Hi just wondered if someone out there could give me some advise please.
Took Ruff for his 4 o'clock walk down to the allotment. He was fine until we got there the he just laid down in the shade. When he got up he seemed to be struggling with his back legs -never had problems before. We then walked back - he was limping - checked his pads they felt rough and not sure if it was just roughness or a thorn but managed to get it out and he walked back on 4 legs.

Since being at home he was out of sorts just lying on the cold floor and when he got up not putting any weight on his back leg. I rechecked everything - no sores, nail fine and did not pull away when pressed his pads. No sign of any discomfort when touching his leg neither.

Decided to wash his pad in cool water, then he started running and playing like normal. BUT now on 3 legs again.

Sorry for this long post but i'm really worried about him - don,t know if i should ring the OOH vet?

Any advice is appreciated, Thank you x

Hi. Didnt want to read and run.
If there's nothing wrong with the pads what about between them. I know Indi starts to chew the hair when his feet to get too hairy and things get caught in it
Hope someone with a better answer comes along soon.

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Checked between his pads - all clear. I know he is a "wimp" sometimes. x

Def look between the pads for one of those grass seed things, flea darts we call them, they can go right into the paw and are hard to see but if you get tweezers and pull them out they're huge!

Will he let you soak his paw in tepid salty water? if he will that can help a foreign body become more visible. Other than that if he's had no problems in the past and he continues not to use his leg then a trip to the vet may be needed. It could just be a sprain too and all he needs is to rest it for a couple of days. Have you got any Metacam or other pain reliever (doggy ones) you could give him for tonight? Also look for any signs of swelling, if it was something like a fracture which is very unlikely as you said he was using it, it would be very swollen.

If you're very worried call an out of hours vet, they will usually give you advice as to whether it's an emergency or not and may be able to tell you what pain relief you can give til Monday when you can see your usual vet.

Hope he gets better soon, he looks way cute if that's him in your avatar.

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Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

Maybe he's just after some sympathy and treats?

Am afraid I dont have any useful advice. Hope someone else has an answer for you.x

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I checked and rechecked between his pads, He's got no swelling at all and doesn't seem in pain when i touch it but won't put it down. Just Wondering if he had trodden on a thorn and it came straight out, or something and is too cautious to put it down (he can be like that!) I'll try the salty water, thank you.

Yes it is Ruff in my avaitar - he's my little baby, hate it when he can't tell me what hes done.

I'll give him a bit longer before i ring the vet, if he was crying or wimpering i'd do it straight away but he's asleep now just me sat up worrying about him! x

It is the time of year for grass seeds, they are barbed and can enter the skin and can only go one way in further. One classic place is the skin inbetween the toes they can then migrate upwards internally, so you cant always se them.
That could be one possibility.

Another explanation could be a pull or sprain or a jarred joint, some injuries can be ok after movement, but when laying they can stiffen up, so when a dog first gets up and moves they limp again.

What breed is he and how old? some breeds can have problems with their knee caps, where they can pop out and pop back in again, there is different degrees of it.As long as he is not continously holding it up and weight bares some of the time I wouldnt think its a break or fracture.

Large breed pups especially although it can happen to smaller breeds can cause damage to growth plates that are delicate, by jumping up and landing awkward
or over exercising. This tend to be pretty seerious pain wise usually.

The question is at the moment is he in pain and discomfort, if he is then it certainly wouldnt hurt to give the vet a call and geet advice.

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Will he let you touch his nails? Reason i ask is my dog pulled a nail slightly from nail bed earlier this year, he was limping then at times would not weightbare, and this was the cause,
Hope he feels better soon

He's a toy poodle, 4 years old. Would i be able to see the grass seed if it had gone inwards?
He does bare weight on it occassionally and prior to him holding it up he was just following me around the allotment so really don't think it could be a break.

He's gone upstair on his own and gone to bed! He isn't showing any sign of pain - he's his normal self just with his leg up! Eating and drinking as normal, allert, no sign of discomfort when i touch his leg and foot.

Thank you I touched all his nails and didn't seem uncomfortable.x