Animals have become an integral part of human life. Many families live four-legged pets. However, lame-legged pets are often found on the street. Face with similar problem often happens to many dog ​​owners. The dog finds it difficult to step on on the front or back paw. Painful sensations can lead to serious illnesses. But the condition of your faithful friend will depend on how timely you can seek help.

Types of injuries

There may be several reasons why a dog is limping:

Appearance of instant lameness

Much worse if visible lesions No. In this case, a bone or joint in the leg may be damaged.

Such problems may include a dislocation or fracture. If unsuccessfully jumping from a height, the animal may dislocate its paw. In this case, swelling of the limb will appear. If a dog twists its paw, the owner can alleviate its condition. The pet will try not to step on the injured limb. Applying ice will help relieve inflammation.

A fracture can most often be caused by active movement: while an animal is playing, or when sliding on a tile. The limb will take on a different shape and appear severe swelling. The animal will need help. It is necessary to fix the paw. In any case, you should immediately go to the veterinary hospital.

Sometimes a dog suddenly begins to limp, and then the lameness also disappears imperceptibly. This is a signal of bone or joint disease. Sometimes this is how the disease manifests itself internal organs. Also the dog could bruise or soothe a paw. The cause can be any illness of the pet. The most common are:

• Arthrosis or arthritis. The disease cannot be completely cured. However, it is possible to support the joint four-legged friend throughout life. Lameness will appear after sleep, long stay at rest. As soon as the dog warms up its muscles, the lameness will immediately go away.
• Spinal disease. If the dog previously had a spinal injury or was found to have vertebral hernia, you should urgently seek help from a veterinarian. This can prevent further paralysis of the animal.
• Malignant neoplasms. Osteosarcoma is considered a common cancerous tumor. The animal needs to be x-rayed. Treatment is best carried out under the supervision of an experienced specialist.
• Heredity. This pathology cannot be treated. To avoid the disease in other animals, you should not breed offspring from a sick dog.
• Dysplasia. A disease that causes lameness. Breeds such as Rottweiler, Labrador, Shepherd, Alabai, and Retriever often suffer from it. These breeds are large and therefore prone to dysplasia.

What to do if you have pain in your front legs

Sometimes your four-legged friend begins to limp only on his front leg. This could be caused by for various reasons. But most often it is associated with protrusion intervertebral disc in the neck area. This makes it difficult to turn your head. Possible shoulder dislocation, bruise. A careful inspection is required.

Causes of lameness in the hind legs

The puppy may begin to limp on its back leg. Protrusion intervertebral discs in the chest and lumbar regions causes such lameness. The limbs become weak if the dog is infected with infectious enteritis or hepatitis. But correct diagnosis can only be placed after an x-ray.

As soon as the first signs of lameness are detected in your pet, you should carefully check the paws and seek help from a specialist.

A responsible owner is always attentive to his animal. As soon as lameness is discovered in your four-legged friend, you need to limit his movement and seek help from a specialist. Give without examination by a veterinarian various drugs It is not recommended to do it on your own. This can harm your pet.

The only justified pre-medical intervention is vitamin B, which will relieve severe pain. The pharmacist will tell you the required dose for the animal. It will depend on weight and age.

Household reasons

Lameness sometimes occurs unexpectedly. Jumping from a small height, little puppy may stretch ligaments that have not yet strengthened. And if the baby suffers from rickets, then an ordinary jump leads to a fracture of the radius.

The risk group includes:

• puppies large breeds(mastiffs, Great Danes);
• small breeds (Yorkies, Chihuahuas).

Jumping from a height of 30 cm, they can damage their limbs. This leads to fractures and dislocations. Jumping for puppies is strictly prohibited.

To understand that your pet has begun to limp, you need to know how he moves when he is healthy. Movements should be free and smooth. It’s good to walk on the wet ground and then examine the pet’s tracks. The length between tracks of a lame animal will vary.

Treatment and prevention of lameness

It should be remembered that lameness is a symptom of a disease. It can be eliminated only by identifying the cause of the disease itself. Only a good specialist will do this.

The main task for a dog breeder- prevent the pet from becoming lame. You will need to follow a few simple rules:

• Diversify your diet. Food should not be monotonous. Food should be rich in calcium.
• Avoid overheating and hypothermia of the dog.
• Contact with household chemicals should be limited to a minimum.

Attention, TODAY only!

