Dog has started limping

[Excitedannie]

20 month old cocker spaniel has just started limping - it's not all the time but she starts walking and then limps. I've tried moving the foot, leg and hip and she doesn't complain, and I've just seen her scratch her ear with that leg. Still limping though! I haven't taken her out for a walk today as I'm so worried that it will cause damage, and she's acting like I'm the worst owner in the world! Help!

Thorn or grass seed etc. in paw somewhere ?
insect bite ?

otherwise film it on your phone, and visit vet.

Thanks, I'm going to wait for my daughter to come home so I can have a really good look.

Sometimes dogs just limp for attention or to be dramatic - my first cocker did it masterfully and I spent a small fortune constantly rushing the twit to the vets.

If she’s happy in herself and not in pain, I wouldn’t worry too much tbh.

If it's nothing obvious you need to ask a vet

My lab started limping at around 1 due to hip dyspalsia. She’s 3 now with arthritis in both hips. If you can’t see anything causing it and it doesn’t improve I would get her checked out

Vet asap, not fair on the dog he might be in pain 😢

I'm dubious about this to be honest. The vast vast majority of animals who are lame are experiencing pain. Dogs do not have another way to tell is that there is a problem (crying or whimpering is NOT typical in cases of ongoing joint or limb pain). Lame animals of any species should not be ignored just in case they are "making it up".

OP, any lameness that fails to resolve with 2 or 3 days of rest should be examined by a professional.

And, for the benefit of others reading, in the case of non-weight bearing lameness, or visible swelling in any region, you should seek veterinary help within 24 hours.

Surely this needs a trip to the vet? There's no way random people on the internet can diagnose the problem without seeing the dog.

Could be a torn ligament, I hope you have insurance.
Ensure dog stays off the leg as much as possible and don’t walk the dog until you can get to the vet.

Also, to add, my dog has had a number of episodes of limping over the years. Causes have included sore/itchy feet from an allergic reaction, cut paw, and, most recently, hip dysplasia.

I would just rest it for a few days and see how she goes - I certainly wouldn't rush off to the vets every time a dog has a slight limp.

Out of interest…are you a vet?

I clearly said no need to rush to a vet. I never said it shouldn’t be checked.

I am. And I'm sure you meant no harm, but I see pets on a regular basis whose owners don't equate (even long term) limping with the pain that it represents. Not through bad intent, but just lack of knowledge. I just don't want to see that perpetuated on the internet.

For both vets and owners it is very much our responsibility to assume pain until proven otherwise.

We’ll have to agree to disagree because of all the vets I know, not a single one advocates for bringing in a dog that has a limp for at least 72 hours. They don’t want to waste their clients money on a consultation that probably isn’t needed in 90+% of cases…

In my experience, most minor limps resolve themselves at home in about 48 hours or so. There's no need to panic or rush to the vets unless she shows signs of pain or stops bearing weight.

Obviously if it gets worse or doesn't improve then get it checked out, but for a minor limp with no obvious pain, I suspect the vet will just tell you to rest it at home and maybe give you some metacam.

My beagle is six now and has developed all sorts of minor limps over the years. They've all resolved themselves with a couple of days of lead walks. He's also been to known to refuse to weight bear if he has grass or mud stuck to his foot 😂

I go to the vets if a dog limps for longer than about a day tbh, a limp means something is sore and even if it’s something minor, all pain medication is prescription only.

Nails damaged? Nail chipped off?

Thanks for all the advice. It's a bit more sporadic now so I'm hoping that it means it's getting a bit better and she went up on her back legs when the doorbell rang with no obvious sign of pain so hopefully that's all good. I'm not letting her jump on:off the sofa anymore - it's worried me for a while that it's not good for her bug everyone tells me to stop fussing!

If she's already improving I would give her a couple of "rest days" at home - lead walks and no leaping around the house if possible and see how she goes.

They do like to worry us. I remember my dog limping quite badly (but intermittently) for a couple of days and I took him to the vets where of course he proceeded to walk around like absolutely nothing was wrong 🙄😂

Haha yes - I took her last year as she was lethargic and really out of character and I'm a bit of a worrier - she bounded into the vets as lively as she's ever been!!!

That'll be £180 please 😂😂

I wish they'd understand that we're trying to help - she's currently looking at me like she hates me

I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine in a couple of days! All the young spaniels I know tear around like absolute idiots - I'm surprised they're not in the vets every week sometimes 😂

Just by way of an update, she seems much better today - I've restricted her to jumping up on the sofa and doing stairs, and there was no sign of a limp so we did an on lead walk round the field and she was fine. I've seen her limp once this afternoon but she's now using that leg to scratch the hell out of her ear so there can't be much wrong (hopefully!). I'll have another loop at toes and pads shortly as she does keep licking it

I have a cocker spaniel who has had various limps over the years. She is nearly 12 and the worst was when she damaged her cruciate ligament in one knee. Thankfully it didn't rupture and she just had to rest and take Metacam, but I knew she was bad just watching her try to go to the loo and hid herself under a shrub in the garden in the rain😢

She has had others where she's had a bit of a limp and stood with her paw held up but has managed to jump on the sofa. We judge how to treat her depending on how she is presenting, but this has been learnt by us over several years by reading her body language. If it's particularly bad she doesn't stretch properly, or at all, or just does her front or back half.

Most of the time we have done a few days rest with no walks, just out into the garden for toileting then short lead walks up and down the road to a nearby field (10 mins max). We carry her upstairs at bedtime and have now made a cushion for her to get up and down off our bed a bit easier. Mainly for me when I had a recent abdominal surgery but we will be keeping in place.

The cruciate was a vet visit who first thought it was arthritis but after an X-ray they said it was her cruciate.
A recent one was a limp which then ended a few days later with bloody footprints all over the downstairs! This was a Saturday and the vets were closed and as she seemed ok in herself I just phoned the vets first thing Monday and didn't feed her in case she needed sedating. Vet couldn't see anything wrong apart from a bit of a swollen digit.

Basically, if she is off her food, shaking or screaming in pain or something looks odd then I'll call the vets but if she is just looking a bit sore then rest and no walks. It usually rights itself in a day or so. I do wish vets could let us have pain meds like we can have paracetamol or ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet just to help them get some rest and get better quicker.

I'm glad yours is feeling a bit better. The licking might mean she has something in her foot and if she has hurt her nail bed or cracked her nail you need to cover her foot to stop her licking it. The saliva can cause an infection (something I read about when we had the blood incident).

Thank you for your lovely replies! Well I couldn't stop worrying so I popped her to the vet this morning. She's thoroughly checked her over and her paw because she won't stop licking it, and she can't see anything obvious but wonders if it might be patella luxation (low grade). She's sent me home with some pain relief and she's on short lead walks and to check back in in a week

With a cocker spaniel I’d be concerned about luxating patellar. This often shows has intermittent. It does degenerate but can respond well to early intervention.

Dogs absolutely do not limp for attention. They very often don’t show pain until it becomes critical. I’ve seen dogs try to run on broken legs.