What Causes Chronic Limping in Young Dogs?
I have a three-year-old Lab who limps quite
frequently, and the pain seems to be in his front
leg or paw. It is most evident when he is
walking downstairs. I have mentioned this to my
vet repeatedly and he says it could be muscle
strain and to not walk him for a few days. That
doesn’t help. I have him on chondroitin but to
no avail. This is continual. What can I do to
get this diagnosed properly? Do you suggest an
MRI?
Thank you!
Val
Newtown Square, PA
Soft tissue trauma (muscle strain or a mildly injured joint) is the most common cause of limping in young dogs. This sort of injury usually is caused by rough play, over-exertion, or landing incorrectly after jumping.
Limping caused by soft tissue trauma generally improves after a few days of rest. I have seen cases in which dogs were not rested properly. This can lead to recurrent injuries and chronic limping.
However, it sounds like you have rested your dog appropriately on more than one occasion. I have a hunch that something else is going on.
Young, large-breed dogs such as Labrador Retrievers may suffer from a number of different problems that can cause chronic limping. Syndromes that may be contributing to your dog’s limping include elbow dysplasia and cartilage defects in the elbow, wrist or shoulder. He may have suffered significant trauma to a joint early in life that has resulted in arthritis. As well, several other less common causes could be causing the problem.
I recommend that you have a vet perform a very thorough evaluation of the affected leg. He or she will check for swelling, pain, joint laxity, and other symptoms that can help identify which area of the leg is affected. If your dog exercises heavily just before the exam, the problem spot may be easier to identify.
Once the problem has been localized to a specific area, the next step is to take X-rays of the area. (If the problem can’t be localized, consider taking X-rays of all of the joints in the limb.) In most cases X-rays provide a definitive diagnosis. This, in turn, will allow you to treat the problem appropriately.
There are instances in which X-rays do not lead to a diagnosis. In these cases, the next step is arthroscopy or advanced diagnostic imaging (CT or MRI). However, I recommend that that you start with simple tests and work your way up if necessary.
You have questions. 
If your dog is limping and the problem seems to be in the front wrist, I would also advise doing a test for Lymes’s disease and/or the other tick-borne diseases.
Hopefully there is nothing seriously wrong with your Lab. Have you considered Acupuncture?
Have you been traveling with your dog and requiring him to jump down out of a pickup or SUV or something that is more that 2 ft distance? This can cause all of the disturbing elbow and shoulder even spine injuries that could be cause a young dog to limp. By avoiding these jumps, please make use of a ramp or some sort of loading/unloading device to limit the trauma sustained by our furry friends. Alot of the osteoarthritis and spinal injuries that you see in these older dogs actually can be from trauma to their joints when they are young.
We have people tell us all the time that their dog can jump into their pickup just fine, what they don’t understand is that the real problem is when they are jumping down. Training our young dogs how to use these devices while their joints are still forming will help avoid the usual trauma seen in these older dogs.
Please feel free to visit our website at http://www.OttoStep.com and see great pictures of Otto Step being used…as far as training? Dogs are smart, if they see an easier alternative, they will use it naturally…as puppies they are sometimes too excited and want to jump just to go for a road trip, however; they too will be able to see how easy it is to use Otto Step, or a ramp if you wish to enter and exit a vehicle which would otherwise cause them pain or anxiety in getting in our out.
Good luck with all your traveling dogs with families!
Deb Rudzik
Otto Step Inc.
I ALSO HAD A BEAUTIFUL BLACK LAD WHO WOULD ALWAYS LICK HIS LEFT FRONT PAW….ESPECIALLY AT NITE TIME COLE WAS 9 YEARS OLD…HEALTHY BEAUTIFUL COAT GOOD TEETH PEOPLE WOULD COMMENT ON HIM AS HE LOVES TO PUT HIS HEAR OUT THE WINDOW WHEN WE WENT ANY WHERE HE STARTED LIMPING AND WE LIVED ON A ACREAGE SO I JUST THOUGHT HE HAS A BUR…SO I TOOK HIM TO THE VET AND HAD HIM CHECKED……COLE HAD CANCER IN HIS BONES….AND IN 9 DAYS I HAD TO PUT HIM TO SLEEP…ON A BLANKET WITH ME HOLDING HIM IN OUR BACKYARD…SO LIMPING SCARES ME..SO AN X-RAY…WOULD ELEMINATE ONE WORRY….COLE . annie
I have a 4yr old Rottweiler. She started a bad limp at age 2. we tried glucosomine supplements from the vet for a while and it seemed to help very little if at all. i changed her to a liquid (human) glucosamine chondroitin treatment giving her about 2 teaspoons a day (she weighed 90lbs then – now she is 100lbs) – this helped her immediately. The brand that worked is Wellesse Joint Movement Glucosamine (get it at sams club for about 19.00 a 33oz bottle). we were lucky that this helped her – being a liquid makes it very easy to give to her (just mix it in her meal). My sister’s lab also was limping and so she started giving 1-2 teaspoons a day and this quickly alleviated the limping for her dog as well. Before resorting to expensive medical procedures, you may want to give this a quick try – if it is going to help your dog it will most likely help right away.
[...] situation sounds familiar to that of the three-year-old lab whose mother wrote to me on June 30. The symptoms are slightly different. However, the problem seems to be essentially the same: you [...]
Dr. B, thanks so much for your response. I’ve scheduled an appointment for Buddy with a new vet who hopefully will take this more seriously than my previous vet, and will also work with me in considering alternatives suggested by postersonce we ascertain exactly what the problem is.
To all posters – thank you so much for your suggestions, I’m printing them all out to take to our vet appointment!
Val
I have a soft coated weaten with joint issues.
I tried the glucosamine from the vet. She throws it
up…..such a staining mess. I am going to try liquid Wellesse.
She is only 23 lbs… just wonder how much to give her?? Vet is clueless…… Just likes his own Rx capsule.
Hi, we have an almost 3 year old german shepherd mix (husky) and she is limping when she first gets up in the morning for an hour our so and then seems perfectly fine to walk etc. In the evening when she rests and walks again she is stiff. Looks like it is her front right shouler/hip area. she is not overweight and is generally very acitve. Please advise.
I have a 4 1/2 year old pitbull, male. he’s been limping and licking his paws for the past week. i’ve taken him to the vet and all they did was give him some pain meds, which do absolutely nothing for him. I had to call THEM and ask them if they could do some blood work to see if he has any diseases. so far he doesn’t have any tick diseases or heartworm. but he’s lost 15 lbs in the past 6 mths and he’s eating exactly the same. i KNOW something is wrong with him. i just dont think they’re fully doing their jobs cause they’re ignorant against the breed.