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Why does my Lab limp on his hind leg, and massage makes it better?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 2 years and 3 months old | 160 lbs

my two year old black lab will randomly not put any pressure on his left hind leg. We massage his leg and he is able to put weight back on it. Any idea what is causing him not to put pressure on his leg and why massaging his leg cures it?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 4th, 2019

Could it be that Remy has a luxating patella? This is when the kneecap pops out of place, and that leads to limping. Massaging it may push the kneecap back into place. While this condition can be common in toy and small breed dogs, you can see it in Labs due to their bow shaped legs. Have him checked out by a vet for this problem.

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