a vet answered
Rottweiler limping on and off on a front leg after bumping her shoulder, worst when she first gets up
What they asked
Hi! I have a 3-year-old female Rottweiler who has been limping on her front left leg on and off for the past few days. A couple of days ago, she hit what appeared to be her shoulder against our couch. Immediately afterward, she cried a lot and held her front left paw off the ground. Since then, she has been limping intermittently. The limp is noticeably worse when she first gets up after lying down. She puts weight on the paw but limps and walks stiffly. After walking for a few minutes, her limp completely disappears and she walks normally. I’ve carefully checked her shoulder, elbow, wrist, paw, and toes. I haven’t found any swelling, visible injuries, objects stuck in her paw, or specific painful spots when touching her. Before the accident, she walked completely normally. She is still eating, playing, acting happy, and wanting to run around. I’m wondering whether this could be a shoulder muscle strain, tendon injury, or joint inflammation. Does she need X-rays, and what treatment would you recommend? I also have some dog medication at home that I can show you, but I haven’t given her any for this injury. I have a video of her walking about two minutes after getting up that I can share.
Sorry to hear about your dog. You should take them to your veterinarian. She needs appropriate evaluation and recommendations on treatment if the limp has persisted.
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