Bernie Is Limping

[Laurenbiz]

Tonight after work, I noticed that Bernie was limping on his front left foot when I first saw him. I checked his paws and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Justin said that before I got home, Bernie went crazy with zoomies in the backyard. He said that he saw Bernie step in a divot in the yard, but he kept on running even after taking a funny step. (Did NOT fall.)

 

Assuming that this is probably what caused his limping, what else should I do? I don't know if this is a vet visit or not.

 

Bernie is my first Greyhound. Excuse my novice question.

[tbhounds]

No question is a novice question! Good for you for asking. I would rest your hound overnight and see if the limp improves by morning. I would not give aspirin-- gh's don't do well with it and if you have to make a vet visit tomorrow it will limit which medication your vet can use.

Congratea on your new hound!!

[mychip1]

Never apologize for a question.....we all worry about our hounds and look to each other for input.

 

As far as Bernie....I would be happy that it started after a zoomie - rather than "mysteriously" appearing. I would watch him tonight - and if it gets worse by morning or swells, then I would call the vet. It doesn't take much for them to twist.

 

Is he sensitive to the touch or is it just when he walks?

 

Just be sure to really check out his toes....i.e. nothing caught in between them....and that none of them dislocated or anything.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[sabrina]

Bernie hope you just stubbed your toe or something simple like that.

[lovinggreysslp]

I agree with watching for swelling and examining him closely. I gently feel from the top of the leg to the toes to see if I can tell where the source of pain is. Looking closely at the toes, pads and in between toes is also helpful. It may well be that he just tweaked something.

[PrairieProf]

Oh dear! Hope he's OK and just pulled a muscle or something. Given that Beth destroyed the ligaments in a toe when her foot slipped in what appeared a fairly minor way running on wet grass (though she stopped running after), I'd take him in tomorrow if he's not better. At least you could get some Deramaxx. Really look closely at his toes to make sure none of them are at a funny angle.

[Laurenbiz]

Thanks everyone! I did examine his bad leg and his good leg - for comparison. I see and feel no differences. (Of course, I am no vet, either!) His webbing, toenails, pads, are all totally normal. Even when I examine his legs, he doesn't seem to mind.

 

My guess now is that his limp is coming from the shoulder, or something higher than his foot. Because...

* He lets me touch, push, rub, press on all of his toes (and his whole leg) without a yelp indicating pain

* He stands still with his weight appearing to be evenly distributed, and he is not picking up that foot when he stands still

* He maneuvers with the process of standing-to-sitting/laying and also getting back up just fine with that foot - and he applies weight on the foot in that process

* The limp is ONLY appearing on the follow-through in his walk (IE: He takes a step outward with that leg, but then has the gimp when he finishes the step.)

 

Because of these reasons, I think that his foot is actually fine, and that the cause is something higher (possibly the shoulder) and it is probably muscular since he only has the limp in the walking process.

 

I have a bad pair of mule tennis shoes that somehow hurt a tendon or muscle in my right foot. If I wear these shoes for a day, I will have a limp the next day. Something in the very middle on the bottom of my foot is painful - only when following through in my step. The pain only strikes after I've stepped forward, and when my foot is in the position with heel up and toes on the ground (as I am finishing the step.) I can stand still just fine, pivot just fine, and I can maneuver the leg around - it's only walking that hurts it. And, this reminds me of Bernie's issue. (And those shoes are now only reserved for walking Bernie so I don't wear them all day!)

 

Thank you again!

[Robin1017]

Not to hijack, but look up plantar fasciitis. I would bet money that's what you have. I have it too and it isn't fun.

[mychip1]

How's Bernie today?

[Laurenbiz]

Well, he is the same today. The weird thing is that his limp was gone yesterday and it was gone this morning. When I got home from work today, he is limping again!

 

If I don't see improvement with this tomorrow after work, I am going to call our vet and schedule an appointment. I assume he could probably get us in Friday. I'm walking that fine line where I want Bernie to get better, but I also don't want to waste any money or waste our vet's time! This popped up Tuesday, and if, by Thursday, we have no progress, I think a vet visit should be in the works!

 

Again, I checked his toes, feet, legs, shoulders - on all four legs. I've pressed, squeezed, moved them. He doesn't yelp or show any signs that I'm hurting him or pressing/touching something that is painful. Nothing looks out of the ordinary.

 

(PS - To Cathy, I will have to look that up!)

[EllenEveBaz]

My Eve used to pull something every now and then when running in the back yard. I learned the hard way that I had to keep her quiet for at least two weeks -- NO running -- for it to heal. After a few days or a week she would be walking fine with no limp, but if I relented and let her run before the two weeks were up, limping again.

 

Just our experience.