[Rache]

Does anyone have any idea what might be going on or any suggestions til his appointment (we have a vet appointment Thursday). He is 4 1/2 years old. Not overweight. Extremely strong. Very active. He suddenly just started limping on back left leg one evening. He isn't whining in pain however he is irritable. Three days have passed he doesn't seem any better. I checked his paw pad and nails and they seemed good. I don't see any swelling. He is only using all 4 legs when he absolutely has to. He is slightly off balance when going up steps. He hasn't been as active. Just kind of laying around.

 

[jttar]

Hello Rache and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your boy is hurting.
Hopefully it is just a sprain or muscle pull and some anti inflammation, pain meds and rest will take care of it. I understand your concern but there is no one who can diagnose or guess what is wrong with his leg without a knowledgeable examination and possible x-rays. Keep him as low key as possible and put him a on a leash when you take him outside to keep him from running until your vet appointment and then follow their advise. Best of luck with him and please post back after you find out what the problem is with his leg.

Joe

 

[jhicken]

I hate to tell you this but there is a good chance it is a torn ACL. This happens often with these pups. They are athletic and sometimes go beyond their physical capabilities. They have a high tolerance for pain so your pup may not express it, but if they are limping, they are in pain. You should take your pup to your vet to confirm. Unfortunately this isn't an inexpensive fix, figure on 2-3k. I had a pup that experienced three tears. Two in one knee, one in the other. He was a tough old dog, when he was just a year old, he ran out in front of a snow plow. Broke his femur and had to have a FHO to fix it. He had a half dozen cancer surgeries, before he left me at 13. I had probably 25k into him. I still loved that pup though. I miss him every day.

 

[2DogTrix]

Hi. I agree with both the previous responses. 1) It could be anything and only a vet will be able to say, and 2) torn ACL fits the description. Having experienced a torn ACL in a previous dog, I started my boy with a PT vet early in life when he was sore and hurting. She explained that these guys have some intense angulation in their knee joints that makes them prone to tears. In our household we are very particular about his fitness routine to try and keep those knees as strong as possible and we got a lot of help from the PT vet on how to avoid injury. So if it isn't a tear, I absolutely recommend finding a specialist to help you learn to strengthen those joints to avoid future injury. Good luck! I hope it turns out for the best and will cross my fingers it isn't a tear.

 

[jhicken]

Please update what you found. This may help future members trying to help their pups in a similar condition.