Why is my dog still limping if X-rays show nothing wrong? What's next?

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Limping can be due to many reasons that go from relatively uncomplicated such as soft tissue injuries and osteoarthritis to more complicated and serious injuries such as fractures and even bone tumors. I highly recommend that you have Roxy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to localize her pain and decide what the next diagnostic step which will likely be radiographs. At the very least, they can start her on pain control medications. Good luck and have a good day!

Limping can be caused by several different problems - if x-rays didn't show a fracture, then it is likely that Bentley has some type of soft-tissue injury causing him to limp. One of the most common injuries like this that we see in dogs is a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) - this is the same ligament that human athletes sometimes injure, called the ACL in humans. This ligament is responsible for stabilizing the knee joint when the dog walks, so if it is torn it causes significant lameness that does not improve with rest and pain medication. Other possible causes of limping for over a month would be a torn muscle, or a torn tendon or ligament in another part of the leg. Unfortunately, these injuries will not show up on x-rays. If your veterinarian doesn't have any other suggestions for further testing (such as a sedated orthopedic exam to check joint stability), then I would recommend asking for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. Bentley may need an MRI or other advanced imaging to diagnose the problem.

I'm sorry to hear about Freddie Harte's limping. I am not seeing any obvious defects on this x-ray. The challenge is that the findings on exam are extremely important in trying to diagnose orthopedic issues; it would help to know if Freddie has proprioceptive deficits in his hind end, decreased range of motion, muscle atrophy, medial buttressing, etc as well as trying to localize any pain that may be contributing to his limping - all of this information would be combined with findings on x-ray to try to reach a diagnosis. Small dogs such as Shih Tzus are prone to luxating patellas, which may not always be evident on an x-ray but would be detected on exam. Did your vet discuss the option of referral to a specialist for a more concrete answer? I'm happy to give you my input on the x-ray - but referral to an orthopedic specialist who will be able to put their hands on your dog, as well as look at these x-rays, will give you much more beneficial input. I know its frustrating to have a chronically limping dog without an answer! I hope this helps!

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!

Hi. Thank you for writing in with a question. This off and on limping could be caused by several things ranging from a soft tissue injury to infection or repeated injuries. I don't know if you were in valley fever heavy areas, but if you are that is a possibility for an off-and-on lameness as well. I would recommend continuing rest and anti-inflammatories prescribed by your veterinarian until you can see the orthopedic specialist. The orthopedic specialist is the best Next Step. Good luck and I hope he feels better soon

Good Evening...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Luna is experience some trouble with her left front leg. Since the lameness seems to be reoccurring, I would recommend you bring her into a veterinarian for an examination. Young dogs can often experience many conditions that can cause lameness. These can range from conditions such as panosteitis (growing pains) to congenital conditions such as elbow dysplasia, or OCD lesion of either the shoulder or elbow. Certainly a soft tissue injury (muscle strain or sprain) may also be the culprit. Regardless, it may be nice to see if the veterinarian can determine her "pain point" and localize where her lameness is coming from. They will also be able to give you prescription medications that ma help to ease her discomfort. I hope this information helps, good luck and I hope Luna gets some relief soon! :-)