Dog Limping: Causes and When It Is an Emergency

Front leg or back leg

It is not always easy to tell which leg is sore, especially when the limp is mild. Watch your dog walk slowly towards you and away from you on a flat surface that is not slippery. With a sore front leg, a dog usually lifts its head as the painful leg takes weight, and the stride on that side is shorter. With a sore back leg, the head tends to drop as the painful leg takes weight. Dogs with a sore knee often have trouble sitting squarely or getting up.

Front and back legs tend to have different common causes. In young dogs, front-leg problems include elbow dysplasia, especially in large breeds, and conditions linked to growing bones. In the back legs, hip dysplasia and a slipping kneecap are common. In older dogs, a torn cruciate ligament in the knee is the most common cause of a back-leg limp, while elbow arthritis and shoulder or neck problems are frequent causes in the front legs.

Sudden or gradual

How the limp started is one of the first things your vet will ask about. A limp that appears suddenly, often after running, jumping or rough play, usually points to an injury. Typical examples are a broken nail, a cut pad, a sprain or strain, a joint injury, a fracture or a dislocation.

A limp that creeps in over weeks, or comes and goes, is more often caused by a long-term problem. Examples include arthritis, a developmental joint problem, a nerve or spinal disorder, an old soft tissue injury and, less often, cancer. Stiffness after rest that eases as the dog warms up is common in older dogs with arthritis.

Common causes

• Paw problems, such as a broken nail, a cut pad, or glass, thorns or grass seeds lodged between the toes
• Sprains and strains of muscles, tendons and ligaments
• A torn cranial cruciate ligament in the knee
• A slipping kneecap, also called patellar luxation
• Hip or elbow dysplasia
• Arthritis
• Broken bones and dislocated joints
• Panosteitis, a painful bone condition of young, growing dogs
• Tick-borne infections, such as Lyme disease
• Spinal problems, such as a slipped disc
• Bone cancer

The cranial cruciate ligament is one of the main stabilizers of the knee. In dogs it usually fails slowly, through gradual wear of the ligament, rather than in a single accident. Age, extra weight, poor fitness, genetics and breed all play a part, and Labradors, Rottweilers and Newfoundlands are among the breeds affected more often. A partial tear can cause a mild limp that comes and goes, but partial tears almost always progress to full tears. Many dogs later develop the same problem in the other knee.

A slipping kneecap is most common in small breeds such as Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Yorkshire Terriers and Miniature Poodles. The typical sign is a skip: the dog suddenly carries a back leg for a few steps, sometimes stretches it out, then walks normally again. Mild cases often cause no pain, but over time the kneecap may slip more often, wear the cartilage and lead to arthritis. Our guide to luxating patella covers grades and treatment.

Panosteitis affects young, fast-growing dogs of large breeds, most often German Shepherds, usually between about 6 and 18 months of age. The limp starts suddenly, comes in bouts and often shifts from one leg to another. It clears up on its own as the dog matures, and pain relief from the vet keeps the dog comfortable in the meantime.

Lyme disease, spread by ticks, can cause lameness that moves from leg to leg, often with fever, swollen joints, tiredness and a poor appetite. Many infected dogs show no signs at all. Regular tick control and daily checks after walks lower the risk, as explained in our guide to ticks on dogs and cats.

In older large and giant breeds, such as Rottweilers, Great Danes and Golden Retrievers, a limp that does not improve deserves prompt attention, especially if there is a firm swelling on the leg. Osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, most often grows in the long bones of the legs.

Limping but not crying

Many owners are reassured when their dog limps but does not yelp or whimper. Silence does not mean the leg is pain-free. Dogs are often very good at hiding pain, and many dogs with a torn knee ligament never cry out. The limp itself is the sign that something hurts. Other quiet signs of pain include slow walking, reluctance to jump into the car or climb stairs, trouble getting up and licking one spot over and over.

