WHY would a dog only limp sometimes????

Question

my jack russell zoe is only 3.
she is in perfect health, but here in the past two weeks when she is inside i notice her slightly limping on her left front leg.
sometimes worse after a nap.
but she has no problem running & chasing squirrels outside!!lol.
her leg acts stiff at times.
any suggestions other than vet?
she isnt holding it up , only limps, she runs great!!
it really makes no sense.
her appetite and everything is fine.
thanks.
(m)
ps, i have checked her feet , her leg, her nails are trimmed, i see no outward reason for the limp.

Answer 1

I would probably take this dog to the vet for x-rays and evaluation for elbow dyslpasia (FCP or even UAP), and have the vet x-ray the shoulders for OCD. If a dog has OCD in a shoulder, the piece of bone can float around causing intermittent lameness in the dog. She needs to be evaluated by a vet with x-rays for a proper diagnosis.

Answer 2

Some dogs are more stoic and tolerate pain more than others. He may be in pain, but pushes himself through the pain when he sees something he wants to chase. I have a dog that had a torn cruciate ligament and it took 5 different vets and a year and a half to get it diagnosed, because everytime we went to the vet, she would get all charged up and run around like crazy. The vets couldn't see a problem, and of course, ligaments don't show up on x-ray. I knew she was limping at home but she wouldn't let it show to strangers. Dogs don't want to appear weak, it's instinct. Although you didn't want to hear this, please do take her to the vet. She might have a hairline fracture or joint or connective tissue issue like a torn tendon or ligament, and if it's not corrected, she may end up with arthritis or permanent joint damage. My dog was only 8 months when she started limping, and everyone just ignored it because of her age, and by the time I finally convinced someone to do exploratory surgery to find out what was wrong, she had developed arthritis, that is, of course, irreversible, and even after the surgery to correct the ligament tear, she still limps and always will because of the damage to the joint.

Answer 3

a occasional limp can be caused by numerous thing,, you said front? yes..
then simple sprain/strain of the muscle, elbow problems, Lyme disease, Panositistis.. are a few..
If it is the rear, hip problems, knee problems, along with Lyme, pano also..
If she continues to do this,, yes it is time for a vet,,,
I never give a otherwise happy dog more than 12 hours for a limp to resolve..This generally covers a minor injury that will resolve with rest..
if the dog is non weight bearing on the leg then vet ASAP.
If the limp keeps coming back, then time for the vet to see what the heck is going on.. you have given it enough time for simple rest to repair it,, and with this breed, they are VERY tolerant of pain and she may be in a lot more discomfort than she is showing you..
good luck..
Amanda

Answer 4

Is it a rear leg? She could have a luxating patella- which can be very painful. However- sometimes (as with my brother's dog) the knee pops out of place- making her limp- but it does not ever seem to bother her. It could start being painful though so if/when that is the case you should take her to the vet. they can give you meds and there is also surgery (very successful) to correct it.

Answer 5

It could be any kind of joint, bone, tendon or soft tissue problem. Any problem has potential to only become painful at certain times.

Take her to the vet to find out what the problem is BEFORE the dog starts to limp all of the time! You can't even rule out that there is something embedded in a paw, these things can work their way in and only be uncovered on deep exploration under sedation.

My bet is that it's a joint problem tho so like I say, get it sorted before it becomes worse - nicer for the dog, cheaper for you.

Chalice

Answer 6

Intermittend limping - if no obvious physical reason can be found - *could* be indicative of malfunctioning thyroids. Hypothyroidism has got over 50 clinical symptoms - limping, stiffness and/or knuckling feet are part of them. It is an absolute myth that only lethargic, overweight dogs can have malfunctioning thyroids - many show those symptoms .... but others might just show a limp.

Answer 7

Dear person in need,
I think that the reason ur dog is limping is because she mite be sleeping on her left front leg, my clue is that you said that it gets worse after a nap, well, that's the time tht she would've slept on it, so it would be the worst then. I think tht if she is sleeping on her left front leg 2 often, tht u should maybe try buying her a circular bed, b/c my dog has 1 and it pretty much makes them sleep curled up in a ball, if she already has a circular bed, then try having her run a lot, b/c it sounds like when she runs, she is fine.
I hope my advice helps you out!

Answer 8

Dogs are amaizing at hiding their pain. It may be that your dog is in constant pain but only exhibits symptoms when it's really bad. Jack russels have so much energy he is probably reinjuring himself during play and then it stiffins up when resting. I suggest an x-ray and period of rest. It seems like the injury is trying to heal but is only getting worse from your dog's activities.

Answer 9

I had a jack russell, his name was Carolina. He was a sweet little thing. Had the same problem with him, and what the vet told me was that it was a form of arthritis and told me to give him aspirin when he did it, so that's what i did and it seem to helped him. if you are worried though, call the vet to see if he would give you advice over the phone. good luck and i hope she's fine.

Answer 10

there might be a pulled tendon up around the top of its leg[where the torso meets the leg].and only bothers it when it is stiff and has a lack of blood flow.try gently pulling that leg out and carefully see what kind of range of motion it has.if the dog pulls back or shows signs of pain or discomfort you may have found your problem.