Why is my dog's hind leg still limping after a fall and being dropped?

Question

Small mixed dog, approximately 12 lbs developed a small white hard sharp area on her R hind leg. One month later she was climbing wood stairs, screamed and fell, resulted in a limp on R hind leg. IDK if a nail or lower leg was affected w fall or if the two issues are related. While on strict bed rest she was dropped by our daughter possibly incurring additional injury. Grade 4 limp now. Any insight, other than the obvious of visiting a vet, would be appreciated. Time line 2 months. Thank You. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 years and 1 month old | 12 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

I’m not sure there’s much more you can know about the underlying cause of Prancer’s lameness without a radiograph to see the bone. Certainly all the things you mentioned would not help to heal any injury either. The first concern I have is related to the hard area on her hip for some type of mass or cancer. Hopefully it’s not that and it’s unrelated. The fall could have injured the hip/joint and certainly being dropped didn’t help that. She could also have ruptured her cruciate ligament. The fact that she is still lame after two months makes me worried about an injury to the bones or a ligament injury. A trip to the vet for a thorough palpation may give the answer and a radiograph (x-ray) may be needed to look at the bones. At home you are doing the right thing by resting her. Do not allow her jump, go for walks or even use stairs. She needs to be rested. If a fracture is present somewhere however, it needs to be completely immobile and may take 8 weeks to heal (although non union fractures can’t heal properly). There’s not much you can give her to heal bone injuries but omega 3 fatty acid supplements and adding in a joint supplement such as Dasuquin can help to naturally decrease any inflammation. I hope this helps and I hope you get things figured out quickly. Please feel free to post any additional questions you may have. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Why is my dog's hind leg still limping after a fall and being dropped?

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