Mystery Limp

[duncan41]

Newbie to the site. Please be patient. I have a 4 yr old female who has a history of limping. First limp (right front) appeared not too long after she adopted us two years ago, but was chalked up to boisterous horseplay with her sister. From her symptoms, it appeared to be a bruised pad because the limp would become exaggerated as the surface became more rough; ie: no limp on grass, carpet, tile or smooth cement, but very bad on asphalt. On Vet's orders, rested her and the limp disappeared. Now she's limping in the right rear - started early March. No obvious injury - just started limping. She has been vet checked twice (he did everything but twist her limbs out of the sockets with absolutely no reaction from her), literally xrayed from head to toe (absolutely no bone issues), put on total rest (just leisurely strolls through the neighborhood), and wears a TheraPaw when out for a walk - which is about the only time she doesn't limp.

Just prior to the xray marathon, and over a weekend, of course, she developed a sore neck. Crying out, couldn't/wouldn't pick up a morsel of food from the floor - OMG! (Her food stand is elevated 12".) Out of desperation and lack of sleep, I gave her plain aspirin (two tablets, 24 hours apart) and the sore neck went away, never to return again. The limp seemed to improve for about a week but has returned full force. Just within the past few days she started doing the three legged walk in the house, on tile, but not on carpet.

She has been on MSM and Glucosamine since Sandy Paws in March but no other meds. My Vet knows I'm not big on meds (would much rather find the CAUSE than treat a symptom), so he has not offered any.

My only other observation is that when she walks on asphalt (crossing streets on our nightly strolls), she looks like she's walking on shards of glass; v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and very carefully putting each foot down "just so".

I welcome any and all ideas!

 

 

 

[turbotaina]

Have you checked the pad for corns?

[Guest MySkye]

Was thinking corns myself.

 

 

[Guest KsFrets]

Our Maggie girl had a mystery limp too. It turned out to be tender nails that were too long. I got them trimmed to not touch the ground or click when she walks, and her limp is gone. She was the same way on rough pavement. After long walks she would limp terribly, and even do the tripod hop. After resting, she would get up and be right back to normal. It never seemed to bother her on grass or dirt. I finally started suspecting her nails one day, when she stopped in the middle of a walk and started biting at them! She was a terrible clippernipper when we got her and hated anyone getting near her toenails with clippers...hince super long nails. I use a dremel now and her nails are nice and short, and she is totally normal on any surface and loves long walks and runs.

[duncan41]

No corns - we keep looking and looking, but nothing.

 

Thought about the nails, too. They aren't terribly long, but not as short as they should/could be. Will be concentrating on getting them as short as possible and hope that it helps - it certainly couldn't hurt! Fortunately, she's a very stoic alpha-girl; will let you do her nails anytime, anywhere.

[iluvgreys]

Would closely examine her pads and between the toes for any foreign object or skin tears. Could be corns or warts. Hoping it's nothing serious.

[turbotaina]

Pick up the affected foot and gently grasp each toe on either side of the pads and squeeze. If she pulls back, she may have a corn forming. Sometimes they can take a really long time to erupt and be painful even when not visible. My boy had his corns hulled two weeks ago, no corns are visible, but he will not bear weight on the affected leg. So, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not lurking somewhere.

 

If you've got a vet who handles horses as well, you can ask for a nerve block to see if he can isolate the pain.

[dante2zoe]

one of my greys torn the webbing between his toes during his racin' days. There are days and times that he will limp or refuse to place that foot down. I have determined that for some reason at times, it flares up. We soak his foot in cool water several times a day for a couple of days and it seems to go away. Good luck!