Limping Dog. How to do your own at home examination.

Classic "non-weight bearing" stance of a dog with a dislocated hip.

Two weeks post-op knee surgery and a seated dog with a bent knee proves that the joint is happy and healing.

One of the most common questions we get on Pawbly.com is about the limping dog.

To help people at home understand some of the most common injuries that cause lameness in a pet I thought I would provide a very basic "How to examine your limping dog at home" instruction blog.

Remember an examination doesn't just include the affected limb, it must include the whole pet. For this reason I recommend starting at the tip of the nose and letting your hands walk slowly from the nose to the tail. Inspecting everything very closely along the way.

Then we go to the "off" leg.

In most of these cases I advise my clients to check the leg by palpating (using your fingers to be your guide) and examining very closely  everything as your fingers walk your way over the leg from the toes to the spine. Palpate and probe every inch 360 degrees around as you move gradually up the leg. I know that most dogs are not fond of the feet (toes especially) being poked and prodded but in lots of cases the answer lies somewhere around here.

It is also important to remember symmetry. Use the opposite leg as a guide for what "normal" should look like.

Here we go on our virtual tour up the leg..

1. Check toenails. Some have grown into the pad and some are broken. All are painful. Broken toenails should be trimmed or clipped back as far as possible, or even removed, if broken severely. At the clinic I use a topical numbing agent and a muzzle and a quick cut. It hurts for one second,, like pulling off a band-aid. Then the pet is pain free again and using the leg as normal.

A very sharply pointed nail had grown into the foot pad.
When trimmed the evidence of the puncture is evident.

This pups toe required twice daily soaks and an oral antibiotic.
This must be treated as a wound.

This toenail is white because it was avulsed from the toe.
Regie had pulled the nail off the tissue and every time he walked the
nail rocked on the sensitive tissue underneath.
We trimmed it back as far as possible and this stopped the pain.
It will eventually grow out enough to be easily removed.
For now foot soaks, and clotting powder are all that's needed.
Oh, and no licking!

Clipped short enough to not touch the floor and cause pain.
Yellow styptic powder was used to stop the bleeding.

The toenail was broken, removed and leaves the "quick" exposed.
But, it will no longer be painful and the limp will cease.
Keeping the nail bed clean is all that is needed,
No Licking!

2. Look for redness or swelling, or wet, moist skin in between the toes. Some dogs get allergies, infections, even splinters in between their toes.

Interdigital cysts are painful.
This causes the pet to lick, which inflames the skin and seeds infection.

Many dogs with allergies lick their feet because they itch.
The licking causes red staining, inflamed skin and infection.

3. Look for injury to the foot pads. If bleeding soak foot in warm very mildly soapy water for a few minutes, then apply direct pressure with a clean cloth for 10 minutes,, no peeking, no wiping, no tight bandages. A small laceration to the foot pad is usually just allowed to heal. A deep laceration (full skin thickness) usually requires and antibiotic and protection from further trauma ( i like a panti liner (absorbs small amounts of blood and is super cheap) and a sock.. but change at least twice a day. Please call your vet if the wound is deep.

My pup, Charlie, who found a stray surgical staple. Sorry Charlie!

4. Look for any skin damage. Areas of injury. All penetrating wounds need veterinary assistance for an antibiotic and in some cases exploration to make sure nothing internal is damaged.

5. Broken bones cause significant non-weight bearing lameness and usually have considerable swelling. I know lots of people worry about broken bones but they are not normally seen without significant trauma like hit by car, jumping off bed, etc. They are swollen, painful and the leg often looks disfigured. Do not touch a broken leg without a muzzle in place. If the bone is sticking out of the skin wrap the leg in a towel and get to a vet to help stop the bleeding.

Maci a few days after her cruciate repair surgery.

