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Why is my dog limping and crying when I touch his injured leg?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Male | unneutered | 9 lbs

My dog won’t walk on his left leg, when I try to touch it he cries. What should I do?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 12th, 2018

I would take Casper into a vet today. He sounds painful, which is why he won't walk on the leg and cries when you touch it. He could have injured it, broken a bone, or torn a ligament. He needs to see a vet now to see what is causing the pain so he can be treated. The vet can prescribe pain medications as needed. Please do not give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. Best of luck.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 15th, 2017

    It sounds like your dog has injured his leg pretty severely. This could be something like a simple muscle sprain or strain or could be something more serious like a ruptured or torn ligament in the knee. If you are unable to take him to the vet, the best thing you can do is encourage rest/exercise restriction and ice the area that seems most painful 2-3 times a day. If the limping does not resolve after 5-7 days of rest you will need to take him in to be examined and he may need some anti inflammatory medication. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 25th, 2016

    Poor guy. Limping can be caused by all sorts of injuries including a fracture, ligament tear, muscle sprain, degenerative joint disease, and even bone cancer. You will have to get Rocky examined unfortunately to determine which of these is most likely and also to get him much needed pet friendly pain medication. He sounds like he is in a lot of discomfort and this is the only way to help his pain. There are no safe over the counter pain medications in pets, so I highly discourage giving any of these to Rocky. You can try cold compresses on the painful area until you can get him in to the vet, if tolerated, to help with the inflammation/pain. Leash walk him only outside also to avoid any further injuries to the leg or to the other non-affected limb.

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    Answered By Silvia De Cecco, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 13th, 2018

    Poor Potato. From your description he seems to be in distress and painful. I recoomend to bring him to your local vet asap for a full check, to exclude a leg fracture and to administer the correct treatment according to the diagnosis. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.

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