My dog ​​is limping: why and what should I do?

A veterinarian, orthopedist and traumatologist from Begemotas says that if your pet is raised, fed and gets enough exercise, there is an 80% chance that his joints will be healthy and he will avoid lameness problems.

But what should you do if your dog is limping on his front or hind leg?

Even the smallest leg injury can cause your dog to limp. A dog may be limping due to a broken nail, a wound on the paw or between the toes, joint disease, bone trauma, genetic factors, poor nutrition or excess weight or insufficient physical activity.

A dog may be limping due to joint disease.

The most common cause of lameness in dogs in veterinary medicine is joint disease. Joint diseases can be inflammatory or traumatic in nature. Osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis or osteoarthritis in dogs is the most common degenerative joint disease in dogs, associated with constant joint trauma and aging processes.

This is the most common cause of lameness in dogs over the age of 5. Joint inflammation can cause lameness in the front and hind legs.

Arthritis is often treated with anti-inflammatory medications and special joint supplements. Begemotas veterinarians always select the treatment based on the dog’s condition and the owners’ needs.

For lameness caused by osteoarthritis in older animals, veterinary orthopedists recommend an innovative, long-acting drug treatment that relieves the dog’s pain for a month, and sometimes even longer, with a single injection.

The dog is limping due to ligament damage, a torn meniscus and a dislocated kneecap.

Traumatic joint diseases involve not only trauma to the joint itself, but also damage to related structures such as ligaments or menisci. Torn knee ligaments or menisci are a common cause of lameness in dogs.

The veterinarian points out that dogs very often limp on their hind legs after jumping out of bed or running outdoors. Such lameness should not be ignored. It is very important to promptly seek help from a veterinarian, orthopedist or traumatologist, so that torn cruciate ligaments or torn meniscus do not cause further complications in the stages of joint and muscle development.

In small breeds such as poodles, bichons or terriers, hind leg lameness is more often associated with kneecap problems. In many cases, veterinarians diagnose small breeds with hind leg lameness as having a dislocated kneecap.

In veterinary orthopedics and at the Begemotas Clinic, surgical treatment is increasingly used to treat the causes of hind leg lameness in dogs. According to orthopedists, this type of surgery eliminates the cause of hind leg lameness in dogs for the rest of their lives.

The dog is limping due to broken bones

A dog may be limping due to trauma. Broken or cracked bones often cause the dog to limp while walking, as he does not put weight on the affected limb. A fracture suffered during an injury should be diagnosed as soon as possible and operated on 24 hours after the injury, when all surrounding tissues have fully reacted. An open bone fracture can be very life-threatening to a dog.

A dog may limp due to genetic inheritance

Elbow and hip dysplasia are painful, genetically transmitted diseases. Between 15 and 40 percent of cases of these diseases are hereditary and are characteristic not only of large dog breeds, but also of small, short-legged breeds such as dachshunds, bulldogs and terriers.

Changes in the joint occur when puppies are 4-6 months old, when impaired bone development damages the blood vessels that supply the bone. Symptoms of joint dysplasia can only be noticed in the later stages of the disease, when the dog begins to limp and its gait changes.

Elbow dysplasia causes pain and lameness in dogs’ front legs, while hip dysplasia causes lameness in the back legs and pain when standing or lying down. Dogs with joint dysplasia should not be bred and all offspring should undergo preventive examinations at 12-18 months of age.

If during testing a 12-18 month old dog is found to have dysplasia, it is very important to find the best method to support joint health with supplements and adequate exercise. Proper nutrition, joint supplements and proper exercise can delay joint pain, discomfort and lameness.

Where to go if your dog needs help with a limp?

The Begemotas Veterinary Clinic uses all the most innovative methods to diagnose and treat the causes of lameness. In the Begemotas veterinary clinic in Vilnius, lameness in dogs is diagnosed using X-rays and ultrasound, while arthrosis is treated with injections of hyaluronic acid into the joint, tendons and interarticular capsule, which lubricate the joint from the inside. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is also used to reduce pain and inflammation.

According to the Begemotas specialist, the causes of lameness in dogs, especially at the joint level, are treated conservatively with painkillers, various therapies, therapeutic exercises and rest.

If these methods do not help or the lameness is of traumatic origin, surgical treatment is required, during which the anatomically altered joint is identified, fixed and an implant is inserted. Dogs can have their joints replaced with artificial joints, just like humans. Larger joints are often replaced: knees, elbows, hips, and rarely shoulders.