My Labrador is limping. What's causing it and how can I help?

Limping can be an indication of pain, so please make an appointment to have Midnight seen by a veterinarian. Causes of the limping could be trauma, a muscular or nerve injury, a fractured bone, an injured or overgrown toenail, a tumour/mass, or a foreign body imbedded in the paw or leg. Some infectious diseases such as Lyme disease and joint diseases such as arthritis or joint infection can cause limping as well. . Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to your pup without consulting with your vet.

Could it be that Remy has a luxating patella? This is when the kneecap pops out of place, and that leads to limping. Massaging it may push the kneecap back into place. While this condition can be common in toy and small breed dogs, you can see it in Labs due to their bow shaped legs. Have him checked out by a vet for this problem.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Rocky's limp can be caused by many conditions including trauma, certain infections which target the joints, an issue with the ligaments (for example, a ligament tear, similar to ACL tear in humans) and arthritis, which is very common in older dogs. I recommend having him seen by a vet to determine the cause of the limp and begin the appropriate treatment. The limp can improve with weightloss if Rocky is overweight and glucosamine chrondroitin supplements if caused by arthritis. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Being overweight will not help Aarfaa, as it puts extra strain on her joints. She could have a problem with her hips or with her cruciate ligaments causing the limping. Because this has been going on for a few months, she needs to see a vet. I would take her into one first thing in the morning. The vet can diagnose what is causing her pain, and can treat her. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Lameness can be caused by a number of things. Unfortunately, in this breed, ACL injuries are common and are typically due to degenerative changes with the ligament (if this is a back leg lameness). Also, if this is an ACL injury, there is a > 50% chance that the opposite leg will be affected by the same problem down the road. On the examination with the veterinarian, they will check her knee joint and see if there is an instability called a cranial drawer or a tibial thrust. Both of these manipulations help confirm the suspicion of an ACL injury. Most of the time, an ACL injury requires surgical correction to fix. This can be discussed further with your veterinarian once diagnosed. This may not be an ACL injury and may be osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia causing discomfort. I would recommend x-rays of the affected leg. If this is a front leg, there are other possibilities such as arthritis, a bone fracture, infection, ligament injury, elbow dysplasia, etc. I would definitely get Bliss on a joint supplement along with omega 3 fish oil. I typically recommend Dasuquin and Welactin for supplements, which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

I see that Lexi is Lab, which is considered a large breed dog. Large breed puppies can be prone to a condition called hypertrophic osteodystrophy, which is an inflammation of the long bones. It will cause intermittent lameness, and this could be the cause of Lexi's current lameness. I would take her into the vet on Monday for an exam. The vet can do x-rays to confirm if she does have hypertrophic osteodystrophy or not. There is no cure for it, but most puppies recover on their own after a couple of episodes. In the meantime, take Lexi out on a leash only, no running or jumping, and keep her as quiet as possible.

Oh no, poor Sky! It sounds like he is in a lot of pain. He may have injured his leg on the stairs somehow. Labs are prone to hip and knee injuries so this could be why he's limping. Unfortunately there are no safe medications you can give at home for pain so Sky really needs to see a veterinarian. If he is crying in pain and not using the leg I really think you should go as soon as possible. A veterinarian can decide if he needs X-rays to make sure he doesn't have a broken bone. They can also dispense safe pain medication to get Sky feeling better. Until you can get to a vet make sure to keep Sky rested so he doesn't injury anything further. But again, it sounds like Sky really needs to see a veterinarian right away. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Sky is feeling better soon!