Lameness in a dog is a functional change in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. First of all, the step function is disrupted. The movements of a healthy animal, regardless of its physique, are free and springy. It rests on all limbs. An unhealthy animal moves stiffly and guards itself. This means that walking does not involve any one limb or even several limbs. An attentive owner cannot help but notice that any dog’s gait has changed, it is limping or dragging its paw. The veterinarian is most often asked the question why a dog is limping on its front leg. The front paw is the support paw; the animal injures it most quickly when jumping - it gets twisted, dislocated, cut on glass, or sprained when landing on a slippery surface.

The question of why a dog is limping on its hind leg is a little less common. But also hind limbs They also suffer - they are pinched, damaged in fights, injured in the hock joint. It is important for the owner to understand that lameness is not a disease. This is a symptom of many diseases, so it is eliminated in accordance with the diagnosis.

Possible causes of lameness in dogs

Mechanical

TO mechanical reasons include injuries of various etiologies. The dog could get into a fight and in the fight get bitten by another animal (if the fight was with a cat, then the cat’s claws could severely scratch the dog’s paw and cause an infection in the wound). Fight small dog with more large dog leads to obvious injuries, but a skirmish large dog with a small dog is usually ignored by the owners. Therefore, they do not always associate the pet’s health problems, in particular lameness, with past “showdowns.” Meanwhile, even Yorkshire Terrier or the miniature pinscher is capable of biting through a muscle or tendon of a large opponent, which subsequently leads to lameness.

An unsuccessful jump leads to fractures, sprains, dislocations, and cracked bones. An animal falling from a height has similar consequences. There are breeds for which jumping is contraindicated, and falls are often fatal for them. These are heavy type dogs with short legs - pugs, french bulldogs, Bullies, as well as dogs with thin fragile bones - Russian Toys, Chihuahuas, Chinese Cresteds. Dogs with an elongated body - Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Skye Terriers, Welsh Corgis - are also susceptible to diseases of the back and paws, if not properly maintained and excessive loads mature years are greeted with lameness, numbness of the paws, and sagging of the back.

Someone could have kicked the dog or hit it with some object, or it could have gotten under the wheel of a car or bicycle and been bruised. The bruises are not dangerous, but the pain at the site of the impact causes the animal to limp and take care of the affected limb for some time.

IN summer time The cause of lameness is often the bite of an insect, especially one with a sting: wasps, bees, bumblebees. These bites are dangerous because they can cause severe allergic reaction and even lead to tissue necrosis at the site of the bite. The same goes for snake bites. Tissue damage is caused by the bite of any snake, including non-venomous ones.

Another summer nuisance is particles of the empty oat plant (popularly called oats, oats, ustyug, ustyuk, etc.). These particles go deep into the tissue and cause abscesses.

Medical causes of lameness

Under medical reasons refers to genetic (congenital) and acquired diseases.

Genetic diseases of the musculoskeletal system include dysplasia hip joint(St. Bernards, Rottweilers, Mountain Dogs and other large breeds), dysplasia knee joint with possible dislocation of the kneecap (Labradors, Spitz, Griffons), ataxia (Staffordshire terriers, bull terriers, cocker spaniels). These diseases are not treated, they only relieve the symptoms and alleviate the pet’s suffering. The only prevention genetic diseases is to conduct genetic testing of breeding animals and exclude from breeding individuals with a tendency to genetic defects.

Inflammatory diseases of muscles, ligaments, and joints also cause the animal to limp. Lameness often leads to neurological problems animals - paresis, paralysis. These diseases affect the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord (about concussion).

Various types of problems with blood vessels - thrombosis, for example - disrupt blood circulation in the extremities, impair tissue trophism and cause lameness due to weakening of ligaments.

Lameness is caused by poor quality nutrition, poor in magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Due to a deficiency of these microelements, animals develop seizures. Painful contractions muscles, even after relaxing and returning to normal, still remind themselves of being dull for some time aching pain in the limbs, which can also cause the dog to limp.

Causes the same problem tumor diseases, especially osteosarcoma, muscle fibroids and others. Firstly, the tumor disrupts normal structure bones or muscles, impairs their nutrition, causes discomfort and pain at the site of formation. Secondly, the tumor changes the functionality of the limb, growing into different parts of it.

Veterinary

It happens that a dog limps on its hind leg after an injection. She may be in pain after administering the medication incorrectly—too quickly or too slowly—or the drug may cause painful sensation at the injection site, or an inexperienced specialist hit the periosteum.

Also, the dog limps on the front leg if he goes on IV drips. She usually has a catheter placed and secured to her paw with duct tape. The catheter causes discomfort to the animal and slightly interferes with movement. Even when it is removed, the animal limps either from discomfort at the attachment site or out of habit. In severe cases, the nerve may be affected, in which case specific treatment is required. neurological treatment. Muscle contracture is also possible due to the local toxic effects of the drug.

