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My dog limps on back leg, worse in cold. Should I see a vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 4 years and 10 months old | 56 lbs

Hello, I am trying to figure out if it is necessary to take my dog in. I have a four yr old pit/lab mix female dog. For the past few days she has been limping a bit, avoiding to put body weight on her back left leg. The problem is that sometimes she limps and other times she runs just fine on all four legs, Would you recommend I take her in for an x-ray or should I just wait on it? Because it seems like her limping is more obvious when the temperature drops for example at the night time...

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 19th, 2017

Great question! I would definitely take her into the vet for an x-ray since Moka has been limping for the past few days. The leg is obviously bothering her, or else she wouldn't limp at all. Keep in mind as well that limping is a sign of pain, and you don't want her to be in pain any longer. It could be that she has arthritis, which would get worse when the temperature drops at night, or it could be something more serious like a torn ligament in her knee. I would have her seen by a vet tomorrow if possible. I hope this helps :-)

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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