Why is my dog limping on different legs? What's causing this shifting?

Question

Sunday, her back left thigh looked swollen, she was crying and in pain so she slept with me. I assumed it was an ant bite or something. Yesterday things started to go back to normal. Today, he won’t walk on her back left leg, it doesn’t appear to be swollen and she doesn’t cry when I touch it or put pressure.im confused because her back left leg was the one that was originally swollen, now she won’t walk on the back right leg. Please help. Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund miniature | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 19 days old | 6 lbs

Maria DVM · Accepted Answer

I would recommend seeing a veterinarian. At 8 months of age this may be something like a luxating patella (where the knee cap pops in and out). They can limp or not put weight on the hind limb if the knee cap is out of place. Which could explain why one day she seemed hurt in one leg and now hurt in another. It could also be that she just hurt her leg like a soft tissue injury. This can be either a sprain or a ligament injury. If Hazel is dragging her leg (which is does not look like she is) it may be her back. Your veterinarian will perform a physical examination and see if the knee caps are in place and if Hazel has any discomfort or swelling in any joints or parts of her leg. They may recommend X-rays depending on the physical examination if your veterinarian thinks there is a bone injury. Dogs can also get tick diseases that cause shifting leg lameness (where they are lame on one leg and then the next day lame on another). Although these diseases are not common in your part of the country it is not something to completely rule out since we do see them sometimes. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Why is my dog limping on different legs? What's causing this shifting?

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