Why is my dog limping?

Question

I have pampered pomeranian, and she keeps pulling up one of her back feet and limping around. There doesnt seem to be anything visibly wrong with the foot. And half the time she's still storming around the house full speed. Before you answer "take her to the vet" let me just say i have four kids i barely afford, lol, and unless pooch is at deaths door i cant justify the expense. She's not in pain. Could she be doing it for attention?

Ok, let me stress before someone else pisses me off. I love my dog to bits, hence the pampered bit. And ordinarily, i could afford to take her to a vet, but at the moment i cant. Obviously, the vet tech who flippantly suggests i should "rehome her with someone who can afford to treat her" hasnt children, or is one of those people who calls his/her pets "babies"

One more note to the abusive vet-tech(who im sure earns more than my factory-employed husband to support his three kids) but i only took offense to the way (i beleive i specified)FLIPPANTLY suggested this. As I feel ive asked this question earnestly i see no reason for anyone to come across as a rude-dude know-it-all. BTW: ive looked into what you suggested, and it seems possibly unlikely, as candy is a puppy.

She's an eleven month old puppy, who was not at all expensive, be cause not all people rip the **** out of people who want a particular breed of companion.(thats my next question"how do people justify charging hundreds and even thousands of bucks for pedigree dogs?) As ive stated, i only cant afford the vets at the moment. Am having a crises at the moment, and if i have to, ill flog her wardrobe on ebay to pay for the vets, i am sensible enough to do this, i just thought to ask about on yahoo, being like midnite here and not being able to do much else at the moment. Jeez.

Answer 1

I know how you feel and if I had the $$$$ I would send it to you for your dog.

The dog could have been injured by one of the kids, i.e. dropped, by accident or something of that nature. It could be arthritis. It could be a hip problem. In other words, a vet really needs to look at the dog.

I know it is expensive and I know what it is like to live pay check to pay check. I am sure you love the dog. Maybe you could sell something for the money to take her to the vet or cut back on an expense for the month.

Pomeranians are so cute, and they are fragile. I wish I could offer you a simple solution here, but without a vet it is difficult to tell whats going on.

Good Luck and Take Care

Answer 2

Take a good look at her leg to make sure there aren't any cuts or foreign objects stuck in the leg or on the paw (look between the toes too). If you don't see any cause for the limping, and she doesn't appear to be in severe pain, you hold off on taking her to the vet right away, it sounds like she may have just overdid it on your walk. You didn't mention her age, but for an older dog, twice the normal walk could cause some soreness. Dogs can also pull muscles, or just step at a weird angle and cause a minor injury. Young dogs often have growing pains, but it could also be something more serious such as hip dyplasia. Have her take it easy the next couple days, no walks at all. If she's still limping after a few days and you see no improvement, then take her into the vet.

Answer 3

One of my dogs limped from a very young age and we took her to the vets loads of times about it. She still lifts her paw off the ground sometimes when she is sat still, and she is in no obvious pain, and we suspect this might be for attention. I don't want to be negative, but one of my other dogs used to do this and it turned out she had cancer in her leg joint (which is why we are so vigilant now). I'm not suggesting that it is anything bad like this, but it can be nothing or something significant.

It sounds like you have checked her out, but keep an eye out for thorns or cuts in her pads etc. Does the limping get worse in wet or cold as it might be arthritis, even in a pup. Check for any lumps all the way up her leg. If it hasn't been happening too long then she might have just pulled a muscle. Do you have a charity vets near you that could just give her a checking over? Or you could take out pet insurance and that would cover any treatment too. Good luck

Answer 4

No, even though spoiled, she's still a dog not a person, so is not doing it for attention. And if she weren't in any pain, she wouldn't be limping - she's limping because it hurts to put all her weight on it. Dogs can be stoic, so she's not crying but she can't help but limp.

Her foot needs to be checked very closely, between the toes and pads especially - it could be something very tiny in there. How are her pads - are they cracked and very dry? If so, put a little vaseline on them. If there's nothing stuck in her paw, she could have pulled a muscle. Is there any swelling or a spot that makes her flinch when you run your hands over it? If so, try alternate heat and ice just like you would for a person - be careful not to leave either on for too long.

Pomeranians can also have knee problems - if that's it, she needs to see a vet.

