My Shorkie-Zu limps intermittently; X-rays are clear. What's wrong?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lucy. I am sorry to hear about her recent troubles. How frustrating! There is a muscle known as the iliospoas that wraps around from the lower back to the pelvis. If this muscle is strained, it is extremely painful. This can be detected on a physical exam, but would not show up on an x-ray. Other problems can be related the spine itself such as disc disease. The most common cause of rear limb lameness is a torn cruciate ligament in the knee. Has she had stifle x-rays? More rare conditions are autoimmune joint disease or a tick borne infection. Both of these are typically accompanied by a fever. You may consider a referral to see an orthopedic specialist if you are having trouble reaching a diagnosis. I hope this information helps!

It looks to me like Chelsea might have carpal valgus, or a deviation of her foot to the side below her wrist joint, on the left side. I suppose it's also possible that she has some kind of muscle contracture if she has an unusual way of walking. You may want to look into scheduling an appointment with an orthopedic specialist in your area - they may be able to give a firm diagnosis and talk about medications or supplements like glucosamine that might help.

Two things come to my mind when I hear about rear legs giving way suddenly. I will address both separately. 1) Luxating patellas. This is a fancy name for loose knee caps. The groove the knee cap sits in is often shallow with smaller breed dogs, especially with the Yorkie or Maltese. The knee cap can slip in and out of place on its own quite readily in some dogs. It typically is not painful but can develop arthritis with time and this causes more irritation. What typically happens is the dog goes to step on the leg, the knee cap is not in place and they cannot place weight normally. Sometimes they do not place any weight on it, almost like a little skip, or they hold the leg up. The knee cap typically goes back into place on it's own or the dog kicks backwards and this puts it back into place. The arthritis can be managed with joint supplements or anti-inflammatories but typically the knee cap problem can only be fixed surgically and is only warranted in pets with severe trouble. 2) Bone injury -- without a known trauma, such as a fall or being hit by a car, a fracture is less likely. This causes the area to weaken and can suddenly become painful. It may not break but can be difficult to walk on. If this was the case, I would expect your dog to be painful if that area of his leg is touched. If you feel up and down his leg with pressure, does he seem painful? Do you feel any areas that are swollen?

I’m wondering if Dayzee may have a soft tissue or ligament injury since x-rays look normal. I’d recommend rechecking with your veterinarian if it has been a few weeks since she was last seen, or asking about referral to an orthopedic specialist.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they are not concerned about a broken bone, it may be a good idea to give Ben some time to rest up to see if this is just a soft tissue injury of some sort. I would give him a few days to a week on the medications and complete rest limiting his activity to see if he improves on his own. If no improvement is seen by then or he worsens in the meantime, have him reevaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

If the radiographs were not remarkable, the pain Hugo is experiencing is likely from soft tissue and / or nerve pain. True ligamentous or tendinous ruptures do not often occur in the forelimb in the dog, though it is possible. Advanced imaging or scoping would be needed to confirm a diagnosis. We tend to see these issues in the hind end most often particularly in larger breed dogs like GSDs. The best things you can do for Hugo right now are the following: -Most important thing: he needs to rest his leg; that means no going outside unless on a leash, and even with leash, only to do his business. Should limit use of the leg as much as possible over the next 5 to 7 days. This will be difficult with GSD puppy but it is needed. If your veterinarian did not discuss the possibility of using a small sedative over the course of the next week, you might bring it up should it become too difficult to keep Hugo down. -Give any prescribed medications from your veterinarian as directed. If you walked into my office, I would have prescribed an anti-inflammatory and some pain medication. Hopefully your vet did the same. If he did not and Hugo is still experiencing discomfort you should call and request meds. Hope this makes sense. Consult with me if you have further concerns.

Without examining Rolo, it is difficult to determine the exact causing of his limping. However, since you report that this limping has occurred in the past and resolved without intervention after a few hours, my main suspicion is that he may have a luxating patella. This condition is essentially a "loose" kneecap that can pop in and out of position. In most pets, the patella moves back into position without intervention, but in more severe cases, surgical intervention can be required to keep the patella in position. Other possible causes of Rolo's limping include acute soft tissue injury or fractures. Since Rolo has been experiencing a worsening lameness for several days, he should be examined by his vet and may need to have x-rays taken.