My dog's hind leg is sore, and he won't stand. What could be wrong?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a neurologic condition such as a herniated disc. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this and treat him accordingly. Best of luck!

Unfortunately, if Milo is non -weight bearing on a hind limb, there is a chance that he has a full or partial tear of a cruciate ligament. Bringing Milo to your vet or veterinary ER ASAP is recommended to have a full orthopedic examination performed (possibly sedated) to determine if there is a cruciate tear and may require surgery. Activity restriction, pain medication such as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and a natural anti-inflammatory such as VetriScience Mobility Flex or Dasuquin would likely be recommended by your vet even if he/she determines it to be a soft tissue injury such as a sprain. Good luck!

Hello, thank you for your question about Bentley. Based on the weakness and symptoms that you are describing it is possible that Bentley may be experiencing some mild pain from arthritis or could have strained a muscle/tendon. It is also possible that Bentley's back could be sore as this usually leads to signs of weakness in the hind limbs; however, this type of injury is much more common in smaller breed dogs. If Bentley's signs are more mild and he is otherwise acting ok I would recommend continuing to monitor him for the next 24-48 hours. If this weakness or soreness do not go away I would recommend having him seen by your veterinarian so that they can perform an examination and look for any sources of pain. They can then discuss the need for pain/anti-inflammatory medications if warranted. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Buddy's condition can be due to many things, and I'm sorry that he is in pain. His pain can be caused by many things, but to determine which are to blame, he needs to be examined by a veterinarian. You're right that trauma could cause this, however it is important to localize where the trauma is. A vet can do this by doing an orthopedic exam, which basically manipulates all the joints and bones to see if there is any disease. His pain can also be due to back issues, which would need X-rays to diagnose, or even arthritis. It is also important to rule out infectious (bacterial) causes of pain or any other underlying disease that Buddy may have. To keep him comfortable before he is seen by a vet, you can try to limit Buddy's activity - minimize his using the stairs, walking/running, and playing. I hope this is helpful!

This sounds like he’s in pain. It can be from arthritis, a knee ligament injury or pain from his back. Arthritis should show up on x rays, and he would be lame on one leg if it’s a cruciate ligament injury. Back pain can be caused by a bulging intervertebral disc and can me difficult to see on x rays. It can cause trouble walking with incoordination. Regardless I would try Tom on pain medication to see if that helps and keep him quiet. No running or jumping and lots of short slow leash walks. Once the pain is controlled he should eat better. If there is no improvement I recommend a rcheck or an exam with a veterinary specialist. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Tom.

This sounds like he has bad back or hip pain. He needs veterinary attention right away. They will prescribe pain medication and may do X-rays to determine if he has hip or spinal arthritis. With treatment he should improve if he was fine before. Sometimes back or arthritis pain is worse after a lot of activity, or from being confined and not being able to move around. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Alfa.

Thanks for using PetCoach! I'm sorry to hear about Xena. So if the position you describe (with the hurt leg extended) is when she is SITTING, I am most suspicious of a torn ACL. This is especially suspicious if she will walk on 3 legs but not the injured leg. Staffies between the ages of 1 and 5 are textbook for that particular injury. If it is when she is standing, that would be an odd way to carry herself and not typical of the usual injuries. (And I would see your vet). Finally, with this information, I cannot rule out a back injury or disk problem - more likely if she truly cannot stand, even if you help her up and put her back legs under her. You don't list Xena's age but as I mentioned before, if she is young, some sort of soft tissue injury is more likely. If she is older, an arthritis flare up or other problem may be more likely. Long story short, I recommend getting her in as soon as possible for evaluation and some safe pain medication. We as veterinarians have so many wonderful pain medications that are safe for long term or occasional use. As such, I would strongly recommend heading to your vet and NOT giving over the counter pain medication (it is not as effective and can interfere with what we would ideally prescribe). If you are unable/unwilling to go to the vet, probably the “least bad” choice would be aspirin. Be sure to use a product labeled for dogs and use the dosing on the bottle. See the link below for more information about the safe use of aspirin. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/aspirin/ Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Xena!