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Why is my puppy limping more and not eating after vet pain meds?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 4 months and 12 days old

My 18week old female puppy hurt her leg took her to a vet to day and was given pain relief she's now limping more and won't eat anything is this norma

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on November 29th, 2016

Restrict activity to just leash walks for elimination. Crate Kaya if necessary. No running, jumping or rough play. The medication may have caused some GI upset. Pain or discomfort can also affect appetite. Confirm the dose and frequency with your veterinarian. Warm her food up or mix in some baby food to stimulate her appetite. Recheck with your veterinarian if the lameness persists or if her appetite does not return.

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Poor Kaya. When a pet injures their leg it can be either a muscle sprain (improves within 48-72 hrs), a fracture (usually will be obvious swelling), or a ligament/tendon injury (no obvious external swelling and won't improve with medications if there is a complete tear). The lack of appetite is concerning and I would be suspicious that the pain medication may be to blame, especially if it was given on an empty stomach. You may want to stop that medication and inform your pets veterinarian to see if there are other options that will be easier on her stomach. Also if the limping is worse then the next step would be to do x-rays of the leg to determine the extent of injury and look into other treatment options (i.e. surgery).

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