my poor doggy has been limpin

[steppy104]

she has been limping in the morining for the last month or so. sometimes she doesn't limp at all, and other times it's really noticible. she is a medium sized mutt...we have no clue wut she's mixed with. she is about 6 or 7 years old. is this normal for her age? or is she too young to be acting like this? would anyone know what might be wrong?

 

[billy61788]

have you taken her to the vet? they would most likely know whats wrong

 

[cometcattle]

That sounds too young for a limp, but it would depend on what mix she is.

Does she appear to be in pain or wimper when she limps?

Could she have fallen or sprained it?

Will she let you massage or touch the leg/hip/paw that she seems to be favouring?

 

[steppy104]

she doesn't cry about it. she doesn't mind when people touch the leg she limps on. and i believe that it is VERY possible she could've fallen. she see's squirrels, rabbits, or anything else outside and she runs as fast as she possibly can to try n get them.

all we know about her breed history is that the person we bought her from got a litter of puppies from a pregnant dog found in an abandoned building. she was also an unknown mutt...and no one ever seen the dad.

even though she limps, she still jumps up and gets down fine from the couch.

my dad says that it ain't worth the money to take a dog to the vet for a hip problem. he'd rather just put her to sleep if it gets too bad.

 

[Mesome]

It may be arthritis. Good luck!

 

[steppy104]

thanks....do any of you know if it's ok to give dogs any kind of asprin?

my mom keeps on insisting that we give her baby asprin. but would that be ok?

sheesh, she's tryin to ignore her leg alot. we just took her for a ride in our truck...thats a long leap up and back down for her...but she manages! lol.

 

[Mesome]

I have heard that it is okay, but I would recommend that you contact your vet. Your dog could have an allergic reaction, and even if not, it's good to get a professional opinion when medicating....IMO..

 

[MAM]

first of all, tell you dad i said next time he breaks a bone or sprains something or just gets a muscle pull, to put HIM to sleep!! taking on a pet means committing yourself fully to its care and well being, being responsible for giving it the best life possible, and this includes ALL medical issues that may arise in its lifetime. if that isn't possible, pet ownership shouldnt have happened in the first place (sorry, nothing on you personally, you obviously care, its comments like what your dad made that set me off........). geez, if you broke a leg, would your dad suggest just putting you to sleep?? sorry.


secondly, even at your dogs age it could be early arthritis. is your dog overweight?? call your vet to be sure what kind of aspirin and the dose, i know you can give dogs some sort of aspiriin, but be a responsible pet owner and call a local vet to be sure. it can help to relieve some of the pain. but really, you should take your dog to the vet to be checked over and diagnosed properly.

also, depending on what breeds may be in there, certain breeds and their mixes can be prone to hip dysplasia (do a search, see if the symptoms match his/her bahaviors).

 

[PETsMARTchick]

My boston terrier has a problem where his leg keeps coming out of the joint in his hip. There's a technical name for it but I don't know what it is. He can usually put it back into place by himself. Now that he's been taking this bone-strengthening pill things he's been a lot better. My neighbor's dog had the same thing and it had to get surgery. So maybe that's what it is.

 

[Sorrell]

You can give baby aspirin for pain in dogs. Different dog breeds are considered elderly at different ages, so depending on what she is, it definately could be arthritis. If it were hip problems, you would see many more symtoms other than just a limp: straining to sit or stand, sitting cockeyed, pain in both legs, trouble with stairs and jumping, etc. It's also very possible that she just has a strain in the leg from some rough playing. I don't think that there is any need to rush her to the vet just yet. I'd try the baby aspirin and give her awhile. If she deterierates (sp) then she may need to be checked for an injury or put on a stronger anti-imflammatory such as rimadyl.

 

[steppy104]

MAM- i in no way take offense of that. you're 100% right. ya, one day my mom was complaining about her hip bothering her and i told her "you know...sadie's having hip problems too and dad's threatening to put her to sleep if it gets worse. so wuts stopping him from putting you to sleep?"

lol. she's against puttin her down too. she knows wut i mean. but my dad doesn't really see dogs as companions. he see's them as protection and as hunting utensils. (even though he plays with and talks to her).

but ne way, she is overweight. but not so much that she moves slowly or anything. but enough that she has trouble cleaning her area. lol. it's funny watching her try though. she gets so agrivated that she can't reach, she'll start biting her knee. then she startes chasing her tail. and usually ends up stopping when she runs into something head first. but don't worry...she doesn't get seriously hurt.

wow....so many different things it could be. i just don't get how vets figure these things out!