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My dog is limping with a paw mass. What causes intermittent lameness?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 6 years and 9 months old | 60 lbs

Hello. I have a 6year old female boxer lab wippet mix. She started limping while being on sea side in august. First I thought she hit her paw in a rock under the water while jumping around. Now is october and she is still limping on and off. If we go for a longer hike then she limps. Otherwise she is ok. I took her to the vet and we did some xrays. There is a mass on 3 of her toes. We are concern it's tumor. I also talked to 2 ortho vets and they both said it's exostosis. Lungs xray is ok.thanks

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2 Answers

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Answered By David Darvishian

Veterinarian

Published on October 27th, 2017

If this turns out to be a non-surgical problem, you should look at the following supplements to aid in healing and maintenance of the joints. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977951 Osteo TruBenefits and Canine Omega Benefits Again Good luck

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Brooklyn is having intermittent lameness problems. Bone tumors, when present are usually solitary lesions involving one area of bone. So since this is in multiple places, I would highly discount any neoplastic problem. This may just be incidental findings. I would be more interested in what the hips and knee joint looks like on that leg. One very common injury that dogs encounter is an injury to the anterior or cranial cruciate ligament, much like athletes suffer. Whenever I hear intermittent lameness or non-weight bearing on a rear leg, this is the most common injury to investigate. A complete tear of the ligament usually leads to non-weight bearing and a partial tear usually results in intermittent lameness problems. But there are other causes of lameness which should be considered including hip or other joint problems (arthritis, degenerative joint disease), trauma, puncture wounds, fractures, soft tissue injuries to tendons/ligaments, muscle injuries, tick-transmitted diseases, etc. ACL injuries usually occur when dogs are chasing squirrels, cats, birds, etc across the yard. They are fine and then they return lame, holding up the leg or bearing partial weight. That ligament when examined microscopically is undergoing a degenerative process in almost all of the cases. The strain on the ligament eventually tears or rips it completely. That same process can occur in the other knee and that's why this is so important to diagnose properly. Some dogs tear one ACL, get it fixed and then tear the other one. There are multiple ways to fix an ACL rupture or tear and I would discuss these with your veterinarian. Some of the newer techniques are specialized procedures only certain vets perform and they require that hardware (plates, screws) be put into the area to stabilize the knee joint. One older technique is called the lateral imbrication technique and I still think it works well if an experienced surgeon does it. It is much cheaper also compared to the newer procedures. There are some braces out now also for dogs that are unable to have a surgical repair done but I don't have any experience with those. So I would advise taking Brooklyn back to your vet or another vet for a second opinion if this condition persists, worsens, or other signs develop. They can evaluate her again, gather a detailed history, and then make a diagnostic plan, and eventual treatment plan. A physical exam may include sedation/anesthesia and more x-rays to fully assess the leg. Good luck with Brooklyn.

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