The Reasons Why Your Dog Is Limping
As a dog owner, you get scared when your dog suddenly begins limping. You become overwhelmed with figuring out what happened to your dog or what went wrong with your care.
You might have no idea what to do. Should you go to a vet? Should you buy a cast? How can you find a brace? Luckily, the Hero Brace Blog can help you give special care to your pet.
The scare causes you to make assumptions about the reasons where it first started. A veterinarian can give a proper diagnosis of your dog. There are various reasons why your dog is limping. Here are all the things you need to know about dog limping:
Why is your dog limping?
Unlike humans, your dog cannot say what and where it hurts. There are many reasons why your dog is limping, this includes:
A painful object stuck on the dog’s paw.
As a dog owner, you do not have to panic but find the source of the limping. A dog may suddenly limp because of a painful object stuck on its paws. Dogs love to run freely. Sometimes, there may be painful objects that get to their paws. It is necessary to check the dog’s paws one by one.
Bone disease
A more severe reason why dogs suddenly limp is bone disease. Dogs also suffer diseases like humans. Large breed dogs, especially younger ones, are more susceptible to the development of bone diseases, including:
- panosteitis
- hypertrophic osteodystrophy
- bone cancer or osteosarcoma
A sting or insect bite
A sting or insect bite can make a dog limp. Dogs get stung on their paws by bees or wasps. A dog may limp for 30 minutes to an hour as the sting or insect bite subsides. The common symptoms the dog has been stung or bitten are:
- whining while limping
- nibbling or biting on the sting or bite’s location
- the dog is holding its paw
- drolling or swelling
Broken bones or traumatic injury
Broken bones or traumatic injuries are from accidents leading to fractures on your dogs. After a severe accident, your dog may limp because of spinal fractures or damaged bones.
There are many ways to treat a broken bone or traumatic injury, this includes:
- splints and cast
- bone plates
- orthopedic wires
- screws and pins
- interlocking nails
Over-exertion and exhaustion
Your dog can limp from over-exertion and exhaustion. Rigorous activities like running and hiking can make dog muscles stiffen, and the dog can recover after a day of rest. If the limping does not fade, you should see a vet.
Ageing
Dogs’ bones weaken as they grow old. Ageing dogs can develop knee issues and stiff muscles. When dog’s age, they also suffer osteoarthritis and dysplasia that makes them limp.
What are the things you should do when your dog is limping?
Treating your dog depends on the cause of the limping; the treatment plan can be a few days of rest.
Some limping would need an operation, surgery, and medication, which would cause your dog a longer recovery time.
When you feel something is wrong with your dog apart from natural causes, get your dog to see a vet for a better prognosis on your dog’s limping. A veterinarian has the best knowledge to determine the cause of your dog’s limping.
The limping of your dog may scare you. But it is necessary to know the reasons and causes before giving any medication or treatment to your dog. As dogs can not say what went wrong, show them the best care you can as a dog owner.
