My puppy won't jump and struggles with his hind legs. What's wrong?

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Baby! I am assuming Baby is limping? Causes of limping really depends on whether it is a front or hind leg. It could be just a strain or sprain but it could also be Lyme disease, ACL tear and many other things. If he is acting lethargic and not eating he should see a Vet today. If he is otherwise fine then rest him and see how he is by Monday. If by Monday he is still limping then he should be seen by your Vet. I do not recommend giving Baby any human medications. I hope this helps and I wish Baby the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Nico! He is adorable!! If Nico has been limping with out improvement for the last 2-3 days I would have him examined by your Vet. Limping indicates pain even if you can't localize it. Hopefully it is just a sprain or a strain but it could be a chip fracture or a growth plate fracture since Niko is so young. You Vet may want to take 1-2 X-rays of the area they find pain in. Hopefully Nico will only require rest and anti-inflammatory medications. Do not give Nico any human OTC medications, He is very young and dogs do not metabolize human drugs like we do and they have a narrow margin of safety in dogs. It will also mask his pain for the vet and will interfere with medications they may want to prescribe. I hope this helps and I wish Nico a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they are not concerned about a broken bone, it may be a good idea to give Ben some time to rest up to see if this is just a soft tissue injury of some sort. I would give him a few days to a week on the medications and complete rest limiting his activity to see if he improves on his own. If no improvement is seen by then or he worsens in the meantime, have him reevaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center to address your concern. Based on your description, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her and also have x-rays taken of her legs / hips and see if there are any developmental abnormalities. Just the other day, I had a 6 month old dog with such severe hip dysplasia, one hip was dislocated and the other was on the verge due to the severe dysplastic nature of the hip joints. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ben. He sounds painful with his struggling to move and crying. He could have arthritis, back pain or a muscle strain. If he was particularly playful yesterday or this morning, he may have over done it and be sore now. Back pain is more common in small breed dogs. It is demonstrated by a reluctance to do stairs, jump on furniture or even the inability to properly use a limb. Arthritis tends to be more common in larger dogs. It is usually a gradual slowing down or stiffness, but can be exeracerbated by hard play. Ben will need to see his veterinarian to determine the source of his pain. In the meantime, keep him quiet and do not give any over-the-counter pain medications. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Dexter! Since it has been going on for 3 weeks already I think it is time to have him seen by your Vet. Common causes of hing leg lameness are: hip dysplasia, cruciate (ACL tears), Lyme or other tick borne disease, immune polyarthropathy, HOD, panoseitis, or simply a strain or a sprain. If you haven't strictly rested him (leash walks, no running or jumping) for a week you can try that first. But if he is still having problems he should be seen. I hope this helps and I wish Dexter the very best!

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!