Psychological

Dogs, of course, should not be humanized and ascribed qualities and abilities that are unique to humans. But you shouldn’t underestimate them either; they are very smart and cunning creatures who perfectly know how to manipulate both people and other animals. It is cunning that determines psychological reasons some cases of lameness in these pets.

The dog may be limping if

• Previously, he was sick, limped, underwent treatment and was released from training at the training ground. Thus, he wants to avoid another training and habitually demonstrates the behavior that he needs in order not to train.
• He once ran, limping, into the ring with a handler and was taken out of training or removed from the exhibition. Since handling and performance in the ring are not interesting to the dog, he will remember how to avoid them.
• He is younger than other dogs I know. Then, in the event of the slightest manifestation of aggression on the part of adults, the young dog may limp, fall on his back, whine, in every possible way showing that he is smaller and weaker.

What an owner should do if a dog has lameness

What to do if the dog is limping? Definitely take him to the veterinarian or call him to your home. In the first case it is possible immediately full examination dogs, in the second the dog does not bother his sore paw with walking and feels better in a familiar environment.

The veterinarian will manually and visually examine the paw on which the dog is limping, take a blood test, and, if necessary, urine. You will also need to do x-rays in several projections. Ideally shown ultrasound examination joint and adjacent tissues. It is advisable that the results of analyzes and studies be studied by an orthopedist or traumatologist. But in principle, the surgeon will handle the diagnosis and prescription of treatment.

In veterinary clinics major cities equipment for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. If you have the opportunity to conduct such an examination for your pet, you should not neglect it. It's on at the moment most accurate and safe method diagnostics various problems with health. the only drawback of this study is its high price.

Before the dog gets an appointment with the veterinarian, it is necessary to immobilize his paw, place the animal in a cage, carrier or tie him up, limiting his mobility. A small dog It is best to carry it in your arms.

Treatment of lameness in dogs

Treatment for lameness will depend on what diagnosis the veterinarian makes based on the examination completed. If the dog is in pain, he may be prescribed a painkiller. But if it is necessary for treatment purposes to keep the animal at rest, then the painkiller is not administered to it. After all, with the disappearance of pain, the dog will again run, jump, play, disturbing the sore paw and preventing healing.

If the x-ray reveals a crack or fracture, then a splint is put on the limb or otherwise immobilized. Inflammatory process removed non-steroidal drugs. Steroids are prescribed if the first ones are ineffective.

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In veterinary practice, we often encounter lameness in dogs. Very often it touches the pet's front paws.

Owners usually come to the clinic with complaints about their animals' short stride, tucking in their paws and falling on one side (right or left) - all these are manifestations of the same problem: lameness on the front paw.

It occurs when pain appears in this area, which is why the dog in every possible way avoids putting stress on the injured limb. However, you should not think that the cause of this disease can only be injury, because this is only one of the options. In fact, there may be many more reasons that provoked the painful condition.

Why is the dog limping?

In order to identify the cause, you should carefully examine the pet and observe its behavior. What will this give? You will receive valuable information about the presence or absence of external damage, and will be able to determine the location of pain.

So, a dog can limp for several reasons:

1. Damage to fingers and feet (one of the most common causes).
2. Splinter in the balls of the feet or between the toes.
3. Reptile or insect bites (usually wasps, tarantulas, snakes)
4. Ticks (in spring, pets often suffer from their bites)
5. Muscle strain or joint dislocation.
6. Bone fracture.
7. Dysplasia ligamentous apparatus(found in dogs of large breeds).
8. Secondary osteoarthritis.
9. Chondroid metaplasia of intervertebral discs.
10. Syringomyelia.

How to treat lameness in a dog with visible damage

A thorough examination, observation of the animal’s behavior and careful palpation (feeling) of the paw will allow you to determine how to proceed. In most cases, the animal owner can cope on his own.

Minor damage to the paw

Small cuts, wounds or scrapes often appear during walks in nature. If you find such skin damage, it is enough to treat it with hydrogen peroxide. This will neutralize bacteria that have entered the wound and speed up healing.

Splinter

If a splinter gets deep into soft fabrics, then it may well cause pain and lameness in the animal. In some cases, a splinter can cause slight inflammation, then you will see redness in the area of ​​the skin puncture. The splinter is removed using tweezers, having previously treated the affected area with alcohol. If the splinter is deep and you cannot remove it on your own, it makes sense to go to the veterinary clinic.

Insect bite

If you are sure that the reason feeling unwell the dog has an insect bite, you can treat the area with a mixture of water and soda (10:1) . You will be allowed to verify this following symptoms: slight swelling paws and inflammation. If your dog is bitten by a snake or tarantula, prompt contact with a specialist is imperative.

