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My dog is limping or not using her hind leg, but she does not seem to be in pain. What should I do? She seems to be using the leg more and more but I don't want to ignore a possibly bad injury.
Optional Information: Age: 2; Female; Breed: American Pit Bull Terrier Already Tried: Nothing. She has been using it sparingly.
Hi,The fact that your dog is limping is an indicator of pain. Most dogs don't cry or whimper if a leg hurts, they just hold it up.Since she seems to be improving, I suspect that she just pulled or strained a muscle. Keeping her quiet, no running or jumping, for a few days should help. The big concern with back legs, however, is that she may have torn (or partially torn) her ACL--cruciate ligament that stabilizes the knee joint.If she did tear her cruciate, she will hold up her leg and be pretty much non-weight bearing for a day or so, then start to toe-touch. The knee will start to scar, but she'll have a noticeable limp for quite some time. If the rest doesn't help and she is still limping by early next week, I would take her in for an exam.Hope that helps!Dr. Scarlett
Experience: I am a practicing small animal veterinarian with 16 years experience.