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My dog is limping sometimes with no obvious injury. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 3 months old | 20 lbs

My dog has been limping some the past few days. Not all the time either. Sometimes, he limps and won’t put weight on his back right leg. Other times he will. A few days ago he also wrapped himself up in the leash (I was trying to get him to stop) and hurt himself. He yelled but nothing else happened. I checked him, and I did not see anything. But now he is limping. There is no obvious outward signs of injury. Nothing swollen or red. He was running just a few minutes ago, whined, and then limped.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 20th, 2019

Intermittent limping can be seen with an injury to the muscles, joints or tendons, or may be from arthritis or even tick borne diseases. It’s possible that the incident with the leash caused an injury or it may be unrelated. It’s not uncommon for pain to wax and wane and for limping to be worse at certain times if day. Since this has been going on for a few days I’d recommend an exam with your vet.

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    Answered By Rebecca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 18th, 2020

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some conditions such as luxating patella, meniscus tear or even a broken toe nail can cause intermittent limping. I would recommend keeping Timmy strictly confined with cage rest and leash walk only. Sometime the visit to the vet makes them so excited they forgot they're hurting. Keep Timmy confined and follow up with regular vet if the limping continues. Do not give him any human pain medications, many are toxic to dogs and can complicate treatment.

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