Why does my dog suddenly jump or act shocked, like his leg is hurting?

Thank you for posting a picture of Titan. He is adorable! You didn't mention his age, so I would presume that he is an adult. Puppies can have a different list of possibilities. In an adult dog with a sudden lameness after a fall, we worry about an injury to the hip joint, the knee joint (including the cruciate ligament), or the knee cap (patella) luxating most commonly. However, we can also see injuries to the back or pelvis, the bones of the legs, the ankle joint or the toes. Unfortunately, it could be any of those things and the only way to determine what is going on is to have your veterinarian examine Titan. Some injuries are just soft tissue and just require pain medication and rest, but some injuries are more severe. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Titan, then decide if anything else needs to be done. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Titan feels better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Charlie sounds like he is having an issue that comes and goes. The most common causes of lameness in his back legs at his age are a ligament tear, knee cap luxation (moves out of its normal groove), followed by a foreign object stuck in his paw. It is also possible that he simply strained a hip muscle. No matter the case, he needs to be evaluated by a vet to determine exactly which. He may just need a little rest and anti-inflammatory therapy, but a sedated exam and radiographs may be needed to rule out significant disease that could need surgery to fix. Do not give anything over the counter for his discomfort as those medications can be quite harmful to Charlie. Keep him from running around and playing too hard until you can get him in to be evaluated by a veterinarian. While I'd recommend having him seen as soon as you can, his condition should be okay to wait for a day or two if you can't get into your vet right away. However, if his pain is unbearable, you may want to take him to an emergency vet tonight. Hope this helps, and I hope Charlie gets to feeling better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Lameness can be an indication of an orthopedic condition. This can be due to conditions such as a soft tissue injury, ligament conditions, a fracture and even a tumor. For this reason, I recommend that you have Jo evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. A veterinarian should be able to perform an examination and localize where the pain is so that further diagnostics like radiographs can be performed. Treatment will be highly dependent on what is causing the lameness. At the very least your veterinarian can start Jo on pain control medications to provide comfort. In the meantime, keep Jo's activity level to a minimum avoiding any jumping, running or rough playing. I hope you find this information useful in helping Jo. Wishing Jo a speedy recovery!

At this age, she likely has some issues with her knees. In particular a condition called patellar luxation affects small breed dogs often and can cause temporary moments of discomfort. A physical exam by your vet can help diagnose the problem quickly. If she does have patellar luxation, joint supplements (i.e. Dasquin or Cosequin) and sometimes pain management through your vet can help provide some comfort for her. Only rarely do pets need surgery to correct patellar luxation. Here is more information on the disorder. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952566 Another possible cause is a congenital bone abnormality. Again, a physical exam with her vet can help locate the exact defect and painful area. I hope that your pet Dixie gets some relief soon. Best wishes and take care.

Poor Alfie! I see he's a toy breed dog, and they can be prone to a condition called a luxating patella. This is when the kneecap moves out of it's correct anatomical position, causing sudden lameness. It could also be that he strained a ligament or muscle. I recommend resting him for the next 48 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. Take him out to toilet on a lead only, and bring him right back in when he's done. If he still appears painful after this time, then I would take him into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. He may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can happen from many reasons that go all the way from a muscle sprain to even cancer. I recommend that you have TJ evaluated by your veterinarian for further tests and assessment. Your veterinarian would be able to localize the pain and proceed with radiographs for example to look for any possible changes that could help rule out or in some of these conditions. Treatment would be based on findings but at the very least, your veterinarian could start TJ on medications for pain to make him feel better. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Two things come to my mind when I hear about rear legs giving way suddenly. I will address both separately. 1) Luxating patellas. This is a fancy name for loose knee caps. The groove the knee cap sits in is often shallow with smaller breed dogs, especially with the Yorkie or Maltese. The knee cap can slip in and out of place on its own quite readily in some dogs. It typically is not painful but can develop arthritis with time and this causes more irritation. What typically happens is the dog goes to step on the leg, the knee cap is not in place and they cannot place weight normally. Sometimes they do not place any weight on it, almost like a little skip, or they hold the leg up. The knee cap typically goes back into place on it's own or the dog kicks backwards and this puts it back into place. The arthritis can be managed with joint supplements or anti-inflammatories but typically the knee cap problem can only be fixed surgically and is only warranted in pets with severe trouble. 2) Bone injury -- without a known trauma, such as a fall or being hit by a car, a fracture is less likely. This causes the area to weaken and can suddenly become painful. It may not break but can be difficult to walk on. If this was the case, I would expect your dog to be painful if that area of his leg is touched. If you feel up and down his leg with pressure, does he seem painful? Do you feel any areas that are swollen?