Answer 5

Can't believe this question has generated such a huge response! Puppies are often hurting themselves playing. How long has she been limping like this? Is she otherwise OK and eating normally etc? If so, leave it a few days and see if she improves. Try to keep her as calm and quiet as possible so as not to aggravate the leg further, no rough and tumble with the kids and don't let them pick her up or handle her awkwardly. Pomeranians are quite fragile! If no improvement after a few days then make a decision about a trip to the vets. Good luck.

Answer 6

Don't get pissed because someone tells you to re-home an animal. Unfortunately, life is hard and sometimes we make it harder on ourselves by adding stress in our lives we don't need. I agree that a person who cannot afford an animal shouldn't have one but that's not helping your dog so here is my answer and be adult enough to accept the truth.
Your dog probably has a luxating patella/cruciate, it is a very expensive surgery to have repaired, but it must be done, otherwise it can get worse and in the future you may have to pay to have the leg amputated which is another expensive surgery. Call around to the vet clinics and tell them you need to have your dog treated, then ask them what type of payment plan they have. In my opinion, any vet who really cares about an animal would be willing to work with you so your dog doesn't have to suffer and at the same time you won't have to worry about where your kids next meal is coming from. Some areas have low cost clinics, so check around and ask around and see whats out there so you can get your pampered pom the help it needs. Just be aware that without treatment, the problem will continue to get worse and I know you don't want to be responsible for that.

Answer 7

I'm sorry you have taken offence but the facts remain that if you cannot afford to get proper veterinary care when she needs it, you should not have her. I can understand that your children come first. but not being able to afford a vet is about as nonsensical an excuse as starving a dog to death because you couldn't afford to feed it.
Why won't people see that keeping an animal is more than simply giving it some food once a day?
How do you know she isn't in pain?The fact that she won't put weight on a leg would indicate that there IS some pain.
Animals don't do things for the attention.
If you cannot afford to properly care for her, you have a duty to find her a home with someone who CAN afford to. Anything less brands you as selfish and uncaring.

Answer 8

1. Don't guess when your pet starts to behave, or move oddly.

2. Get your dog in to the vet. They most likely have seen this before.

3. If your dog is having hip pain, they can give you something to relieve it. They don't limp because it feels good walking that way.

Good Luck and Warm Regards.

Answer 9

You probably don't want to hear this. But whether you have money or not, you need to take the dog in to get checked out by a vet. NO ONE on yahoo DVM or not can diagnose your pomeraniam based on a message board post. YOUR DOG REALLY NEEDS TO BE CHECK OUT BY A VET! I know they cost money, but getting her looked out now can save you money, because emergency fees at clinics are VERY high!


Don't get mad at people for telling you to take the dog to the vet. If your child had a broken leg, would you say "it's too expensive" and not take him/her to the doctor. I work in an emergency clinic and here is one thing that I know. Not everyone needs to have a dog. If you can barely handel your children, then you don't need a dog. I don't care how much you claim to spoil it. A dog deserves the same care as a child. Does it get yearly vaccines, vet visits, etc. If not you are a neglictful owner. A dog is not a toy. It's a committment. As a mother, you should realize what responsibility is. If you can afford to care for the dog, you don't need to own one. PERIOD! I'm a college student, but I care for my dog. She has ALL vaccines, a regular vet clinic she sees, she's registered with the city, she's got a microchip, she's been spayed and if she had an emergency and I just couldn't pay for it, I would LOVE HER enough to sign her over to someone that could get her the care that she needs.

"unless pooch is at deaths door, I can't justify the expense"
That's a ridiculus statement and really pisses me off. You don't care about your dog as much as you claim you do. I would give my right arm to keep my dog from being in pain, "deaths door" or not. Start treating your dog like a living creature and not just another toy for your children.


**Oh by the way....I have a purebred Shih-Tzu (she's 1 year old). I got her at the local Humane Society. A girl brought her in because she was too high maintenance ad she couldn't deal with the daily grooming and vet bills. If I hand't been doing an internship there she would have cost me $95, but I got her for free. Don't complain about the cost of purebred dogs. You can get them at animal shelters around the country for under $100.

Again if you can't afford to give her the vet care she needs, PLEASE do what's best and rehome her.


The vet tech you are so angry with is right about everything she's been telling you....you just don't want to listen

Answer 10

At least get a consultation, it may not be as much as you think and there are a lot of pet charities out there who will look at her for you that will ask for a donation. I wish I had have done it for my cat rather than waiting 6 months, he demonstrated no signs of pain but was limping and it turned out to be a tumour. What ever it costs it won't be worth the guilt.