Limping

[BigRip]

My dog is limping in her back left leg, I don't know what it is.
Sometimes she does fine, running like nothing is wrong , and then she lifts her leg and acts like it hurts her to walk. I have Rimidel and I give her half a tab, but someone told me it is not good to give her this medicine. She is 6 years old.
Any advice.

 

[Sweet1300]

My dog did this when she was 8 years old and it turned out to be bone cancer. I'm not trying to scare you, but you might want to go have an x-ray done at you vet. I hope that is not what it is, but good luck and hope you find out what is wrong.

 

[nanabear]

Run, don't walk to the vet. It could very likely be a cruciate injury - rupture or tear. If it is, arthritis is forming everyday. Also, please don't give Rimadyl until you know what's wrong - it does a very good job of masking pain which allows the dog to run and play and make the injury worse......
My male, Mack has done this to both his back legs and had surgery on both.
I'm hoping you are only dealing with a sprain or strain....but even with that, you'll need to rest her almost completely for 4-6 weeks to have an optimum healing.
Rimadyl is not something to be given lightly, especially over a long period of time.

 

[BigRip]

Sweet 1300,
How is your dog doing now. Is it getting worse or is your dog taking medicine. What does the doctor say to do for it.
I am going to take her to the vet and see what they say.
I love this dog more than anything , she is so special to me and my husband , it is like our kid.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Sweet1300]

I hate to say this, but my dog passed away from the cancer one year later. It progressed over the year to the point where she could not even get up on her own. So we had to put her down. Again I hope this is not what your dog has but be strong and run to the vet like nanabear said.

 

[BXR MOM]

My Lexus would limp occasionally, and then sometimes not put any pressure on her front leg at all, other times she would run and play like nothing was wrong. I suspected that maybe she had some type of arthritis. I switched her to Nutro food that has glucosamine and chondroitin. I don't know if this did the trick, but she has not limped since. It might be worth a try if medically your Boxer is okay.

 

[VTbxrFan]

I second nanabear! Definitely have the vet check it out -- whatever the cause of the limping, early treatment is the best bet for a full recover. At 2 1/2 yrs old, my Dallas already has arthritis because a very slight limp was ignored by his previous owners. He has had surgery to fix the luxating patella and torn ligament (severe limp once that happened), but the arthritis that already set in cannot be undone.

Also as nanabear mentioned, you definitely want your vet to be involved if you are giving Rimadyl. It can be very beneficial for some dogs, but it can also have side effects, so it's crucial to have your vet monitoring you dog.

 

[Ripster]

Reply to limping

Just wanted to tell you guys I brought Gabby to the doctor today and out the three horrible things I was thinking, it turned out to be a torn ligimet in her knee, Doctor said she can have surgery , or medicine . But it will turn into arturitis. He said to give her the Rimadyl twice a day .
My vet does not do this surgery, and I don't know anything about it.

 

[VTbxrFan]

I highly recommend that you see an orthopedic specialist for a consultation about surgery, or try to get a referral to your vet school (that's what I did). It's important to have a vet with experience with the surgery help you determine the best course of action.

 

[matilda8255]

There are alternatives now to using Rymidil (sp). I would not use it forever. If you are using it short term to help with the injury that is one thing but don't use it for maintenance of arthritis. Your pup is only 6 and the health problems involved with long term use involve kidney failure (my sheepdog got this) and liver problems. My boy Caesar has had arthritis for four years now and has never used rymidil. There is an anti inflamatory called Torbitol I give him every once in a while. I also use a supplement called Syn-Flex here is the link

http://www.activexamerica.com/

It has worked wonders for my dog. No more limping or problems getting up on the bed or couch and he actually runs every now and then. My vet has seen improvement in his x-rays and it is all natural. Check it out it is the best stuff. If you do a search here on torn ligaments you will find lots of good info about the surgery. Good luck with your baby! Maybe you should get a second opinion since your vet isn't familiar with the surgery. There are doggie orthopedics.