Before you attempt to diagnose or treat a lame pet please remember three things

• Dogs limp because they are in pain. We don't like pain and neither do they, so take it seriously and see your vet if, as they say, "pain persists"
• Never give a human pain-killer to a pet without first consulting a vet - some human drugs can kill pets. It happens every year.
• Before you prod and poke, remember pets may very well bite and scratch if you hurt them

See your vet straight away if:

• the leg looks at a funny angle
• there is a lot of swelling
• the dog refuses to bear any weight on the leg at all.

Early diagnosis and correct treatment will save money and give a better result.

Some common causes of lameness and some clues are:

• infections of the skin between the toes, torn nails, cut pads, and foreign bodies in and around the paw usually start quite suddenly and the dog will lick at the foot or feet. If you can, hose the foot down and get a good look at the skin, nails and pads.
• a ruptured cruciate ligament causes a dog to suddenly go totally lame in the back leg. It very often happen during off-leash exercise, especially jumping for balls
• arthritis, especially of the hips, is very common. The limping is typically worst after a rest and then improves as the dog warms up and moves around. There are wonderful drugs available to manage the pain of arthritis so see your vet. Do not use human drugs

Author: Hugh Southwood
Date: 15/01/2002