EchoInterrupted
Well-Known Member
Hello! Looking for any kind advice, particularly from those who have relatable experiences. Mainly I am wondering at what point people generally think a vet visit is warranted for lameness/soreness, what to expect at a vet visit, and what other options there might be that might provide a bit more specialized feedback (perhaps a veterinary physiotherapist?).
I have a nearly 7 year old mixed breed dog medium sized dog who I have had since she was a couple months old. She is starting to slow down a bit, put on a little bit of extra weight (BCS is still only 5/9, she just used to always be a very lean 4), etc. over the last year or so but nothing very out of the ordinary. Weight gain was most likely due to switching foods - have since switched back and she is starting to lose a bit of weight and her energy has skyrocketed.
We haven't played with a flirt pole in a couple months because things have been quite muddy and evenings had been very dark. I brought it out a couple weeks ago and played with her for 10-15 minutes on our walk, making an effort to avoid jumps and tight circles/sharp turns. She was totally fine on the walk back, no signs of limping etc. After several hours at home when she got out of her bed she was super stiff and limping on one of her legs which has never happened before. There was nothing stuck in her paw pad, no cuts, etc. The limping would subside after she had walked several steps and returned again after laying down for longer periods of time, so figured she was just very sore. After several days of limited exercise she was back completely to normal. She has been on a couple of runs with my partner since then with no issues at all.
Today she had a really active play/wrestle session with another big dog for 15-20 minutes and this afternoon she is again very slightly limping on the same leg as last time.
In both scenarios there were no identifiable moments where she was noticeably in discomfort, yelped, tripped etc. during the play sessions (I always monitor closely) and I could find no external injury or irritation that should be causing the limping. I'll be reducing exercise again the next couple days until all is back to normal.
But, at what point for these types of things do you head to the vet? Surely dogs get sore just like people do when exercising after having been relatively sedentary for several months (especially when we get older). Where do you draw the line and say this might be something else? I'm always a bit of a hypochondriac with my dog and shelled out £300 last week for bloodwork for my own peace of mind over something else the vet was not very concerned about and that turned out to be nothing, so I'm hesitant to go full steam ahead investigating something that would again probably be nothing.
What would the vet even do? By the time the vet appointment tomorrow/Monday would roll around I doubt she would even be limping anymore. With the limping having only happened on two occasions and having gone away on its own I doubt a carprofen trial or similar would show much. I doubt this justifies x-rays at this point?
I had been planning on getting a vet physiotherapist appointment anyways to do a check over before we start up with agility again in the spring given her age. Is that the best path forward, followed by veterinary investigations if needed?
If it happens a third time in the coming weeks I'll certainly be making a vet appointment, but for now do I just wait and see what happens?
I have a nearly 7 year old mixed breed dog medium sized dog who I have had since she was a couple months old. She is starting to slow down a bit, put on a little bit of extra weight (BCS is still only 5/9, she just used to always be a very lean 4), etc. over the last year or so but nothing very out of the ordinary. Weight gain was most likely due to switching foods - have since switched back and she is starting to lose a bit of weight and her energy has skyrocketed.
We haven't played with a flirt pole in a couple months because things have been quite muddy and evenings had been very dark. I brought it out a couple weeks ago and played with her for 10-15 minutes on our walk, making an effort to avoid jumps and tight circles/sharp turns. She was totally fine on the walk back, no signs of limping etc. After several hours at home when she got out of her bed she was super stiff and limping on one of her legs which has never happened before. There was nothing stuck in her paw pad, no cuts, etc. The limping would subside after she had walked several steps and returned again after laying down for longer periods of time, so figured she was just very sore. After several days of limited exercise she was back completely to normal. She has been on a couple of runs with my partner since then with no issues at all.
Today she had a really active play/wrestle session with another big dog for 15-20 minutes and this afternoon she is again very slightly limping on the same leg as last time.
In both scenarios there were no identifiable moments where she was noticeably in discomfort, yelped, tripped etc. during the play sessions (I always monitor closely) and I could find no external injury or irritation that should be causing the limping. I'll be reducing exercise again the next couple days until all is back to normal.
But, at what point for these types of things do you head to the vet? Surely dogs get sore just like people do when exercising after having been relatively sedentary for several months (especially when we get older). Where do you draw the line and say this might be something else? I'm always a bit of a hypochondriac with my dog and shelled out £300 last week for bloodwork for my own peace of mind over something else the vet was not very concerned about and that turned out to be nothing, so I'm hesitant to go full steam ahead investigating something that would again probably be nothing.
What would the vet even do? By the time the vet appointment tomorrow/Monday would roll around I doubt she would even be limping anymore. With the limping having only happened on two occasions and having gone away on its own I doubt a carprofen trial or similar would show much. I doubt this justifies x-rays at this point?
I had been planning on getting a vet physiotherapist appointment anyways to do a check over before we start up with agility again in the spring given her age. Is that the best path forward, followed by veterinary investigations if needed?
If it happens a third time in the coming weeks I'll certainly be making a vet appointment, but for now do I just wait and see what happens?
