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Sudden lameness or limping in dogs or cats can be caused when they suffer an injury which causes pain to one of their limbs. These injuries can occur in the soft tissues of leg muscles, ligaments or tendons or in the bony structures. As with all first aid situations before approaching your pet you need to make sure the scene is secure. If you've assessed the scene to be secure you still want to make sure you watch your pet for any of those signs that he could become aggressive. Lameness can come in a variety of severities and the more severe lamenesses are usually seen as a complete holding up of the limb. While in other cases animals will still bear some weight or be toe touching. Usually the severity of the injury correlates to the degree of lameness. So if you notice a severe lameness and your animal seems to be in quite a lot of pain you want to transport him to a veterinarian for care. If the lameness is relatively mild or seems to be improving you can keep an eye on your pet at home and we'll show you the things that you can do. Before approaching a pet to do a lameness exam or to inspect the limbs you'll always want to make sure you apply a muzzle first. Put that muzzle in place because if an animal is in pain the only way he may know to tell you that is to turn around and snap. Quinn here is suffering any injuries so we're not going to place the muzzle on him but we're going to go through now how to do a lameness inspection on your pet. First put him on his side. You're going to start by just feeling the legs. Starting with the toes of the legs that are facing up closer to you. Just gently squeeze each area working from the toes up to the top of the leg feeling for any lumps, bumps, or areas where your pet responds. If your pet is feeling some pain he may turn around, look at you, whimper, or even try to bite. You're going to want to feel all along the leg. After the front leg move to the back leg. Again starting with the toes feeling for any strange lumps or bumps or a reaction from your pet. I'm doing this inspection from behind Quinn. It may be easier for you to come from the other end. But whatever's more comfortable. If you don't feel any abnormalities or don't illicit a painful response from your pet with just touching you're going to want to move to manipulating the joints. Again start with the toes and each toe individually should be moved back and forth in its full range of motion looking for a response. After the toes move up to the wrist, or the carapace, flexion and extension followed by the elbow. In each direction. Finally the shoulder. If you don't find anything unusual there move to the back leg. Again starting with the toes inspect each toe individually. Then the tarsus or the ankle followed by the stifle or the knee joint. Again flexion and extension. Finishing up with the hip. Stretching that out and pulling it forward. If you're able to identify the source of pain in your pet one thing you can do is apply some ice packs at home. Grab some ice from the freezer put it in a Ziploc or resealable bag and apply it directly to the area that seems to be painful in your pet. Hold that in place for about 10 to 15 minutes assuming your pet tolerates this. If this seems to cause a lot of stress or anxiety in your pet it may not be worth it. You can apply an ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes 4 to 6 times a day. This can help with inflammation and some pain. It's really only going to help with the inflammation for about the first 24 hours. After that it could still help with some pain. If you're not able to control your pet's pain well at home you're going to need to get him some medications. You don't want to give any medications you have at home that haven't been prescribed for this purpose as it may not be appropriate. So even if you have some pain medications already on hand you want to contact your veterinarian to get approval before giving any types of medications. Finally your pet's lameness should improve within a couple of days. If this doesn't happen and the lameness persists beyond a couple of days or becomes worse at any time you're going to need to make sure you transport your pet to the veterinarian for further evaluation.
In this lesson, we'll be teaching you about lameness in your dog or cat, what that may look like in your pet, and how you can inspect your pet for the signs of lameness.
Lameness or limping can be caused when your pet suffers an injury that produces pain in the limbs. These injuries can occur in the soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, and tendons, or even in the bony structures in your pet's legs.
Warning: As with all first aid situations, first make sure the scene is safe and that it's safe to approach your pet. And even if you assess the scene to be safe, still watch your pet for any signs of aggression. A pet in pain is a pet that can lash out.
Lameness can come in a range of severity. When your pet has a more severe case of lameness, this is often seen as your pet holding a limb off the ground and not letting it touch. In other cases, your pet may be putting some weight on that limb or at least toe-touching the floor or ground.
Pro Tip #1: Usually the severity of the injury will correlate with the degree of lameness. If you notice severe lameness in your pet and he or she is in a lot of pain, transport your pet to veterinarian care as soon as possible.
If your pet's lameness is relatively mild or appears to be improving, you can keep an eye on it at home, and we'll show you some things below that you can do to better evaluate the severity of the lameness.
Before approaching your pet for an inspection, you should first apply a muzzle. When an animal is in pain, sometimes the only way the pet may know how to tell you is by turning around and snapping at you.
1. Make sure your pet is lying on his side.
2. Begin by feeling his legs, starting with the toes and moving up the leg from there. Begin with the limbs closest to you, or the top limbs. Gently squeeze each area as you move up the leg. Feel for any lumps, bumps, or areas where he responds to your touching. Inspect the front leg, then the back.
Pro Tip #2: If your pet is feeling some pain, he may let you know by turning toward you, looking at you, whimpering, or even trying to bite you.
3. If you don't feel any abnormalities or you don't elicit a response from your pet with just touching, move to manipulating the joints. Again, start with the toes on the front leg.
4. Move each toe individually, back and forth, using the full range of motion. Monitor your pet for a response as you do.
5. After the toes, move to the wrists or carpus. Same as above, flex and extend the joint using a full range of motion. Then move on to the elbow joint, and then finally the shoulder joint.
Pro Tip #3: In the corresponding video for this lesson, Dr. Bobbi was inspecting Quinn's legs from behind. However, it may be easier from the other side. Do what is easiest or most comfortable. And watch the video and practice along as often as needed.
If after your inspection of the front leg joints you don't find anything unusual, move to the back leg and perform the same inspection. The joints move a bit differently and the terms are different, but the theory and application are the same. Just remember to use a full range of motion.
If you are able to identify the source of your pet's pain during your inspection, one thing you can do is apply an ice pack to that area.
This is assuming your pet tolerates the ice bag. If it causes a lot of stress or anxiety in your pet, it may not be worth it.
Pro Tip #4: You can safely use an ice bag on your pet for stretches of 10 to 15 minutes, four to six times per day.
The ice pack should help with inflammation if there is any and maybe even reduce some of the pain. However, the inflammation reduction benefits will only occur for around the first 24 hours. The pain reduction benefits may last longer.
If you are not able to control your pet's pain at home, it's medication time. But not medications you have lying around your house that haven't been specifically prescribed for this exact need. They may not be appropriate.
However, if you have some meds at home you think may work, contact your vet and get his or her approval.
Finally, your pet's lameness or limping should improve after a couple days. But if it persists beyond that or gets worse, it's time to visit your veterinarian.