My dog's back leg is limping and he stretches it. What should I do?

I’m sorry to hear about Fluffy! Unfortunately, there are many reasons a dog might be limping including: sprain/strain, fracture, ligament tear (the ACL specifically), cancer, fungal disease, something stuck in the paw, or others. In general, if it’s been a week, it’s time to see the vet. He or she may offer X-rays if necessary and will prescribe appropriate pain medication for Fluffy. In the mean time for pain: Ice the leg/painful area for 5 minutes twice daily. If it seems to be the paw or the pawnis swollen, try mixing 1 tbsp Epsom salts in 1 cup warm water and stirring until dissolved. Put Fluffy’s hurt leg in that solution for 5-10 minutes twice daily. Try to put an hour between the icing and the warm epsom salt soaks. I do NOT recommend any over the counter pain medications for a dog this age. (Your vet can prescribe a safe one.) Best of luck to you and Fluffy!

Hi. Poor Moose. He most likely has a sprain or strain of a muscle, tendon, or ligament. This can happen if your dog stretches too far, too much, slips, falls, or jumps during normal play. Strains and sprains can be sudden, or older and worsening. They can range from mild to severe.  Dogs can overdo it, and these injuries are very common occurrences. The main treatment for these is to have your pet examined, xrays taken, and then yout veterinarian will most likely prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease inflammation.  REST will be the most important part of the healing process.  No running. No jumping, no crazy play for 4-6 weeks.  Your first step will be to rest him and th4n call your veterinarian in the morning.

Hello, sorry to hear about Bubba. Most soft tissue injuries, like in humans, will resolve on their own with rest. That is, no running, jumping, or rough housing for the next 10-14 days. Allow only leash walks as often as he needs to for elimination purposes. However, if his lameness is not improving, if he seems painful, then he should be seen by a veterinarian as he may need further evaluation to include a physical/orthopedic exam and x-rays. If these are pursued, than its likely that Bubba may then be prescribed anti-inflammatories and other pain medications to make him more comfortable. Common injuries to back legs of dogs are isolated to their knees and include ACL tear and luxation of their knee caps. Bubba will likely not improve with rest if he did injure these. If you think his injury is more significant than a muscle strain, then have him seen sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Aww poor guy. He may have a muscle sprain. You can apply a cold compress onto the areas that appear sore for 5-10 minute intervals twice a day for next few days. Also limit his activity, don't encourage active play, and leash walk him only outside. If this is just a muscle sprain then he should improve over the next 48-72 hrs. However keep in mind that he should be able to at least move the limb somewhat, there shouldn't be a significant amount of noticeable swelling, and it shouldn't appear to be dangling (possible fracture). These are all signs that you shouldn't wait and should take him in right away. I do not recommend giving him any over the counter human pain medication, because these are not safe for pets due to high risk of acute liver and kidney damage. If he is still limping after that time frame, or getting any worse, then it is best to have your vet take a look at him to make sure he doesn't have more serious internal injuries (ligament injury, hairline bone fracture, dislocation).

Limping is a sign of pain and if there legs are uneven then one may be swollen if there was trauma or an injury or one may be small from atrophy from not getting used as much. At that age it may be a soft tissue injury from playing and jumping or it may be a genetic or growth problem such as panostitis or hip dysplasia. The best thing to do for today is rest him and do not let him run and play to make it worse. He does need a check by your vet to evaluate for these problems to see what medicines you can get to help him

Hello, and thank you for your question. Meg is a beautiful girl! I would recommend resting her for the next 24 hours (no running, jumping, or rough housing). If her limping does not improve by then, then I would recommend taking her to the vet to rule out a possible sprain/strain, dislocation, or fracture. They may be able to detect this through physical exam alone, or with the help of x-rays as well. I hope this helps, and that Meg feels better soon!

Poor Dexter. I'm glad to hear he isn't painful when you manipulate and palpate his leg. He likely has a soft tissue injury like a sprain. These will usually heal on their own with rest. I would recommend to rest him for a couple of days and if he isn't improved by Monday or Tuesday then I would let your vet do an exam and potentially some X-rays to ensure there is nothing more serious going on. Also, they will be able to prescribe him some pain meds. I do not recommend to give him any human pain meds as these are usually toxic to dogs.