Is my senior dog's recurring front leg limp arthritis or an injury?

Good Evening...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Luna is experience some trouble with her left front leg. Since the lameness seems to be reoccurring, I would recommend you bring her into a veterinarian for an examination. Young dogs can often experience many conditions that can cause lameness. These can range from conditions such as panosteitis (growing pains) to congenital conditions such as elbow dysplasia, or OCD lesion of either the shoulder or elbow. Certainly a soft tissue injury (muscle strain or sprain) may also be the culprit. Regardless, it may be nice to see if the veterinarian can determine her "pain point" and localize where her lameness is coming from. They will also be able to give you prescription medications that ma help to ease her discomfort. I hope this information helps, good luck and I hope Luna gets some relief soon! :-)

Arthritis is very likely, sometimes it is exacerbated by another injury. It could also be a ligament sprain or muscle strain. There is also the less likely possibility of a hairline fracture or something more sinister like a bone tumour.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Kaja! Limping is a sign of pain. Even if you can not locate the exact spot she likely hurts some where. Causes of a front leg lameness are: strain or sprain of the muscle, lyme disease, elbow dysplasia. OCD (cartilage abnormality in the shoulder most commonly), panosteitis, hypertrophic osterodystrophy, neck pain, a foreign body penetration in the pain, torn nail, or even a skin infection of the foot. I recommend since Kaja hasn't improved in 2 days that you see the Vet. Even if it is just a pulled muscle Kaja can be started on pain medication to help her feel better. I recommend strict rest, that means no running, jumping, stairs, playing with other dogs and leash walks only. I hope this helps and I wish Kaja a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would be looking into the possibility of this being something affecting the joints per se such as immune mediated polyarthritis or perhaps something like hypertrophic osteodystrophy given his young age. These are possible things your veterinarian can look into. Treatment of course would depend on findings. At the very least they can try pain control medications and anti-inflammatory drugs. Best of luck!

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that he has a fractured bone that is causing him discomfort and lameness. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend having x-rays taken of this leg to rule out any bone fractures as the cause. 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.

Dogs can limp for a variety of reasons including a soft tissue injury such as a sprain, infection, a fractured bone or damage to a ligament or tendon. In cases of a mild sprain or strain, reducing Monah's activity level for a few days should help her to heal. If the lameness is not improving, you notice any swelling or Monah seems lethargic you should have her seen by a veterinarian. They may recommend an xray to better determine what is causing the lameness.