Why does my senior Golden's front leg limp and get puffy in morning?

In an old dog, my primary suspicion is that he is suffering from arthritis. It is quite common for old dogs to get varying degrees of arthritis. This can be helped with medication and some physical therapy. In order to get the best treatment you would have to take Jack to a veterinarian. The veterinarian will ensure that Jack doesn't have any other injuries or conditions causing him to limp. Considering he seems to have a significant decrease in activity, it's best to take him to the vet within the next day or two. Decreased activity can also indicate other, more serious problems like heart disease or anemia, so it's best to get him evaluated by a vet as soon as possible to ensure it's nothing serious. I hope that helps and Jack gets better soon.

The next step will be to have several x-ray done to evaluate potential injuries and conditions in the spine, hips and knees. i would recommend asking your vet to send the xrays to a radiology specialist for second opinion as well. according to the result your vet will need to explain a treatment plan, it might be medications or surgery.

One of the most common reasons we will see a dog limp after they get up from resting is arthrits in a joint. Since Maggie is 9 years old, that is certainly a possibility. A complete cruciate tear will result in an unstable joint and will have lameness that occurs at a walk or run, but a partial cruciate tear is not unstable and can result in a lameness that is worse after resting. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Maggie to see what they find on exam, then see what their recommendation is for treatment. A joint supplement may be enough for Maggie or she may need a prescription medication. It really depends on her examination. I am including more information about treatment for arthritis below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

At his age and size, arthritis is almost certainly a factor. However he could also have a neurologic issue contributing to the walking changes you're seeing. I would recommend a vet visit for a general exam, to make sure more testing of Joe's neurologic system isn't needed, and then to get started on some antiinflammatory and pain medications to get him more comfortable moving around. It's also important to make sure Joe is an ideal weight (if he's not, decrease his food by 10% every month or two until he is) because that helps a lot with arthritis in big dogs as well. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Causes of a front leg lameness could be: arthritis, a strain or sprain that needs more time, Lyme disease, neck injury and pinched nerve, peripheral nerve sheath tumor, bone tumor, bursitis/tendinitis. I think having Mya examined is a good idea since it’s been waxing and waning for a few months. Your Vet may want to check her for Lyme or take X-rays. She may just need a few weeks of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and rest. I hope this helps and I wish Mya a speedy recovery!

Her reduced activity level may be due to the lameness or arthritis pain. I recommend a veterinary exam for the lameness. They will feel her neck shoulder and the rest of the leg to determine the cause. They may also do X-rays to look for bone and joint problems. If they think Ruby is painful they can prescribe pain medication. I don't like older dogs to get too lazy and not exercise since they can gain weight and lose muscle mass which makes the lameness worse. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ruby.

It sounds like the lameness get worse and now it got to a point of non weight bearing, so in this case I would recommend to take him to a vet. The vet will examine him, asses the lameness as well as probably give him pain relief and joint supplement. The vet may want to consider to run some diagnostics if indicated from the physical examination. Good Luck