Have you ever felt that pit in your stomach when you realize your dog, “just isn’t walking right.” Your pup might have a sudden limp or maybe the limp is only obvious after your dog has been lying down for a period of time. Sometimes, the limp will resolve once your pup starts moving. So, what gives? Is this a serious problem, or can you let it go? Read on to find out!
Most pet parents call the vet at the first sign of trouble, some choose to wait it out for a few days to see if it gets better or worse. Often, once you get your pup to the vet, they miraculously stop limping, but of course, you are still concerned because you KNOW something is off with your pup.
Just to be sure, your vet does a physical exam, maybe suggests bloodwork and maybe an x-ray. Sometimes this testing reveals issues and sometimes it doesn’t. At this point, some vets will put your pup on a pain medication or anti-inflammatory, recommend that you rest your pup for a few days, and send you on your way.
So, you leave the vet, maybe a bit frustrated because you want to do everything to help your pup. You think to yourself that there has go to be something, other than pills and rest, that might be able to help you dog, so you hop on Google to search out additional information to solve your pup’s problem.
To (hopefully) save you some time, I’d like to tell you about the most common issues that we see as a dog rehabilitation practice, what to look out for in each condition, and what can be done to help your pup (other than pills and rest).
There are a variety of conditions that cause sudden limping or gradual onset limping in the hind legs. Most frequently we see CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) tears and arthritis. We also see dogs with hip dysplasia, luxating patella, and neurologic issues that can cause hind limb weakness. We will go into more detail below to help you determine what is going on with your dog.
CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) tears
What is it: Us humans have an ACL in our knee. This is that ligament that a football player often tears in a game, causing him to miss out on the rest of the season. In dogs, it’s called a CCL. This ligament in dogs seems to deteriorate over time, rather than tear from an acute injury (like in people).
What to look out for: Sometimes your dog will be doing something he or she does every day and for whatever reason that day, he/she might suddenly yelp and start not using the leg. He or she will suddenly start limping. You may also see your dog sitting off to the side, unwilling to bend the knee all of the way or your dog might start limping after playing or going on a walk.
What to do about it: You do need to call your vet with this one. If your vet determines that it is a full tear, surgery is the best option. If it is a partial tear, it is important that you dog starts a joint supplement to slow the onset of arthritis. It IS important to follow strict rest as recommended by the vet, however there are exercises that you can do to speed healing and decrease the chance of it progressing to a full tear. This is best done with a dog rehab therapist. Your dog rehab therapist can also do cold laser therapy to decrease pain and inflammation in your pup’s knee. This will get your dog back to feeling better, quicker.
Arthritis
What is it: Just like us, dogs get arthritis as they age. Depending on the size, weight, and overall activity level of your pup, the degree and severity of arthritis and where in the body it is located can vary drastically. Typically, dogs that are having a hard time with moving around tend to have it in their spine, elbows, hips, and knees.
What do look out for: With arthritis, you will often see your pup being hesitant to jump up onto the bed, couch, or care. He or she may not be willing to sit, or having a difficult time getting up from a sitting or lying position. You may also notice that your dog is slipping on hardwood or tile surfaces. Sometimes arthritis will appear as a gradual onset limping on one or more legs.
What to do about it: It is important for your pup to be at a good weight to decrease the pressure on his joints. It is also important to call your vet to discuss joint supplements, because arthritis is a joint disease. If your pet is in pain (which they likely are because arthritis is painful!), to get them on a consistent pain regimen. Exercise is an important part of managing this condition and a rehab professional can help you develop a program for your pup. Acupuncture is also very valuable to help decrease the pain that is associated with this condition. As mentioned above, cold laser therapy can help to decrease the inflammation in your pet’s joints and help to decrease pain.
Hip Dysplasia
What is it: This condition is often diagnosed when your dog is just a puppy. The part of the thigh bone that fits into the sock in the pelvis to make the hip joint, doesn’t form properly. So the hip joint doesn’t form properly and there is too much movement. Over time, as your pup gets older, he or she will develop arthritis/ joint disease and have the symptoms as above.
What do look out for: Over time, as your pup gets older, he or she will develop arthritis and have the symptoms as above in the arthritis section (gradual onset limping). What we also see is bunny hopping to run or go up/down stairs, and a “sloppy” sit where your dog doesn’t sit square on his hind legs, but sits off to one side. If your pup’s hip is really unstable, he or she is likely to have an apparent limp or pick the leg up altogether because it is painful.
What to do about it: It is important to get this diagnosed as soon as possible, the more knowledge that you have about his condition and the earlier you have it, the better you will be in managing it. Depending on the age when first diagnosed, there are some surgeries that can correct it. As your dog ages and if the hip become too painful, they can do a surgery called an FHO. As soon as this condition is diagnosed, you should speak to your vet about getting your dog on joint support supplements. When your dog is young, you can get him or her started on a structured fitness program to keep the muscles around the hip joint strong. As your pup ages, you can do the same things as above, in the arthritis section, to keep your dog feeling and moving his/her best.
