My dog with Lyme can't walk on her back leg. What should I do now?

Poor Maggie. I'm wondering if she injured herself running outside. You can wait until Monday to have her seen. Until then, rest her. No running, jumping, or playing. Take her out to toilet on a leash, and bring hr right back in when she's done. Take her into the vet first thing Monday. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. She may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give her any human pain medications, as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Loki. I recommend that she sees an emergency veterinarian today if possible. If not, then she must be seen first thing in the morning. While the swelling is not common, it may be due a complication of Lyme disease knowns as vasculitis. Blood vessels can become leaky due to inflammation and cause swelling of the limbs. Continue her medications as directed. Encourage her to eat and drink normally. I hope this information helps!

The answer is a bit complicated. Yes, I would be concerned about tick diseases, however the test may or may not show a positive even if he did get infected with lyme disease because it takes about 4 weeks for antibodies to be high enough for the test to detect them. Furthermore, he could have been exposed to lyme disease, but have a different issue causing the signs you're seeing. So, it's definitely a judgement call -- and if your funds are more flexible testing again may give you interesting information, but if your funds are more limited, it may make more sense to just treat for tick diseases with an antibiotic like doxycycline. Of course, your vet may see something on the physical exam or general blood work or x-rays that makes them concerned about something else more than tick disease, in which case pursuing that makes sense. I know that's not horribly helpful, but hopefully it gives you some context to think about.

I think resting her is a good idea, don't let Lucy jump on and off anything, no running, take her out to toilet on a lead only and bring her right back in when she's done. If you have a crate, I would confine her in that for the night. Then if she is still non-weight bearing and in pain in the morning (including limping), I would take her into the vet in the morning.

Well as long as she isn't painful then a vet visit can be scheduled when you get back if she is still having problems. It may not be enough time to get her seen before you go on vacation. And she may just have a muscle sprain, in which case it will improve and resolve on its own within a few days to a few weeks. There are no safe over the counter pain mess to give pets so I would not recommend that. However you can do a warm compress on the painful areas twice daily for 5-10 minutes and do light massage of her leg daily. Have whoever is watching her to monitor her closely and have her on strict limited activity and leash walk her only when she goes outside. I hope Lily has a full and speedy recovery. Best wishes and take care.

Poor Ruby! I would make sure the vet knows that she recently has suspected lymes disease to ensure she is on the proper medicine. I would also talk to your vet about running a lyme titer to see if she has an active infection. If not, she may need to be on a different antibiotic to treat other possible diagnoses. I hope this helps!

Poor Layla! If she is still limping I would make an appointment to have her seen by your vet. She may have injured her nail(s) as you described, or she may even have some soft tissue swelling/ irritation or a fracture. If there is a stick/ splinter/ other foreign object in her paw the vet can help remove it and treat it to help prevent infection. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to Layla without consulting with your vet. I recommend keeping her in a crate or in a room where she can't run/ jump on anything and only taking her out for very short bathroom breaks until she is no longer limping. Make sure she's on a leash so she can't run and make things worse.