What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog: Tosha's Hind Leg Limp

Tosha

Australian Shepherd
5 years old at the time (or so)
spayed female

What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog: Tosha's Hind Leg Limp

The worst thing you can do when your dog is showing a symptom of a problem is to jump to conclusions. What immediately seems most evident to you is determined by your past experiences or things you heard or read about. There is an equal chance of your being right or wrong.

Tosha's story started with diarrhea.


That meant frequent, urgent potty breaks. After one of the rushed trips to the yard, Tosha came back with a limp. Because she was favoring her hind leg, the immediate assumptions her parents made was a cruciate ligament injury.

I admit that when I see my dog limping on a hind leg, a knee injury is the first thing that pops to my mind too. Knee injuries are common in larger dogs.

You would be surprised, however, how many different things can cause similarly-looking lameness. To paraphrase my hubby, "I know you're sure but are you right?" The odds of that are always 50/50.

Tosha had a bit of swelling in her hock.


Other than that, her parents didn't discover much of anything else. By the next morning, the swelling seemed to have gone down. Tosha was still limping some and was rather quiet. That could have been chalked up to her recovering from the GI upset.

As the day went on, Tosha was becoming quieter by the hour.


That's when Tosha's parents discovered that there were more swelling and a lot of heat further up Tosha's leg. It was then whey they decided to take Tosha to the emergency vet.

What would you make of Tosha's symptoms? What would you do if it was your dog?

Read Tosha's story here.


Related articles:
What is that limp?


Help others 

Share your story for a chance to win a free copy of Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog. To share your dog's story, email me at ranchjasmine@gmail.com


What is your dog telling you about their health?


Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog now available in paperback and Kindle. Each chapter includes notes on when it is an emergency.

Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog is an award-winning guide to help you better understand what your dog is telling you about their health and how to best advocate for them. 

Learn how to see and how to think about changes in your dog’s appearance, habits, and behavior. Some signs that might not trigger your concern can be important indicators that your dog needs to see a veterinarian right away. Other symptoms, while hard to miss, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or limping, are easy to spot but can have a laundry list of potential causes, some of them severe or even life-threatening. 

Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog is a dog health advocacy guide 101. It covers a variety of common symptoms, including when each of them might be an emergency. 

An award-winning guide for dog parents

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