Ticks

Sprained joint or sprained ligament

Is your dog whining, not stepping on its paw, and reacting painfully to touch? It is possible that your pet has a sprain or dislocation, especially if you notice deformation in the joint area and swelling of the tissues. This often happens during long runs or jumps. To alleviate the condition, the injured limb can be secured with a tight bandage and ice applied. It is highly advisable to seek professional help.

Fracture

If the paw is broken, the dog does not step on the paw at all and does not allow him to touch it. The best thing you can do is take him to a clinic for treatment.

What to do if there is no visible damage due to lameness

It is much more difficult to identify the cause of a pet’s illness if no damage was found on the paw. This may indicate serious diseases of the animal, associated not only with musculoskeletal system, but also with the nervous system. In this case, only a veterinarian can identify the cause after a thorough diagnosis.

Carefully selected therapy, adherence to recommendations and ensuring rest usually lead to positive result pretty soon. Before going to the clinic, your task is to calm the dog down and provide him with the most gentle treatment possible.

Having studied all the possible causes of a dog's front leg lameness, you probably already realized that any of them is quite serious. You should not ignore this behavior of your pet, because it can lead to severe consequences(for example, improper bone healing during a fracture).

“Feed me not porridge with meat, but meat with porridge”
(out of 15 requests from a puppy addressed to its future owner)

I would like to talk to you about the lameness of your pets, as this is a very serious topic and requires special attention.

Many of you, having noticed lameness in your pet, think something like this: he probably caught a cold or was hurt, sprained ligaments, etc., and then the conclusion usually follows - “it will go away on its own.” The saddest thing here is that with many serious illnesses lameness may indeed go away temporarily, sometimes even for several months. The owners are calm, it has passed, but the disease continues to progress, and lameness often appears, which may never go away!

For convenience, we will divide the causes of lameness into two categories: the first, where lameness occurs suddenly and the second, where it occurs slowly and gradually worsens.

Sudden lameness.

Typically due to one form or another traumatic injury. This can range from simple and usually obvious causes such as: cuts, wounds, foreign bodies (eg glass, nails, grass) entering the ball of the foot, to more insidious conditions such as torn ligaments, fractures. If your dog licks his paws excessively and is limping, you might suspect a cut or foreign body, but we can also assume an infection called interdigital dermatitis. Fractures are also a common cause of lameness, usually due to any injuries, such as car accidents. They can range from mild (but painful) where the bone is just cracked, to severe bone crushing.

Some owners note unusual shape lameness in their dogs. In this case, the dog may suddenly limp on one hind leg, dragging it behind him. And then suddenly the dog becomes normal again. This form of lameness is often caused by a luxated kneecap (patella luxation). Dislocation can occur in any breed, but is most common in small breeds (in them it is often inherited from their parents). When kneecap moves out of its normal position, it acts like a wedge and tightens the ligaments around the knee so that the animal cannot bend the leg. Then suddenly the kneecap slides into place and the dog can walk normally again. Another condition in small dogs, especially young ones, that causes lameness is a condition known as Legga-Calvé-Perthes or necrosis of the head femur. This problem is also inherited from parents. During this disease, the blood supply to the femoral neck fails, the neck disintegrates and destruction of the joint occurs. This further leads to severe lameness.

Gradual lameness.

Lameness develops gradually, usually because of progression of certain conditions. The most common cause of lameness is arthritis, in all its forms. Arthritis is a condition caused by a number of changes in the structure and function of bones, joints and ligaments. This can occur in almost any joint, but is more common in the hips and knees. The causes of arthritis, in turn, are the conditions described above. As a rule, lameness in such dogs worsens after rest. Often, this goes away or decreases when the dog walks around for a while as the muscles warm up and begin to produce joint fluid. Another one of the most serious reasons causing the gradual onset of lameness is the development of a tumor. The bad ones are bone tumors (osteosarcomas), which require chemotherapy and usually amputation to treat them.

The consequences of the thought “it will go away on its own” are often disastrous. These include ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament coupled with tendons due to untimely treatment of the dislocation kneecap. If necrosis of the femoral head is not treated in a timely manner, there is a risk that the function of the limb will not be restored as a result of muscle atrophy. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Lameness certainly creates serious problems for your pets. If your pet exhibits any of the above signs, be sure to consult a doctor to avoid or significantly reduce the risk of further complications.

No one is immune from illness and injury, including your pets. If the dog begins to limp hind legs, but there are no visible reasons - this is a reason to seriously worry about her health and take action. We will talk about why a dog may limp and how to help it in this article.