Luxating Patella
What is it: This condition is more common in smaller dogs, but can happen in bigger dogs. It is when the knee cap goes out of the knee joint where it is supposed to sit. This can be painful for your pup, especially if it happens frequently. There are 4 grades of severity for this condition. Grade 1 and 2 are mild and don’t require surgery. Grade 3 and 4 are more severe and your pup would benefit from surgery. The knee cap can be dislocated either to the inside of the knee or the outside. The trouble with this condition is that a medial luxating patella (the knee cap dislocates to the inside) can progress to a CCL tear as above.
What do look out for: Dogs with this condition have what’s called a “skipping gait.” It looks super cute, because it looks like they are skipping! Sometimes it is on one hind leg, sometimes both. Some dogs stop putting weight through the leg if the knee cap is out of joint because it is uncomfortable, and some dogs consistently limp because the knee cap is unstable and/or out of joint more often than it is in the correct positions and this is uncomfortable.
What to do about it: You guessed it, your veterinarian will diagnosis this condition and the grade of severity. If this is a frequent problem for your dog, your vet may prescribe pain meds. Remember if your dog is limping or not putting weight on the leg, they are in pain! Just like with arthritis, is is good for your dog to stay at an appropriate weight, and get on joint supplements. Grade 1 and 2 do well with monitoring by your vet. If it seems to be progressing or causing your pup more problems, you can have your dog seen by a rehab therapist. The rehab therapist can show you specific massage, stretching, and strengthening exercises to help prevent it from progressing to a Grade 3 or 4. A Grade 3 can sometimes be helped with rehab by using the same techniques for a Grade 2, however if the problem is not resolved despite rehab, your dog will need surgery. A grade 4 means the knee cap is out and it stays out, it doesn’t go back in. This can cause many different problems and should really be addressed by surgery. Many people want to try bracing options first, however if your dog is a Grad 3 or 4, the brace will not work, no matter what the website you are purchasing the brace from says. And if the brace is a neoprene sleeve, it will not work. There is no way for this type of fabric to keep the knee cap where it is supposed to be.
Neurologic Problems
What is it: This can present as many different things from IVDD, FCE, ANNPE, Lumbar Spine Disease, Degenerative Myelopathy among many others. These conditions affect the communication between your dog’s spinal cord and nerves or between the nerves and muscles.
What do look out for: You will see your dog unable to use his back legs as the most severe form of these conditions. If this happens and your dog appears paralyzed, this is an emergency, do not wait. With other conditions you may see your dog “sinking” in the hind end, like he or she can’t hold the back end up. You might also see (or hear) your pup dragging one or both hind legs and you will notice nail wear because of the dragging. You may also find that your dog is in extreme pain when you touch his back.
What to do about it: Some of these conditions are really scary. And in order to know what to do, you need the right diagnosis, so to your vet (or the emergency hospital) it is! Once you have a diagnosis, then your vet can get you started on a plan of what to do from there. Most of these conditions would benefit from having your dog see an acupuncturist to decrease pain AND help to improve the communication between your pup’s spinal cord, nerves, and muscles so that your dog can get up and walking. Rehab is also an excellent treatment option to get your dog stronger and perform specific exercises that can improve the communication between the spinal cord, nerves, and muscles. Cold laser therapy is helpful for these conditions to decrease pain and improve the blood flow around the nerves that communicate with the muscles.
So, as you can see, there are LOTS of things that you can do for all of these conditions! It is important to get an accurate diagnosis by your veterinarian, in which your vet may need to do bloodwork, x-rays, and a physical exam to determine exactly what is going on. Unfortunately, there are other, more life threatening, conditions that can cause limping, so please have your vet do a thorough assessment of your pup before you try other things. If your dog is limping, he or she IS in pain, so they DO need to be on consistent pain meds. It is also a good idea to follow your vet’s recommendation for rest, however while your dog is resting, there are other things that you can look into to help your pet. To recap, we discussed keeping your pup at a healthy weight, providing the right supplements for your dog, rehabilitation therapy to get your pup feeling AND moving better, acupuncture to decrease pain, and cold laser therapy to decrease pain and decrease inflammation.
Often, it is best to consult with a qualified rehabilitation therapist that is a Physical Therapist or Veterinarian with additional rehab training. These professionals can guide you with weight loss and supplementation for your pup, and often offer cold laser therapy as part of their services.
At In Pawsuit Rehab & Wellness, we offer both rehab an acupuncture services. Our rehab therapists guide you with exercises to do at home with your dog to get your dog feeling and moving better, they also perform cold laser therapy and massage. Our acupuncture therapist guides you with weight loss, supplementation, and appropriate medications to get your pup feeling his or her best, so your pup can move his best. Most of the time, we have dogs see both rehab and acupuncture to get a whole body approach to get your dog back to living his best doggy life the fastest way possible.
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