls up the affected leg and then puts the weight back on it once the kneecap has snapped back into place. Sometimes the kneecap is also permanently located next to the roller crest. A luxating patella should be treated surgically.

Arthrosis

This is a chronic, i.e. slowly progressing joint change in which bone builds up and the cartilage breaks down due to incorrect loading. This is usually due to inflammation (arthritis) and improper stress, e.g. due to being overweight. Osteoarthritis must always be treated with medication.

Bone Cancer (Osteosarcoma) But Also Other Types Of Tumors

Osteosarcoma is a malignant and painful tumor that often grows in the upper arm where I think it is the main location of mostly large dogs and causes your dog to limp. Whether bone cancer is actually the cause of your dog’s limping cannot be recognized right away. X-rays or CT scans and sometimes a biopsy are necessary here.

There are a variety of reasons why your dog is limping. We have listed the most common reasons for you here. Please note that the list is not complete! Only your veterinarian can make a diagnosis, the most common cause of limping is an acute injury.