On-And-Off Limp

[Guest Jacks_Human]

Jack has been favouring his front left foot/leg for the past few days. It was just occasional for the last day or so (observable for less than a minute at a time), and I wasn't sure if I was seeing things (especially with us walking on uneven surfaces). Today though he was obviously favouring the foot, and I'm trying to get some input on how potentially urgent it is to get him to the vet (and also because I'm a paranoid hound-parent who thinks the worst).

• The limp is most prominent when he's either changing gaits (speeding up), or walking on an incline.
  
• It's noticibly improved indoors (and hasn't prevented him from performing his Mealtime Happy Dance or leaping onto the bed). My theory is this is a temperature thing, since today is the coldest it's been in over a week.
  
• The leg and foot don't seem tender, as Jack was happy for me to massage the leg, manipulate the joints, check the foot, etc. I didn't find any evidence of cuts, heat or swelling
  

[Guest grey_dreams]

How old is Jack? If he is 5 or older, you might need to start giving him a glucosamine/MSM/chondroitin compound for his joints. Both my boys started needing it around 5-6 years old, and the symptoms started as a slight limp after very hard running and when the temperature dropped. It may also be possible that he has a soft tissue injury or something like that. But it doesn't hurt at all to try glucosamine and see if the limp gets better.

[Guest Jacks_Human]

He's just under 5, but for the years he raced, he didn't really have proper care (unlike US or UK racers).

Also, now that we've been in from the cold for a bit longer, it seems his 'wrist' joint is a bit warm and will click a bit when moved (again, he doesn't seem in pain when touched...reminds me of my own autoimmune joint issues).

[Charlies_Dad]

While a limp can be due to a number of causes, if it's been 'on and off', a vet visit is in order and I would personally opt for an x-ray if the vet is not able to find anything.

Edited November 24, 2012 by Charlies_Dad

[45MPHK9]

I'd get an X-ray.

 

Thinking good thoughts for Jack.

[Guest IrskasMom]

I would say, see a Vet . Hope you get to the bottom of that Limp.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Yes--vet and xrays, and let the vet confirm the arthritis.

 

Also, corns are a possibility, especially if he limps more on hard terrain than he does on soft carpeting or grass. And corns can come and go, so you wouldn't necessarily see a consistent limp. (At least, I don't with my girl.) To check for corns, look closely at the pads, and gently give his toes a squeeze from the sides--see if the pads flex normally when you squeeze or if he's unhappy with your doing that. Sometimes the pain of a corn will show up even though the corn hasn't surfaced on his foot.

 

And look closely at his toenails to see if a nail is too long or is cracked.

 

P.S. If this is arthritis, it becomes even more important to keep his nails short, so that his foot hits the ground well when he's walking.

[kudzu]

Get an xray & run at least a Snap 4Dx to help determine if this might be Lyme disease of some other TBD. It could be simply arthritis but my girls intermittent front leg limp was solved when she turned up with an equivocal Lyme titer. We debated whether to treat or not. Decided there was little to loose & much to gain by treating. We gained a lot.

 

Hope you find a cause & easy treatment.

[duncan41]

I have one that has had every test and has been x-rayed several times and there is no reason for her on-again-off-again limp. The limp started within the first couple of months after she adopted us at 2 years old, and she only ran 4 maiden races with no report of any injury, so we have no clue regarding the cause. She's 8.5+ years old now and when the limp becomes noticeable, on goes the TheraPaw boot for a couple of months and then limp goes away.

 

Hope is nothing but another mystery limp.

[Guest FinnsMom]

We just took Finn to the vet last night for an off and on limp. It was so sporadic that he would be limping one minute and trotting the next, or doing zoomies in the backyard and when he would come inside he would be totally fine. After two weeks of no change we took him to see if there was something wrong.

 

The vet did an x-ray and while we saw a break that would have been the reason for his retirement, we also saw a bit of arthritis around the same area. He's fine inside where it's warm, but when we go outside now in the cold and snow, the limp is more prominent.

 

Right now we are just giving him glucosamine and hopefully that will help, and if not, the vet said to give her a call and she would start him on arthritis meds.

 

Good luck with Jack.