Dog limping from old injury. Vet can't find cause. What should I do?

If the radiographs were not remarkable, the pain Hugo is experiencing is likely from soft tissue and / or nerve pain. True ligamentous or tendinous ruptures do not often occur in the forelimb in the dog, though it is possible. Advanced imaging or scoping would be needed to confirm a diagnosis. We tend to see these issues in the hind end most often particularly in larger breed dogs like GSDs. The best things you can do for Hugo right now are the following: -Most important thing: he needs to rest his leg; that means no going outside unless on a leash, and even with leash, only to do his business. Should limit use of the leg as much as possible over the next 5 to 7 days. This will be difficult with GSD puppy but it is needed. If your veterinarian did not discuss the possibility of using a small sedative over the course of the next week, you might bring it up should it become too difficult to keep Hugo down. -Give any prescribed medications from your veterinarian as directed. If you walked into my office, I would have prescribed an anti-inflammatory and some pain medication. Hopefully your vet did the same. If he did not and Hugo is still experiencing discomfort you should call and request meds. Hope this makes sense. Consult with me if you have further concerns.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Levi definitely could have hurt himself while hunting - he could have caused some soft tissue damage (damage to the muscles or ligaments) or a fracture (broken bone). X-rays would be able to determine if a bone is broken or if there is damage to a joint. He is a little bit young to have arthritis, but it is still possible. It is definitely concerning that the carprofen did not help him, as it is a great pain reliever for dogs, especially for bone/joint pain. A few other things that could be going on are a tumor of the bone or a disease transmitted by a tick. Because Levi was hunting, it is very possible that he was bitten by a tick (he does not necessarily have to have a tick on him at the moment). Ticks can transmit many diseases, including Lyme disease, which can cause limping. A quick blood test could rule this out. In the meantime, I recommend keeping Levi as quiet as possible - definitely no hunting until the cause of his limp is diagnosed. I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear about Rambo. The lumps we see here make me concerned he could have hives, or an allergic reaction to something. We often treat this with diphenhydramine (an antihistamine) and a steroid, in addition to bathing in case a topical allergen was encountered. If they are not hives we would be worried about a skin tumor, but without seeing your dog and getting an in depth history that is difficult to determine. Limping can be from a wide variety of problems ranging from an injury to a toe nail, a torn ligament, a fracture, a tumor, tick borne disease, and more. I would recommend getting Rambo in to the vet to address these issues and determine what is causing them to better guide treatment.

It's hard for me to say what could be going on without examining Oskar and seeing the x-rays. My concern in a Rottweiler that has persistent limping despite anti-inflammatories would be osteosarcoma, a bone cancer. I would recommend discussing additional diagnostics with your vet, including repeat x-rays, and possibly a biopsy or CT scan.

He could have a sprain, ligament issue, infection (Lyme), inflammation, etc. If the limp continues than have him examined by a vet to determine the cause. Your vet can do an orthopedic exam and then take x-rays, if needed, to help diagnose. He may need to continue the Carprofen to help with any pain and inflammation.

In order to give the right medication you have to have a correct diagnosis. If your dog ruptured a cruciate ligament, medication will not cure this, but she will need surgery. If Roxy has arthritis then a special NSAID for dogs (never give NSAIDs for humans as they can cause irreversible liver and kidney damage to your dog) can be prescribed by your veterinarian. If she has an injury or infection , that would be addressed with antibiotics and pain medicine. Please take Roxy to your veterinarian for an exam. The vet may want to take x-rays tu rulle out fractures, bone cancer and other conditions visible on x-rays.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Odin. It is common for dog to be more sore after x-rays are taken. The patient needs to be placed in specific positions for the x-rays to be diagnostic. For example, the rear.legs are pulled very straight to take an x-ray of the pelvis. This can make the dog more sore afterwards due to the underlying lameness. Hopefully your veterinarian has prescribed pain medications for him. I would give them as directed. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!