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My dog is limping and pulls paw away, but I see no injury. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 4 years and 1 month old | 45 lbs

My dog woke up this morning limping. I checked over his whole leg and he pulled away when I got to his paw. I looked over his paw thouroghly and didn't find anything wrong.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on February 6th, 2018

I'm so sorry that you are having this problem with Frankie. It can actually be quite difficult to determine where a dog is painful when they are limping because many dogs are very stoic and do not show pain well. Often dogs dislike their feet being handled and may pull away for that reason instead of pain, so it is possible that Frankie has an injury somewhere other than his foot since you did not see anything in his paw. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Frankie to see if they can find the source of the pain and determine what is causing the problem. I would not recommend giving Frankie any pain medication at home because some over the counter pain medications are toxic to dogs and some will interact with prescription medications that your vet may want to prescribe.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Frankie feels better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 17th, 2018
Frankie could have a soft tissue injury to his paw or elsewhere on his leg. He could also have a wound on the bottom of his paw, something stuck in his paw or even a toenail injury. If he continues to limp I would recommend having your vet examine him. Even though it seems like nothing is broken they may still recommend x-rays.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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