What you can check at home

A dog in pain may snap, even at someone it loves. Work calmly, ideally with a second person to steady your dog, and stop if your dog growls, stiffens or pulls away. If your dog is in a lot of pain, skip the checks and call your vet. Our guide to first aid for dogs and cats explains how to handle an injured dog safely.

• Look at the paw: the nails, the pads and the skin between the toes
• Look for cuts, swelling, a broken nail or something stuck, such as a thorn, glass or a grass seed
• Run your hand gently down the leg and compare it with the other leg, feeling for heat, swelling or a spot your dog pulls away from
• Check for wounds, bites and ticks
• Watch how your dog stands, sits and gets up
• Film your dog walking, since many dogs walk normally at the clinic out of excitement

Leave anything that is deeply embedded, bleeding or lodged in the pad for your vet to remove. Note when the limp started, whether it followed exercise or a fall, whether it is getting better or worse, and whether it moves between legs. Your vet will ask about all of these.

When it is an emergency

Contact your vet straight away, or an emergency clinic out of hours, if you notice any of these signs.

• Your dog will not put the leg down at all, or seems to be in severe pain
• The leg hangs at an odd angle, or a bone or joint looks out of place
• A deep or heavily bleeding wound, or a bite from another animal
• Limping after a fall, a road accident or any other major trauma, even if your dog seems fine otherwise
• Sudden weakness, wobbling or dragging of the back legs
• A hot, very swollen leg or joint
• A limp together with fever, tiredness or loss of appetite

Weakness or wobbling in the back legs, rather than soreness in one leg, can mean the problem is in the spine. Back problems such as intervertebral disc disease can get worse quickly, so keep your dog still and get help the same day.

Book a regular appointment if a mild limp has not clearly improved within a day or two, keeps coming back or is getting worse. A firm swelling on a leg, a limp in a young growing dog and a limp that shifts between legs are also worth checking soon.

Rest and pain relief while you wait

Keep your dog quiet until it has been seen. Use short, calm walks on a lead for toilet breaks, and prevent running, jumping, stairs and rough play.

Do not give your dog human painkillers. Common medicines such as ibuprofen, naproxen and paracetamol, also called acetaminophen, can be toxic to dogs. Human anti-inflammatory medicines can cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure in dogs, even at low doses. If your dog needs pain relief, your vet can prescribe a medicine made for dogs. If your dog has swallowed any human medicine, call your vet or an animal poison helpline at once.

How vets find the cause

Your vet will watch your dog stand, walk and turn, then examine each leg from the toes up, along with the spine. A sore dog may need sedation so it can be examined or X-rayed without stress. Depending on the findings, your vet may suggest X-rays, blood tests, tests for tick-borne disease or a sample of joint fluid. Ultrasound, CT or MRI scans are used in some cases. With subtle limps, the cause is not always clear at the first visit, and a repeat exam a little later can reveal more.

Treatment and recovery

Treatment depends on the cause. A minor sprain or paw injury often settles with rest and pain relief prescribed by your vet. When no clear cause is found, your vet may suggest a short course of a dog anti-inflammatory with restricted exercise, followed by a recheck. Some problems need surgery, such as a torn cruciate ligament, a severe slipping kneecap or a fracture. Most dogs improve a great deal after cruciate surgery, although arthritis in the knee can still develop slowly.

Long-term conditions such as arthritis need ongoing care. That usually means pain control, a healthy weight, regular gentle exercise and often physical rehabilitation. A lean body weight eases strain on the joints and lowers the risk of cruciate disease.

Rescue dogs and old injuries

Dogs that lived on the street may have old injuries, overgrown nails or joints that healed badly. At Paw Squadron, the first stop after every rescue is the vet, where each animal has a checkup, deworming and treatment against fleas and other parasites. A limp that appears after adoption is still worth checking with your own vet, since problems such as arthritis or a slowly failing knee ligament develop over time.

For more guides on dog health and care, browse PawPedia. If you adopted your dog from us and have questions, write to us from the Contact page.