onebadf250

I have a 2yr old Golden Ret. He started limping on his front left side Thursday afternoon and Friday mornign and is still doing it tonight when I got back from hunting.I have checked his paw 2 or three times and can't find anything. There doesn't seem to be any swelling anywhere and he doesn't act like anything is hurting him when I run up and down his leg. He only limps when he is walking. He runs, jumps, chases, retrieveslike nothing is wrong. He even loaded in my boat on the trailer tonight and jumped out on the side where the sidewalk drops off in my yard which is probably 4ft.(may be oneof the problems)

Any suggestions on what it might be? Something I can check that maybe I missed? How would I be able to tell if it was arthritic w/o a $100 trip to the vet?
THANKS

huntingirl89

Lay him on his side and check his flexibility in all joints one at a time. Compare with the other front leg. Stretch the leg completely out, and then bend completely back in. They won't always whine, but might show a little wince, so watch his face. If he gives you any resistance (trying to pull the leg back away from you, ect.) let him be for a little while.

Feel the shoulders extensively. When he's sitting, extend the leg by the paw foward and then tuck the leg back. Check inbetween his toes for anything that could have gotten lodged in there.

If he or his family has a history of arthritis, it might not be a bad idea to start him on glucosomine.

If he seems too painful, or winces it wouldn't hurt to just go for an x-ray. I've seen dogs that completely dislocated their shoulders and hips and run on them, but seldom walk.

HikeNHunter

Do what's best for the dog. If he is limping for more than a day or two and you can't find the problem TAKE HIM TO THE VET.

Blueditch42

well said hikenhunter!

sproulman

dogs get sprains..just like us..i would not go to vet,save your money..

take him for walk on leash and watch him..dont hunt him for a week..give him ababy aspirin if you think he is in pain,if not, it should go away with rest and walking..

vets are charging way to much anymore..i raised dogs 35 yers ago and we did not run to vet everytime dog had problem..but ,if you got money to waste and you think its something they can do, then go..

most likely they will not do thing to help other than charge you..dogs get hurt and from my experience raising dogs,most problems on 2 year old dog go away..

i had friend whose dog was 13 years old..he kept throwing up and was starting to fall..i told him that dog is ready to go to dog heaven..its part of life..he got mad at me and said, he is sick and i am taking him to vet..

well, 650 dollars vet charged him and then said, oh ,he has cancer..duh!!yes, when dog is ready to go they get cancer etc..its part of dieing..vet said, make him comfortable..vets know when you come in door,what is wrong with dogs..

oh well..on 2 year old dog, i would not be rushing him to vet..watch him, rest..take care..

Mite

Personally, I would take him to the vet. If your child starts limping would wait and see before you went to the ER?Wouldyou takea chance that something could be seriously wrong and risk a more serious injury? You have a responsibilty which you accepted when you purchased/rescued the dog. It could possibly be a deep ligament tear and unless your an expert in ligament tears I would seek help.

My $.02

onebadf250

Well I tried all the bending and strecthing with no reaction from him what so ever. Good thing is his limp is going away for the most part. I walked him a good bit yesterday and this afternoon and he seems to be getting better. I think he may have stoved it up or maybe sprained it. I'm with sproulman on running to the vet. If he was getting worst or not running around at wide open speeds I would be more concerned. Other than the limp he had while walking he was doing everything else as normal.Vet is $100 everytime I walk in the door. Ilike my vet alotbut gezz. I have an F250 with a 6" liftand35" tires,he is jumping in the back of it with no problem. When he hesitates doing that I'll know something is up.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll keep you posted if something happens.

PS..Yes if my kid has a problem I would take him to the doc...but my dog is a dog not a human!

onebadf250

Well I tried all the bending and strecthing with no reaction from him what so ever. Good thing is his limp is going away for the most part. I walked him a good bit yesterday and this afternoon and he seems to be getting better. I think he may have stoved it up or maybe sprained it. I'm with sproulman on running to the vet. If he was getting worst or not running around at wide open speeds I would be more concerned. Other than the limp he had while walking he was doing everything else as normal.Vet is $100 everytime I walk in the door. Ilike my vet alotbut gezz. I have an F250 with a 6" liftand35" tires,he is jumping in the back of it with no problem. When he hesitates doing that I'll know something is up.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll keep you posted if something changes.

PS..Yes if my kid has a problem I would take him to the doc..but my dog is a dog not a human!

cascadedad

Hey OBF250, does your dog jump out of the back of your pickup also. Seriously, this could be the problem. When they land after jumping off of something high, the front shoulders take a lot of pressure.

No problem jumping in, but I would privide a ramp or just lift him out.

Doc E

No way in the world would I let a dog jump in/out of a vehicle that high.



.