If your dog is suddenly limping, there are a number of possible reasons. While some of these are harmless and can easily be alleviated at home, others require urgent veterinary attention.
In the following, we will explain possible causes for your dog's limping and what to do in each case.
If a dog limps, this can have many different reasons. Accordingly, the symptoms can sometimes vary considerably.
Therefore, to determine the cause of limping and to make it easier for the veterinarian to establish a diagnosis during a visit that may be necessary; you should take a closer look at the symptoms.
Your dog's limping can have many different causes. Whether and how your four-legged friend needs to be treated and what the prognosis is can therefore not be said in general.
Be it a little stone between the toes or a wood splinter in the paw pad, foreign objects can easily cause your dog to suddenly limp. It's usually not a big deal. Often you can even remove the foreign object yourself. In some cases, however, a visit to the vet may be necessary. Irrespective of this, your dog's limping should cease soon after the object has been removed and the wound has been treated if necessary.
When playing and running around, it is not unusual for a dog to twist a leg or fall and get a bruise or a strain. This is often noticeable by mild to moderate limping.
It is important to keep an eye of the length of your dog's claws. Claws that are too long can tear very easily. This is often painful and will inevitably cause your dog to limp. To avoid this, make sure you trim your dog's nails regularly.
Unlike our feet, dogs' paws are usually not protected by shoes. Especially in winter, the combination of wet, cold and road salt can quickly result in your four-legged friend's paws becoming cracked and sore. This is of course very uncomfortable for the animal and inevitably leads to your dog limping.
If necessary, you can counteract this problem with well-fitting dog shoes. Furthermore, please pay attention to your four-legged friend’s paw care.
To counteract cracked and sore paws, we recommend using Bellfor Paw Protection ointment. The high-quality care product consists of carefully selected, natural ingredients such as beeswax and calendula.
Our paw protection ointment is also ideal for caring for your dog's paws in winter or after prolonged stress during dog sports.
Get to know Bellfor Paw Protection ointment.
Unfortunately, chronic joint diseases are quite common in dogs. They include, for example, hip and elbow dysplasia and arthritis. Hip and elbow dysplasia are genetic diseases. In affected dogs, the bones in the hip or elbow joint do not fit together properly.
This leads to excessive wear and tear, severe pain and an increasing restriction of mobility, which can be noticeable in your dog by limping, among other things.
Chronic changes in the joints are summarised under the term arthritis. Here, too, the mobility of your four-legged friend decreases as the disease progresses. The risk of arthritis in dogs increases by regular overburdening of the joints and being overweight, just to mention a few.
In addition to chronic joint diseases, torn ligaments can also be responsible for a dog’s sudden limping. Your four-legged friend may have suffered a cruciate ligament tear. The risk is relatively high, especially in heavy and large dogs.
In order to treat the torn cruciate ligament and thus eliminate your dog's limping, surgery is necessary.
If your dog suffers a luxating patella, it means that his kneecap has popped out. While hip and elbow dysplasia are particularly common in large dog breeds, patellar luxations primarily affect smaller dogs.
Regardless, it probably goes without saying that your dog will limp when they develop a patellar dislocation.
If your dog suddenly limps, carefully feel the affected paw or leg and check whether you notice hardening or swelling and whether your four-legged friend is sensitive to pain.
Checking the paws will help you to identify possible injuries such as torn claws or foreign objects and insect bites.
With a bit of luck, you can easily pull out small foreign objects with tweezers. In many cases, smaller wounds can be treated at home.
However, if your dog won't stop limping, is in severe pain, or there is evidence of a more serious injury, you should not waste time and contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Given the numerous possible causes, it is of course impossible to completely prevent limping in dogs.
Nevertheless, there are quite a few measures you can take to at least reduce the likelihood of musculoskeletal problems.
For this purpose, make sure to prevent improper strain on the joints through unsuitable physical activities. Repeated overburdening of the joints can cause permanent damage, especially in growing dogs.
Also, make sure your dog is getting all the nutrients they need. In the case of physically active four-legged friends, the administration of additional nutrients for the joints in the form of a special food supplement can also be useful in this context.
Last but not least, make sure your dog is not overweight. Apart from that, problems such as minor injuries should always be treated promptly and professionally so that they will not become chronic problems.
As you can see, there can be a number of reasons why a dog is limping. Depending on the cause, you can either treat your four-legged friend's symptoms yourself or you must consult a veterinarian.
Irrespective of this, it goes without saying that limping in dogs cannot simply be ignored, but should be treated in a timely manner.