Determining lameness in a dog yourself

The reader has the right to be surprised: “isn’t it obvious when a dog is limping?” Indeed, this symptom is immediately visible in 90% of cases. But you can notice something is wrong before the dog begins to clearly limp.

What can cause a change in an animal's gait? There are many reasons, the most likely are the following:

• joint and ligament injuries;
• illnesses spinal cord And nervous system generally;
• thrombosis of the extremities;
• genetic diseases;
• various types of tumors;
• inflammatory processes;
• avitaminosis;
• other diseases.

In large breed dog puppies, lameness can be caused by domestic reasons. You turned away, and the animal jumped off the bench, spraining its ligaments. Apparent reasons it seems not, but the dog is limping. Animals suffering from vitamin deficiencies are also at risk.

In most cases, only the following can help your pet: veterinarian. But in some situations you can cope on your own, especially if the lameness is caused by injury.

Take a closer look at a healthy animal: its steps are free, and its gait is springy and light. If there are any deviations, they can be detected using a simple method.

Walk your pet over wet sand or damp soil. Measure the distances between paw prints. Ideally, the stride length is the same. But if one step is a little shorter than the other, it’s time to sound the alarm. This means that your dog has musculoskeletal problems, which will eventually manifest as lameness, including in the hind legs.

When measuring tracks, pay attention to one more thing: how the dog places its paws. If it “takes out” on outside or “turns” inward - this is also a sign of incipient lameness.

If the dog is already limping, you can self-diagnosis. Of course it won't replace instrumental methods, used in clinics, but at least you will understand what is wrong with your pet.

There are three types of lameness, each with specific symptoms.

1. Lameness of a supporting limb. The dog only leans lightly on the sore paw and strives to quickly transfer its body weight to the healthy limb. The stride shortens, this is clearly visible if you observe the animal from the side. The animal may hunch over or hop on three legs. Common reason- injuries. Also, such lameness can occur due to muscle inflammation.
2. Lameness of a hanging limb. The paw is tucked close to the body, the dog does not step on it. Touching an injured limb causes sharp pain. The reasons are different: wounds, fractures, inflammation of the joints, dislocations.
3. Neurological paresis. In this case, there are no visible reasons, the animal does not experience pain. Lameness is caused by muscle weakness.

What to do if your dog starts limping? We will analyze all the reasons and tell you what to do in each case.

Signs, causes and actions of dog owners with lameness

For your convenience, we have prepared a table with descriptions of lameness, possible reasons and your actions to help the animal.

We've talked about all the causes of dog lameness that you can try to deal with on your own. But there are diseases that cannot be treated at home without special knowledge.

Anterior rupture cruciate ligament knee joint

The animal begins to limp unexpectedly after prolonged training. There are no visible reasons. The type is lameness of the supporting limb. Probable Cause- rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee joint. This injury is most common in dogs, especially large breeds. The problem can only be dealt with surgically.

Patella shift

Also a common injury, the main symptom of which is lameness of the hanging limb. The dog whines, cannot step on the sore paw, and keeps it tucked in. It is impossible to help an animal without a veterinarian.

Fractures and dislocations

Lameness occurs suddenly, often after a fall. Damaged limb it swells, and when dislocated, it becomes distorted. The animal whines, cannot step on its foot, and touches cause severe pain. You cannot cope with this problem yourself; take the animal to a veterinary clinic or call a doctor at home.

Intervertebral disc protrusion

A serious pathology that threatens the pet’s life. The dog falls on its paws and lameness develops. In some cases, the animal cannot turn its head, the gait becomes unsteady, and the limbs “twitch.” Call a doctor immediately!

Infectious or rheumatoid arthritis

Have you noticed that your dog starts limping after sleeping, but after a while the lameness goes away? This is how infectious or rheumatoid arthritis manifests itself. In large breed dogs, the front paws are most often affected; in other animals, both the front and hind paws are affected. Another disease that occurs in large animals is dysplasia. elbow joint. There are no other symptoms other than lameness after rest. Exception - infectious arthritis. In this case, you may notice swelling in the affected limbs. In addition, the animal's appetite is impaired.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely cure an animal of arthritis. Contact your doctor so he can determine necessary treatment. To maintain your pet's health, use chondroprotectors. For example, for dogs or. The latter, by the way, helps with muscle inflammation, wounds and sprains. The main thing to remember is that chondroprotectors are aids and cannot replace full treatment.

Let's sum it up

Your dog suddenly started limping and you don't know what to do? In the article we talked about the main causes of the problem. Remember that trying to cope with the disease on your own is not always appropriate. Don't risk your pet's health; contact your veterinarian at the first sign of lameness.