Dog walks on 3 legs

Lindsay · 12-27-2007, 03:25 PM

My dog has stopped walking on her rear right leg for the last month. She is 8 or so years old. She has full range of motion and shows no signs of pain when prodded and such. There are no signs of external injury. We are assuming it is arthritis or some other degenerative disease. Does anybody have any experience with this, and if so, how can we assure she is most comfortable?

Dana1384 · 12-27-2007, 03:30 PM

What kind of dog is it? She is getting up there in age. Most likely it could be hip desplasia, or arthritis. Has It been going on for awhile, or did it just start.

Lindsay · 12-27-2007, 03:36 PM

We're not sure what kind of dog she is. We got her at the pound when she was a puppy and we were told she was a Portuguese Water Dog but she most certainly is not. The first signs started a few months ago when she would occassionally limp but for the past month she does not walk on it at all. She does use it to scratch still. Once again she rarely yelps so to us it seems she is not in pain.

animalcraker · 12-27-2007, 04:14 PM

Have you taken her to the vet to have the leg checked?

Lindsay · 12-27-2007, 04:34 PM

That's quite obvious. They couldn't tell us anything. I'm just trying to figure out if anybody has seen a similar problem in their pooch.

lovemygreys · 12-27-2007, 04:40 PM

Refusal to use a leg almost certainly would indicate pain of some kind. Dogs are often quite adept at hiding severe pain...possibly a survival technique thta's held-over from their pre-domestication days. Some breeds are much more stoic than others. The more severe injury, the more they behave as though they are in no pain.

At any rate...it could be anything from a corn on one of her pads to a soft tissue injury to arthritis to osteo. If it were my dog, I'd start by carefully examining the paw pads for corns or other abnormalities. If I found nothing and no other obvious injuries to the leg or shoulder, I'd want an xray done by a vet. I had a greyhound that showed no pain other than a slight limp, no yelping or obvious sign of pain on range of motion tests but she had osteosarcoma in her shoulder.

And if it is just arthritis, there are prescription meds that can really relieve her pain and giver her a good quality of life....these are all things that need to be discussed with the vet. Yes, it is an obvious answer, but in this case I think it is the best course of action for the dog.

Good luck.

Dana1384 · 12-27-2007, 04:43 PM

If you took her to the vet and they told you nothing, then maybe you should consider taking her to a different vet, and have her legs tested for the above stated problems. If she won't even walk on it, then there a serious problem that the vet can be the only one that can give you a clear answer.
Just because she is not showing any signs of pain, does not mean she is not in pain. Animals can hide their pain a lot better then we can.

BrendaC · 12-30-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindsay

That's quite obvious. They couldn't tell us anything. I'm just trying to figure out if anybody has seen a similar problem in their pooch.

Hi Lindsay. My newfie X lab had the same symptoms, We had been to the vet several times, finally switched vets when she could no longer use the leg. She thought it was a torn bicep and started treatment with an injection of a anti-inflamatory and then pills. At first she seemed to improve and then after the meds were done she went down hill. Then we could see she was in pain and couldnt get comfortable. We returned to the vet and were given the grim diagnosis of bone cancer. We had her put down that same day. The treatment options for that type of cancer were way to extreme and it would have given her a maximum of 400 extra days, of which would have been to horrible to put her through. This cancer is easily diagnosed with a simple x-ray and may be well worth your while to ask your vet for. Our beautiful girl was only 7, and although young for that type of cancer, it is not all that uncommon. especially for dogs over 70lbs and our girl was 145lbs. I am hoping that it is not what your dog has, but you really should have the x-ray done. Brenda

FilleBelle · 12-30-2007, 12:26 PM

How about a torn ACL? Lol, I suggest this to everyone now because my own dog has it, but the symptoms do fit. The only way to 100% diagnose that particular injury is an x-ray. It surprises me that your vet did not suggest them to begin with.