dog limping

rodrigo · 07-12-2012, 02:50 AM

so i noticed i think tuesday night that samson had a slight limp, i took him to work today, ..... i didnt think much of the limp since it is very slight, ..... we got home a few hours ago.... he went to lay down on the floor...which he rarely does since he has 3 beds and 3 couches to choose from lol.... he got up and was limping extremely bad, .... i told my son for the next day he gets complete rest, and after a day or two if its not getting better ill take him to the vet.

any thoughts? (i checked his paws , all clear from anything or any unusual color or such), i hope he strained a muscle or twisted a joint and it will go away but i really have no idea

p.s. i believe its his front right leg

**ames** · 07-12-2012, 03:34 AM

If you move the leg does his whimper or pull it back from you moving it? If he does that usually indicates a break. If he lets you mess with it, its probably a sprain. I KNOW you are not going to like this but Crate rest when you are not around him, which will not be often I know

Keep him from the couch and bed or help him get up and down if you are unable to keep him off. Mel had this for 5 months because I didn't listen to my vet and have STRICT rest and he re injured it after he seemed fine for a week I would let him move around and play, and he would re0injure. It took me 3 months of NO FUN for it to heal properly. Poor samson, I hope he is OK man!

rodrigo · 07-12-2012, 04:28 AM

no no ....im listening loud and clear. i cant recall but like when he was young he limped and my breeder told me crate rest for a week and i did and went away, .... i do mess with the leg and doesnt seem to be in immediate pain....plus if hes active he doesnt limp but as soon as he rests i bet its swelling up and making him limp worse as soon as he gets up from a 30 min rest.

im def gonna cancel all activities, and he will be as if he was leashed to the bed lol

p.s. tonight was supposed to be our first night back walking 2 miles a night again and this happens..... maybe i was being tested to see if i would go on the walk alone....i did.

**ames** · 07-12-2012, 05:02 AM

I love your determination! Good for you for doing it. I'm sure you thought of your boy a lot of the time walking too

no fun at all except bones, kongs and stuff ya know? Mel was still pretty much leashed when I took him out in my yard too. He would get the zoomies because he had so much energy to burn but still couldn't let him. He was CRAZY sometimes lol that's when I bought all these puzzle games. They had instructions and said don't fill all the levels at first not to overwhelm the dog blah blah blah. Shoot i gave it to Mel and he spun that toy with his paw picked it upside down In his mouth and tapped the floor with it and made almost all of the treats fall out hahaha. Good luck with keeping your smartie pants entertained. It is not fun but you gotta do what you gotta do!

If Mel's paw seemed warm I would ice it. Not sure if it helped but I know with my foot aching ice helped when I had a sprain. He was not very thrilled could have been the pink scrunchie

rodrigo · 07-12-2012, 05:18 AM

what a cute pic.... i love his nose

**ames** · 07-12-2012, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodrigo

what a cute pic.... i love his nose

haha thanks

I tell people he is a pink nose... lmao

**Blue_Nose_Bella** · 07-12-2012, 09:32 AM

Bella had a slight limp a while back and after crate rest for 10 days it healed. You have to be strict though and not let him jump off and on couches or take him for walks. She stayed in the crate, I would carry her out to do her business.....pick her back up and put her in the crate. That was her life for that week and a half and though it killed me to do it to her we both got over it

Jazzy&Veronica · 07-12-2012, 10:39 AM

Could possibly be a CCL injury (especially because of the part where you notice the limp after resting); weirdly common with dogs in general but especially with pit bull type dogs.

Just FYI allot of vets will try to push surgery right away (and if it is a serious CCL injury it is usually necessary); however you can heal a minor CCl injury with conservative management - which as others have said involves strict crate rest along with anti-inflammatory medication, massage/range of motion exercises; joint supplements (and then slowly building the muscle back up through controlled exercise).

If it turns out you are dealing w/ a CCL injury there are a couple of really good yahoo groups, one on conservative managment and one on surgical options.

My girl had an injury last year from agility and we were able to heal her completely with CM; only thing is I did retire her from agility

no point in taking chances and risking a surgery. But basically she does everything she wants to do; I just don't push her to do allot of jumping, quick running turns etc.

Ames - Mel is the cutest thing eva!!

rodrigo · 07-12-2012, 03:29 PM

thank you guys for the input, ya im carrying him to bed and back and forth .

PerfectPit · 07-12-2012, 10:28 PM

Beastley had a slight limp, we crated him for 2 weeks with strict bed rest no walks or play time other then mental stimulation. This did not resolve the issue. We took him to the vet because we noticed even after all this he starting carrying his leg randomly. The vet checked him out and x-rays only to find he had a luxtating patella. The vet said keep him calm and only leash walking. It got to a point where he wouldn't place his rear foot down at all. The vet said it was time for surgery. I researched alternatives and nothing worked for him, it was about 3mths ago when he finally had surgery. Now he is back to his old zoomie self. The only thing I have noticed since the surgery was now he no longer wants to hang out in the back yard. He'll go out and do his business and wants to return back in the house.

. He turned into a lazy house dog he doesn't want to go on walks or play outside. However he will play in the house and zoomie around. Hopefully with lots of encouragement he will be more willing to hang out in the yard and go on walks but the vet said it could take up to a year to completely heal depending on the dog. So we continue to work with him hoping his fear of re-injury will go away.

rodrigo · 07-13-2012, 02:11 AM

back home just now, samson doesnt show a limp today but he is still only allowed in bed or to move from one room to the next, i think with a few more days of no activity he ll pull through just fine..... last night i held him in my arms all night and tried rubbing his front legs for a couple of hours.... he s my lil baby