My senior dog is limping and struggling with stairs. What to do?

I am sorry Baby Bear hurt himself. It depends on what is causing him to limp. I would recommend a veterinarian to pin point where the pain is and see exactly what he did. It could be anything from stopping on something with his paw, a sprain or even a ligament tear. The veterinarian can give medication to Baby Bear that will help with inflammation and pain. Depending on where the pain is located too they may recommend radiographs. Until you can get him to a veterinarian I recommend resting him so he does not injury himself further. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Luna! Because she is 8 or 9, my first thought is that she may be suffering from arthritis. That would cause her pain, and from your description, it sounds like she is painful. It could also be that she injured herself. Arthritis is common in older dogs. I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose if she is suffering from arthritis, and can give her some pain meds for it. Rimadyl (an NSAID) is a good drug to give to help with the symptoms of arthritis. I also recommend giving her glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate supplements. They provide the necessary nutrients for cartilage repair and function. Use of them helps relieve some of the symptoms of arthritis, and you can use it in conjunction with Rimadyl to help maximize relief from her symptoms. Give her vet a call today to make an appointment. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bruno! Possible causes of Bruno's limp are: strain or a sprain from being stepped on, if he is older it could have aggravated arthritis, a toe or a bone could be broken, or it could be something unrelated like Lyme disease. Since Bruno can hardly walk on the leg that indicates pain. I recommend having Bruno seen by your Vet for an exam. If there is concern for the paw then they may want to take X-rays, otherwise they may just prescribe anti-inflammatories and rest. I hope this helps and I wish Bruno a speedy recovery!

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.

If this has been ongoing a while, or happened after jumping off a tall item such as a couch, I would bring her to the vet. They can check for issues such as sprains, ligament tears, sore joints (arthritis) etc that could be causing the limp, and provide medications or joint supplements as needed. Limiting her activity and preventing jumping by providing pet ramps or stairs can also help reduce further injury.

Hi and thanks for posting! There are many causes of limping in dogs and while it is hard to say for certain what is going on specifically with Phoenix, I can offer a few possibilities and next steps. Ligament tears (such as an ACL tear), bone infection/inflammation, osteoarthritis, generative joint disease, bone cancers, or certain systemic infections such as lyme disease or blastomycosis could all be possible causes. I would recommend Phoenix have a good orthopedic exam done, some x-rays of the effected leg and perhaps testing for tick borne diseases such as lyme disease as a few good first steps. I hope this helps!

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.