Why is my dog limping for 2 months, especially after resting?

Hi! Thanks for entrusting us with Kali's care today! Lameness can be a sign of a few things that range from a muscle sprain to even a fracture. This is certainly possibly due to a lesion to his paw. Usually this is not treated at home as an examination and further diagnostics such as radiographs are needed to know what would be best to treat this. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian so that this can be further assessed which will likely include radiographs. Treatment will be dependent on findings though at the very least pain control medications can be prescribed. The one thing you can do at home is to try to restrict her activity as much as possible as that alone can help with recovery of minor soft tissue pain. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Poor Sage! Since Sage can't talk, only a physical exam will be able to determine the source of the lameness. It's also the only way to know if the nodes are related to the limping or if they are unrelated. Just like people, the pain/limping can be related to many causes including arthritis, a ligament tear, soft tissue injury or even a spinal issue. You may try strict rest for a few days (no walks, running, jumping or stairs). If Sage does not improve, have him examined by the veterinarian. He may need radiographs and the doctor will determine this based on the exam. A joint supplement for dogs and an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets may also help. I hope he starts feeling better quickly.

It can be so hard to get an active dog to rest an injury! Because this has been going on for a few months I think it would be a good idea for Abraham to see a veterinarian. Often active dogs will injure their ACLs or hips which can result in on and off lameness. Your veterinarian can assess Abraham's left hind leg and decide if pain medications or even X-rays are needed. Please remember there are no safe over the counter pain medications for dogs so your veterinarian will need to prescribe meds for Abraham. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and wishing for a speedy recovery for Abraham!

Hi! Thanks for entrusting us with Luna's care today! Poor girl! Lameness can be a sign of a few things that range from a muscle sprain to even a fracture. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian so that this can be further assessed which will likely include radiographs. Treatment will be dependent on findings though at the very least pain control medications can be prescribed. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

I’m not sure there’s much more you can know about the underlying cause of Prancer’s lameness without a radiograph to see the bone. Certainly all the things you mentioned would not help to heal any injury either. The first concern I have is related to the hard area on her hip for some type of mass or cancer. Hopefully it’s not that and it’s unrelated. The fall could have injured the hip/joint and certainly being dropped didn’t help that. She could also have ruptured her cruciate ligament. The fact that she is still lame after two months makes me worried about an injury to the bones or a ligament injury. A trip to the vet for a thorough palpation may give the answer and a radiograph (x-ray) may be needed to look at the bones. At home you are doing the right thing by resting her. Do not allow her jump, go for walks or even use stairs. She needs to be rested. If a fracture is present somewhere however, it needs to be completely immobile and may take 8 weeks to heal (although non union fractures can’t heal properly). There’s not much you can give her to heal bone injuries but omega 3 fatty acid supplements and adding in a joint supplement such as Dasuquin can help to naturally decrease any inflammation. I hope this helps and I hope you get things figured out quickly. Please feel free to post any additional questions you may have. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Muneca is limping. Based off the radiograph, it looks like her fibula, the smaller bone in her lower leg, may be fractured. It is difficult to know for sure without an orthogonal view, but that may be the reason for her limping. I recommend restricting her activity to cage rest and leash walks only, do not let her run or play for at least 4 weeks to allow time for the bone to heal. I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian who can perform bloodwork and see if it is safe to prescribe her anti-inflammatory pain medications to help her feel more comfortable. NEVER give human pain medications to dogs as they can be markedly toxic. I hope this is helpful!

It is difficult to say for sure, but by your description, it sounds like Nala may be in pain. I recommend having her checked out by a veterinarian as soon as possible either at an emergency clinic or by finding a veterinarian on call. Good luck.