Ask the Veterinarian/Limping Labrador

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Expert: - 11/6/2011


Question
Hello, I have a 3 years old Labrador Retriever. I cam back home from work and found him limping with log of pain on his right front leg. He was limping and not putting his foot to the ground. We took him to the vet and he gave him a pain killer and muscle relaxant injection. I drove him back and he immediately put his foot on the ground but still limping. The vet said if the dog puts the foot on the ground and starts putting weight to it and there is no pain then its a muscle sprain and will go in 4-5 days. I give him pain killer morning and evening and apply Relispray with hot water therapy. He is able to put weight, no pain and jump in joy also, but he is still limping and shows some swelling. Its 3 days today. Do you think its something serious, treatment is right or do I need to do more? Her is eating well, happy, and playing as well but am not letting him put too much pressure on his legs. Please advise. Thanks.

Answer
If his foot is swollen then he needs it xrayed. If it is swollen elsewhere then that needs to be xrayed.

If there is no swelling of the limb then he needs to have his shoulder xrayed for OCD. That is a problem some young active dogs get. It is osteochondritis dessicans. If that is negative then have him checked for panosteitis, which is a painful condition of the bones in growing dogs.

In either case, an xray is warranted if the limping doesn't lessen in a week.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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