Question
I have a a male Yorkie Poo. He is 6.5 years old. He is in good health, but this morning I woke up and he had a limp. It appears that he is putting less weight on his back right leg. I examined the leg and noticed that there were no cracks or cuts on his paw pads. There was also no noticeable swelling. It does not seem to be bothering him too much because he jumps up onto the couch and off of it still (the height he has to jump is about a foot and a half high. I imagine that if there were a fracture or a break then he would not be able to make this jump? Please correct me if I am wrong on this.
Anyway, I would like to avoid taking him to the vet if I can (but I will if it is a must). What is the best course of action now? I tried to ice his leg but he keeps moving and making it impossible.
Answer
I'm glad he's back to his usual self! A soft tissue injury (sprain/strain) is certainly possible, but those often tend to take longer than a couple hours to resolve. The sudden onset/sudden resolution could fit with patellar luxation (kneecap slipping out of the groove), which is very common in small breed dogs. It can pop in and out, making them suddenly lame and then suddenly not. A vet can help you diagnose this. Another alternative, depending upon where you live, would be Lyme disease, which causes a "shifting" lameness--one leg looks lame for a while, then it goes away, then another leg is affected, etc. Again, a vet can help you diagnose this. In general, cold compresses may be a good idea but only helps if 1) you can identify where on the leg the injury is, and 2) the dog tolerates it/holds still. For a minor lameness (lame but not in terrible pain), your best bet is to keep them quiet (no running/jumping/climbing, including the couch!) for a day or so, and bring them to the vet if it is not substantially better after 12-24 hours. For a severe lameness, just get them to the vet. If at all possible, do NOT use any pain medications unless prescribed by a vet--things like ibuprofen can actually be remarkably toxic to pets.
Answered By - avet