6. Joint injuries are one of the most common lameness causes we see. Most often these occur after excessive or strenuous play. Some clients report that their dog was playing and they heard a sharp "Yelp!" and since then the dog has been sporadically lame. Typically this is a cranial cruciate injury. These dog have persistent lameness that may slightly improve and then worsen but in general they do not go back to normal weight bearing until the knee is stabilized. This is usually a surgical fix.

Ella is all done with her knee surgery.

I always advise that every limping and lame dog be kept quiet and calm by leashing walking outside at all times, or crating until your vet can see you. No running, jumping or play. Rest the leg. In many cases that is the only needed treatment.

A dog in significant pain to the point of not using the leg, being reluctant to stand or walk, or not interested in play, interaction, or even eating needs a vet immediately. In general a limping dog is not an emergency unless they are bleeding excessively, progressively worsening, or having a change in attitude or behavior.

In all cases your vet should be consulted. There are lots of options available after a diagnosis is provided.

Sarge,, the big ham

As always you can ask me a question about your limping (or otherwise) pet anytime for free on Pawbly.com. Pawbly is free to use and open to anyone and everyone.

Twitter has me sporadically @FreePetAdvice, And the whole majority of the rest of my life has me at the veterinary clinic, Jarrettsville Veterinary Center in Jarrettsville Maryland. 

The Deep Foot Pad Lacerations. What To Do, and When To Do It.

Remington

This is Remington. A 5 month old Great Dane puppy. He came to see me on a busy Sunday afternoon. He is a big, clumsy, goofy, sweet inquisitive pup who lives with his equally energetic brother (truly his brother) and a household full of dogs.

This particular Sunday was the early part of March, about three days after the last foot of winter snow had been dumped on us. The sun was convinced Spring was summoning Winter to fall back and the last two days were warm and welcome. The result was a snow covered landscape with a layer of ice to insulate.

Normally this is not a problem for dogs. Dogs develop hard keratinized foot pads which are both durable and grip terrain, save for the young-uns. The young pups haven't beat the foot pads into a thick tough shell impervious to tree branches, sharp rocks, and certainly not sharp icy edges.

On a quick romp in the snow Remington returned with this laceration.

Which was this deep.. all the way through the skin of the foot pad.

Wound Care 101;

1. Stop Bleeding,
Here's the deal with skin wounds... Skin bleeds a lot! The best way to stop every kind of bleed is with firm direct pressure. After the bleeding is under control it is time to get a clean wound.

2. Get Clean,
The best way to clean a foot wound is to soak the whole foot in an antibiotic bath. We typically use either dilute betadine or chlorhexadine wash, but at home soapy water will do about as much good as any fancy medical grade wash.

3. Protect the Wound,

For pups this is best accomplished with a bandage. But beware, out of sight cannot include out of mind. Bandages require due diligence in keeping them dry and clean. A wet bandage needs to be changed immediately and if your dog begins to limp or lick at the foot they are telling you that something under that bandage is brewing. See your vet often.

After about a 5 minute soak we dry the foot and apply a soft thick bandage.

Foot pad lacerations are notoriously difficult to manage. I always try to manage these by second intention healing. This is essentially allowing the wound to heal on its own without surgical intervention. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but it is almost impossible to keep the foot pad quiet enough to not allow the sutures to pull through.

The bandage should be changed daily until the wound is well scabbed over. I send my clients home with;

1. Bandage supplies, about $15.00

2. Foot soak solution, about $8.00

3. Antibiotics, oral, about 14 days worth, about $25.00
4. NSAIDs for pain and inflammation a few days worth

I also make a homemade bootie protectors..

These wounds should be kept clean, bandages need to be kept clean and dry and the pet should be kept as calm and quiet as possible to minimize stress on the laceration site so it can heal.

And a kiss always helps speed up the healing process.

If you have a pet question you would like answered, or you have a pet experience that might benefit other pet lovers please join me on Pawbly.com. Pawbly is a free open community to help pets and their people. It is free to use.

You can also find me at the clinic, Jarrettsville Vet, or on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.