I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this problem with their dog before:

A few weeks ago our lab started limping (like a tripod) while walking but would use all four legs when running. It seemed to not bother her, and went away. She's a tad overweight, and lays a lot so we figured she had just layed on her leg wrong.

Just a few minutes ago we played fetch with her. She dropped the ball (which she never does) and limped towards us. When we press on certain parts of her leg or hip she doesn't mind at all. And when she starts running she'll use all four legs (but sometimes drag her 'hurt' leg on the ground).

Is this common or do you think she has just pulled a muscle? We will most likely take her to the vet tomorrow morning, but it's always nice to hear other ideas.
-she doesn't have anything in her paw

[Edited on October 4, 2007 at 6:50 PM. Reason : ]

10/4/2007 6:50:07 PM

I know dogs can mask pain, especially when they have adrenaline going, maybe she just shows it more when walking? I really have no idea, but I’d be prepared to throw down a few hundred bucks incase it comes to x-rays. Maybe they’ll just give you some steroids or other anti-inflammatory meds, or some pain meds like buprenex. If its arthritis or something, there are lots of joint/inflammation/arthritis type foods you could try like Hills J/D.

10/4/2007 8:08:34 PM

Just spend the $50 and get her looked at by the vet.

This happened to my dog, but I knew that when she was running through the house she hit her thigh on the side of the futon. She limped around for an hour crying, until dinner when she bolted on all 4 to get to her dish.

It went away within a day.

[Edited on October 4, 2007 at 10:21 PM. Reason : ...]

10/4/2007 10:20:56 PM

I would have her checked out by your vet. They will most likely do a physical exam first checking all of her joints. Then they will go from there on whether or not they will want to do x-rays.

It could range from something as simple as early arthritis or as complicated as a torn ACL (technically is called a CCL in dogs). It is not uncommon for this to happen in overweight dogs, because there is so much more pressure being put on their joints.

10/4/2007 10:32:31 PM

need more info really

how old is the dog, which leg, how far does she hold it up

could actually be arthritis if she is old and overweight which is probably the case.
if not that could be something with the paw or even a joint or muscle that is painful when walking but doesnt respond with pain when moved quickly such as if you slowly rip tape off your hairy arm or quickly pull it.

more info prolly would help though. and diet...what kinda diet.

10/4/2007 10:47:10 PM

Whenever my Bull Terrier is at the dog park, and gets running really really hard (after going on a mad sprint start) she sometimes comes back walking three-legged lame. Whenver that happens, I lay her on her side, make her do a 'rest time' and that's when I'll massage her back leg, rotate/stretch it out. After about 10 min, she'll be okay. I haven't gotten it checked out by a vet - because I don't see it as a serious enough problem. She never expresses anything about pain or soreness when having her leg touched or messed with.

10/6/2007 4:01:19 PM

Labs are very prone to a disorder called hip dysplasia. You may want to get her hips x-rayed to check for this condition. One of my dogs has this in both hips and we had surgery done to make it a little easier for her to get around. She was a little overweight too but we have her on a restricted calorie diet keep some of the weight off. There are a few anti-inflammatory meds you may want to ask about or that the vet may give you a sample of for her pain. They are called Rimadyl and Deramaxx. I'm not a vet so i can't be for sure about your dog but I know a little bit since I worked at a vet clinic for over 5 years and have experience this myself. Hopefully this will help!

10/6/2007 9:16:06 PM

I would say we have a winner with the above post. Hip dysplasia is very common in labs. Some x-rays will confirm/deny it, but that is where my money would be.

10/7/2007 11:25:46 PM

if my dog was limping and crying and stuff, I would take her to the vet right away. that happened to my old dog and it ended up being bone cancer.

10/8/2007 8:37:06 AM

It could also be a blown cruciate (worst case scenario). I worked with a veterinary surgeon for almost two years, and we had this type of thing come in all of the time. Labs are notorious for blowing their cruciates. Dogs have a relatively high pain tolerance and they may not let you know they're in pain. I hope your baby gets better soon! Keep us posted on what the vet says!

10/8/2007 11:17:11 PM

Old Yeller it.

10/9/2007 9:15:03 AM