My dog limps and growls when I touch his leg. Does he need a vet?

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 :-)

He needs to be examined by a vet to determine the extent of the injury. Your vet can take an x-ray to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. He may need a splint, rest, and an anti-inflammatory to treat. It is impossible to know the best way to treat without an x-ray.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Limping is a sign of pain. It sounds as though it is likely a strain or a sprain. The best thing to do it limit his activity because continued use will not allow a strain or sprain to heal. So no running, jumping, no stairs or jumping on/off the furniture and leash walks only for at least 7 days. If the limp doesn't improve with in those 7 days Shadow should be seen by a Vet or sooner if it worsens. It is not wrong to have Shadow seen sooner than later as well. Do not give any human pain medications, dogs do not metabolize drugs like people do and they may interfere with medications your Vet may want to prescribe. I hope this helps and I wish Shadow a speedy recovery!

It sounds like the lameness get worse and now it got to a point of non weight bearing, so in this case I would recommend to take him to a vet. The vet will examine him, asses the lameness as well as probably give him pain relief and joint supplement. The vet may want to consider to run some diagnostics if indicated from the physical examination. Good Luck

It sounds like he needs to be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have an infection (Lyme disease, etc.), immune mediated polyarthritis, panosteitis , etc. Your vet can run lab-work and take an x-ray to help diagnose. You could try to find a mobile vet to come to your house or call your vet and see if he/she could prescribe a sedative to make the visit easier. You definitely want to make the experience positive to try and change his aggressive behavior. He will need medical care throughout his life and it makes it very difficult for both the dog and vet. Hope he feels better soon and the visit goes smoothly!

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.

We don't typically wrap legs in dogs who are limping unless we know the cause. It would be important to localize the pain to help determine if it is a soft tissue injury, a torn ligament, or a broken bone. A good physical exam and radiographs can really help determine how to treat Tallulah. Make an appointment with your regular veterinarian soon to help figure it out.