My Labrador is limping after a dog bite, walking tilted. What's wrong?

Poor Shadow! Since it sounds like the limping has been happening on and off for a while now, yes - I would definitely recommend taking him to the vet to have this checked. Your vet can do a thorough orthopedic exam to help determine what is causing the limp, and may also take x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem. Shadow may need pain medication or an anti-inflammatory to be used when he limps, or he could even need surgery to correct the problem depending on what is found.

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.

It is possible the fight may have caused muscle strains or stretched nerves, the pain and discomfort of which is often worse 24hours after a trauma. I recommend a recheck by your vet if this is persisting beyond 48hours, acupuncture and chiropractic care may also help

A tick borne disease seems likely, although depending on the antibiotic prescribed and length of treatment he may have already had appropriate treatment for most tick borne diseases. Immune mediated polyarthritis could also cause intermittent pain in multiple joints. I would recommend having your veterinarian recheck Tango when he is having trouble walking - some other tests to consider would be sending out a blood panel for less common tick borne diseases or obtaining samples of joint fluid for analaysis. Sometimes repeating x-rays can be helpful as well.

Appropriate wound care, pain relief medication and systemic antibiotic must be provided for this type of wound. The wound must be flushed and disinfected and possibly stitched up if required. I would strongly recommend an immediate check up at your local veterinarian.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tiger. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian today. If he is crying out and trying to bite, I suspect that he is very painful. He may require pain medication or even antibiotics depending on the extent of his wounds. In the meantime, try to encourage him to eat and drink as close to normal as possible. I hope you are able to get him care today. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Bite wounds are very dangerous, particularly, when a large dog with powerful jaws bites smaller dog. The main damage is under the skin, the extend of trauma cannot be appropriated by only looking at the punctures. What's is more bite wounds are painful and almost always get infected. Please, take Buddy to your local vets as soon as possible as he may be in serious trouble.