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Maltese is limping, won't put weight on back leg


nca121687

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My dog has had a slight limp for awhile now. I took him to the vet a couple months ago because it seemed to be getting worse. They did x-rays and it was very expensive, yet they didn't see anything wrong with his leg. It is obvious something is wrong or else he wouldn't be limping around. They gave him pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds and I gave that to him until he stopped limping. Now he is limping again and it seems to be really bad because he won't even put weight on his leg. I don't know what to do and I don't want to take him to the vet again when I just spent a ton of money doing that and they found nothing. He doesn't seem to be in any pain when I touch his leg, but I did give him his meds today just in case he was. Does anyone know how to handle this situation?

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This might be a stupid question, but did you check his paw? Sometime dogs get little rocks and splinters stuck in there, or even bee stingers. And make sure his nails don't curl into his paw too, they have to be trimmed regularly. I feel like these would've been the first obvious things for the vet to check, but then again he probably really wanted to charge you for x rays. Many vets rip people off.

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Yes, check around his nails carefully too to see if any of them are cracked... a cracked nail is very painful for them, as are little stones embedded in the fur of their paws or * * * * * ers/stickers in their pads, or even cracked pads. You also need to keep their nails relatively short as long nails are also painful sometimes.

 

Feel around on his feet and squeeze the pads to see if the dog flinches and that might give you an indication if somethign in the pad. Also move the nails around a bit to see if you get a reaction.

 

Perhaps the dog has muscle spasms too... Dogs can take aspirin or other pain meds, so you could ask the vet for the proper dosage to see if it helps with the pain.

 

He could also have a pinched nerve in his back/spine which could cause these symptoms, or sprain his leg or hip if he jumps off something that is too high for him (like a couch).

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I'd get over to that first vet and make a scene. I spent ALL THIS MONEY and my dog is NO BETTER!

 

Make some noise and let them know you want the problem fixed and you arent going to pay twice just because they were too incompetent to correctly diagnose the problem the first time.

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Medicine is different from other services. We know a lot, but we don't know everything, so unless the vet was grossly incompetent I don't think making a scene and demanding your money back would be very effective. The vet did what any vet would do when presented with a limping patient.

 

Since nothing showed up on the x-rays, and the pain and inflammation medicines helped, it sounds to me like your dog's leg isn't broken, but perhaps badly sprained and taking a long time to heal.

 

What I would do is call the vet and ask for a re-fill on the pain and inflammation medicines. Explain that they helped stop the limping. Most vets should give you a refill since he's still limping and those medicines improved the limping without another doctor's appointment.

 

Checking the paws is also a very good idea.

 

Also, talk to the vet about cage rest, if you haven't already. Obviously no walks for a while, don't let the dog into the back yard without a leash (you don't want him bursting after some rabbit and hurting himself further). I would keep him in the cage almost all day, letting him out for short, supervised periods only (where he lies with you on the couch for a while, for example), and letting him out for water, food, and potty breaks. It's amazing what a few days of cage rest can do sometimes.

 

Hopefully he feels better soon!

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