Well this is great right after our fun day yesterday with the sheep.

We were doing some agility training this morning and while I was putting the gear away my daughter was throwing a ball with the dog, the dog zigged when she shoulda zagged and did something to her left elbow when she changed direction quickly on those big rubber mats in the training hall. She yiked and went into limp mode right away. My daughter said she saw the dog "fall over her leg" for lack of a better description.

The dog walked out to the van under her own steam (wouldn't let me pick her up, normal behaviour) favouring her left and then I lifted her in and out just to be safe.

The dog has been pretty mellow all afternoon. I have been letting her hang out in the back yard she has gone after a squirrel and she even tried to initiate a game of fetch, though still limping.

I just brought her into the house and it looks like her left elbow is swollen, I laid on the ground with her and tried to feel it out and I think she is going into avoidance when I try to manipulate the elbow, so my layman examination was inconclusive.

I hate to bring the dog to the vet to have them tell you "oh it's just a sprain that will be $679 please"

With what I describe how long would you let this go before heading to the Vet?

If your dog is still limping today I'd go to the vet, just to be safe.

Agreed. Go to the vet, get it checked out. Dogs are tough, when they show pain its pretty bad.

Well I have an Appt today @ 14:30 though I'm thinking of postponing or cancelling it all together. After a night's rest she is a lot more chipper today chased down a squirrel and broke up a flock of blackbirds in the back yard. And is upstairs rough housing with my boys I can hear them giggling as I type.

She lets me manipulate the elbow without any real avoidance though she is still favouring that leg but to a much lesser extent than yesterday. It has been 24hrs now

Geoff, having been in your position many times with my big growing pup and his countless leg injuries (and having shelled out WAY too much time and money on exams that only ended with "rest and Rimadyl" - I know, I know, Rimadyl=bad ), I think if you're seeing improvement today you should definitely consider just waiting this one out. Dogs can strain, sprain and twist things just as easily as we can and a few days of careful monitoring will allow you to differentiate between minor injury and something a vet should really look at. Just keep an eye out for presisant swelling, heat in the joint, sesitivity to touch/palpation and her general mood.

I was in fact writing earlier to tell you to make an appointment for tomorrow, then cancel it if she looked better, but my computer played a nasty trick on me and crashed before I could post... Sounds like you did just that anyway

If the injury heals, but reappears a week or two down the road, then I would DEFINITELY see the vet for a thorough physical - this could be a sign of a chronic injury. But don't underestimate the healing power of crate rest - when necessary, I usually do it for a day or too longer than I think my dog needs, just to be sure things are back to normal.

Just my 2 cents.

~Natalya

I bumped this up because my dog has shown a similar limp these past two days. I think it is a minor injury because she doesn't whine or show pain when she walks. But when she sits, she balences on three legs, holding up her right front paw slightly.

When I got up this morning, she was limping pretty bad right out of the crate. Then we went to do our morning potty, and after she walked on it, it was back to the same slight limp...like she had "walked it off" a bit. I am pretty new at caring for a dog, so I don't want to overreact and end up going to the vet to hear that I just need to let her rest for a few days, but I obviously want her to get better. Should I wait another day, or go to the vet today? Thanks all!

Hi Rick,

If she's been kept fairly quiet and her activity restricted the last 2 days and she's still limping I would probably call the vet.

Rick, have you been restricting her activity the last few days, or just watching her for lameness during her normal activity? If you haven't had her on serious rest (NO running ANYWHERE, only walking for bathroom breaks, crated if she can't keep herself sedentary in the house), then I'd give her a day or 2 of that before I went to the vet. She's your dog and you should absolutely do what you think you need to, but that's my first reaction. Of course it's hard to tell what the symptoms are really like without seeing the dog...

I've become a little sour about going to vet everytime I think something's wrong with my dog's legs - I'm still a worrier, but if there is any inconsistancy to the injury (heavy limp sometimes, light to no limp othertimes) I'd give it some time to heal, if it's going to, on it's own. Unless it clearly gets worse, or is very bad to begin with, I like to give it time. Going to the vet at this stage may only get you an ambiguous diagnosis and a prescription for a pain killer or anti inflamatory. Anti inflamatories have worked very well for us, but we usually have a bottle of them kicking around the house and don't need to see the vet for them. Both medications would be combined with instructions to rest her anyway. "Take 2 of these and call me in the morning" is used by a lot of animal doctors too...

JMO
~Natalya

 Quote: Natalya Zahn

I've become a little sour about going to vet everytime I think something's wrong with my dog's legs - I'm still a worrier, but if there is any inconsistancy to the injury (heavy limp sometimes, light to no limp othertimes) I'd give it some time to heal, if it's going to, on it's own. Unless it clearly gets worse, or is very bad to begin with, I like to give it time. Going to the vet at this stage may only get you an ambiguous diagnosis JMO ~Natalya

I'm with Natalaya, and funny you should ask Rick. With my dog what I thought was an elbow injury was actually blistered paws from her first time Sheep herding. She ran so hard that she got heat blisters and they were raw, the next day we did obedience indoors and she popped open a blister or 2 chasing a ball hence the horrible limp that freaked me out.

Take a deep breath, it is most likely as Natalya says a Vet will say the same thing but Charge you $100+ for the same advice.

Thanks you all!

As far as "excersize" goes, I have only slowed down within the last day or so, when I noticed the limping. I don't think this is a major injury because she still walks on it. So, I plan on letting her relax in the house for the next few days, and get better. If it doesn't go away or gets worse, I'll just bite the bullet and go to the vet!