My dog's limp moved to another leg. What causes shifting lameness?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My dog was limping on her front leg one day, I made her an appointment to get it looked at Friday. I won up this morning and she is now limping on her back leg. What could this be?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on September 12th, 2018
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Her age and breed will make certain causes more likely. For example, young large breed dogs are prone to a shifting leg lameness caused by a disease known as eosinophilic panosteitis. Older dogs are more likely to have arthritis. In the meantime, keep her as quiet as possible to allow her body to rest. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 26th, 2019
True shifting leg lameness is unusual and concerning for an autoimmune condition or a tickborne disease (both of which require shift treatment). Other possibilities that are not true shifting leg lameness include luxating patellas, pinched nerves and arthritis. I recommend to have Angel examined by his veterinarian within the next 24 hours since this is the only way to determine the cause and how serious it may be. The veterinarian will get an idea of the cause, may recommend diagnostics and appropriate treatment. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
I was away and my dogs were staying with my boyfriend. They love it at his house and love to spend time sitting outside in the shade in his yard. Saturday morning, Baby woke up and was favoring his right front leg and limping. But as the day progr
True shifting leg lameness is unusual and concerning for an autoimmune condition or a tickborne disease (both of which require shift treatment). Other possibilities that are not true shifting leg lameness include luxating patellas, pinched nerves and arthritis. I recommend to have Angel examined by his veterinarian within the next 24 hours since this is the only way to determine the cause and how serious it may be. The veterinarian will get an idea of the cause, may recommend diagnostics and appropriate treatment. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog started limping in one leg for no reason and now she switched legs . She doesn't wimper or make noises like she's hurt . What could cause this
This depends on the age of your dog. In older dogs, this is a classic sign of hip dysplasia. In young patients with hip dysplasia, the hip joint is often "lax" or loose. The ball of the hip does not fit well into the socket. The actual formation of the ball of the hip joint may be improperly formed at the neck or head. Young patients often have the appearance of "bunny hopping" when running as this more evenly distributes weight across both back legs. They can also be intermittently lame, like your dog. They may have trouble rising or you may hear a click when he does or walks. We also see the weight being held more on the front limbs than the rear (leaning forward) when standing.
In an older dog, shifting leg lameness is a sign of arthritis.
Without further information, I cannot tell you what is causing this in your dog. Depending on the cause, medication can be useful to help the signs improve but a veterinary exam would be needed.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
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
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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My dog is constantly whining he acts like his front paw hurts one day its one side the next its the other i will take him outside to go potty and he will pee then find a spot and Kay down instead of popping or playing. He will not stop whining and hi
I recommend to have Zeus examined today. Shifting leg lameness can indicate a few conditions like Lyme disease, panosteitis or an autoimmune condition. These conditions are all very painful and need to be addressed. I hope he starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I / every vet I've visited with my Black Lab/ Pitbull mix, can't figure out what's wrong. My dog (Alpha) went hiking with me and sprained his front right paw. He got better and was doing fine, then started limping on his back paws. The limp doesn't s
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I would be looking into the possibility of this being something affecting the joints per se such as immune mediated polyarthritis or perhaps something like hypertrophic osteodystrophy given his young age. These are possible things your veterinarian can look into. Treatment of course would depend on findings. At the very least they can try pain control medications and anti-inflammatory drugs. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has frequent pain in his legs randomly. And i also noticed some weakness in him. His behavior is also changed and seems not happy.
I am sorry to hear about Oscar. Some tick-borne diseases can result in shifting lameness between legs and lethargy. Another possiblity if he is a larger breed dog is panosteitis, which is like a growing pain in dogs. It can become quite severe and cause lethargy and decreased appetite. You can read more about this at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4953019. I would recommend bringing Oscar in to the vet's office for examination to determine why he is so uncomfortable, which will help determine his treatment. Best of luck to you and Oscar.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I noticed when we brought Nina home about 2 months ago that she had a slight limp in her hind right leg she is approximately 2 years old and has had quite a few litters of puppies she was seized from a neglectful owner. but her leg doesn't seem to b
With her being a large breed, young dog with a hind leg limp, the first thing I would suspect would be some sort of congenital issue in her hips. Hip dysplasia is one of the most common orthopedic abnormalities of young dogs. To diagnose it requires x-rays at your vet, most of the time under sedation, since dogs do not usually allow us to bend their hips down far enough while they are fully conscious. If hip dysplasia is the cause of the problem, depending on the extent of the issue there are both medical and surgical options for correction. Other causes of chronic sporadic hind limb lameness would be juvenile onset arthritis, certain types of cancers, and lyme disease. If I can help you with anything else, feel free to ask.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 6mo large breed puppy is limping on her back leg (left) it started this morning out of no where. She doesn't seem to be in pain but wont put weight on it. Yet after a few minutes standing she is back to jumpling and walking.
Some causes of hindlimb lameness in growing dogs that are less than 12 months of age include: Hip dysplasia, Avascular necrosis of the femoral head - Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, where the ball of the thighbone in the hip doesn't get enough blood, causing the bone to die Osteochondritis of stifle - fragments of cartilage or bone have become loose within the knee joint Patella luxation - medial or lateral disorder, in which the kneecap dislocates or moves out of its normal location Osteochondritis of the hock - fragments of cartilage or bone have become loose within the hock, the joint of the hind leg Panosteitis – inflammation of the bones Hypertrophic osteodystrophy - a disease characterized by decreased blood flow to the part of the bone adjacent to the joint Trauma to the soft tissue, bone, or joint Infection – may be local, or generalized (systemic) Nutritional imbalances Congenital abnormalities (present at birth) If the lameness persists, even if she seems better afterward, I re
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my gsd nearly 7 yrs neutered around a yr old. Has the last few months developed a limp, not continuous it lasts for few days, then improves, but keeps reacuring. She willing to walk play even run on it, I have to tell her calm and steady. Does th
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Causes of a front leg lameness could be: arthritis, a strain or sprain that needs more time, Lyme disease, neck injury and pinched nerve, peripheral nerve sheath tumor, bone tumor, bursitis/tendinitis. I think having Mya examined is a good idea since it’s been waxing and waning for a few months. Your Vet may want to check her for Lyme or take X-rays. She may just need a few weeks of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and rest. I hope this helps and I wish Mya a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My husky yesterday randomly lifted his back leg in the house. First thought he was being a bad boy and peeing so I said hey no outside. He wasn’t peeing and he couldn’t put his foot back down like he’d limp with it in the air after a minute of walkin
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I suspect that his rear leg was sore for some reason. Has he ever had any joint pain such as arthritis? This is common in medium to large breed dogs as they reach middle age. If he played hard earlier in the day yesterday, he could have over exerted himself resulting in muscle soreness. If it happens repeatedly, he will need to see his veterinarian for an examination. In the meantime, do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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