Dog hurt her leg.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear that Trixey is having problems. It's always hard to talk about limping issues without actually being able to examine your dog but I'll give you some of my thoughts and that can help you to decide whether she needs to be seen.

I often hear people say that they believe their dog is not in pain in a situation like this. However, if she is not putting weight on her leg, then she definitely is in pain. The reason she is not putting weight on the leg is because it hurts. Dogs tend to not complain like humans do.

Here are my criteria when it comes to deciding whether a dog with a sore leg should see the vet:

-Is she bearing any weight? If she can't put weight on the leg at all and this has been happening for more than an hour, then she needs to see the vet.

-If she is able to bear weight, but not much, and things don't improve after 48 hours then she needs to be seen.

-If you feel that she is uncomfortable then follow your gut and have a vet see her.

There really isn't much that you can give her at home to help. Any over the counter medicines are either going to be not effective or potentially dangerous to her.

There are a great number of things this may be. It could be a fracture in her pelvis, hip or somewhere in her leg. It could be a torn ligament in the knee. If it is a front leg it could be severe arthritis in the elbow.

If you can tell which joint is sore, she may get some relief from putting an ice pack on the joint for 10 minutes 3-4 times per day.

Hopefully she can see her vet soon! The vet will do a good exam and will likely need to take some xrays to find out what the problem is.

Dr. Marie.


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