Is your Pet Limping or Unable to Walk?

Symptom Definition

Limping is when your pet is walking with difficulty or pain on one or more of their legs.

Causes of Limping in Pets May Include:

Wounds, sores, blisters, and migrating plant material (cheatgrass and foxtails)
Broken toe nails
Soft tissue injuries (pulled muscles, sprains)
Fractures
Spinal injuries and nerve pain
Some bone cancers

When to Act

Contact Emergency Care if:

Your pet is unable to walk
You see open wounds or obvious fractures (abnormal angulation to the limb)
Your pet is dragging one or more legs

What to Do

Call your family veterinarian or Urgent Care within 24 hours if:

They have a limp that is not improving with activity restriction
A limp has not resolved within 24 hours
They have a history of knee injuries and are limping on a back leg

Care Advice:

For most pets, an episode of limping will resolve with activity restriction and rest. Activity restriction means no running, jumping or rough-housing and avoiding stairs if possible. Dogs that are crate trained can be kept quiet in their crates. Dogs can be walked outside on a leash several times a day to use the bathroom before returning to the house for confinement. Cats may need to be confined to a smaller room in the house. Most mild limping injuries will resolve with activity restriction after a couple of days.

Pain Medications

Please do not administer any pain medications without consulting with your veterinarian first. Human pain medications may be toxic to your pet, and many veterinary pain medications cannot be given together. It is always safest to discuss any medications with your veterinarian before administering them at home.