If Your Dog Starts Limping, Here's What You Need To Know

Your dog is an active and curious creature. They will follow you around the house and seem to be where the action is! This may cause them to get injured every now and again.

You may step on or even trip over your fur baby! You should not assume that if you see your dog limping that it is because of something simple. Some disease processes may cause pain and limping and need to be checked out by a veterinarian.

Dogs may limp because of an injury – so, if your dog is limping, first see if you can see the reason. Look for abrasions or bleeding on the skin or bruising under their fur. You should also look at their toenails, a torn toenail is really painful! With your hands, work your way up their leg. You are trying to see if there is any moisture from a draining infection or blood from a cut. Try and flex each joint to locate the source of the pain. But BE CAREFUL! Your dog may end up snapping at you because of their pain.

Any limping that does not improve within a few days should be checked out at the vet’s office. Osteoarthritis can cause limping but is not a sudden thing, they tend to creep up. Having a senior dog that can no longer stand on any leg needs to be seen by the vet quickly. Your dog may have bone cancer (osteosarcoma), and any delay in treatment is going to be cruel.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay