Why Is My Dog Limping on a Front Leg? 10 Causes

If your dog is limping on a front leg, you may be wondering what is causing the limp and when you need to head to the vet. If so, this article is for you! Integrative veterinarian Dr. Julie Buzby invites rehabilitation veterinarian Angela Youello VMD, PhD, CCRT, CVA to discuss 10 reasons for a dog limping on a front leg. Learn what to do should you find yourself in this situation.

Anytime you notice your dog limping, it’s normal to be worried. Reluctance to put as much weight (or any weight) on a leg is usually a sign of pain or discomfort in dogs, even if you aren’t seeing any other changes. In fact, limping is often the only symptom we may see when our furry friends are experiencing musculoskeletal pain.

Dogs can limp on a front leg or a back leg, or even both at the same time! There are many possible reasons for your dog to limp, and each can affect your dog’s well-being and mobility in different ways.

What causes limping on a front leg in dogs?

When a dog is limping on a front leg, often an injury to the paw is assumed to be the cause since the paw is the weight-bearing surface of the leg. However, the carpus (i.e. wrist), elbow, or shoulder are all equally at risk of being the culprit.

Some causes of limping occur suddenly and have an obvious event (such as a fall) that led to the injury. Other conditions develop more gradually. And without a known triggering event, it can be hard to figure out why your dog is limping. Likewise, some issues are minor and resolve themselves, while others are more serious and require medical attention.

When do I need to go to the vet?

Remember, if your dog is limping for over 24 hours, it’s crucial to seek veterinary care. Your veterinarian can examine your dog’s legs and feet to pinpoint the cause of the lameness, determine necessary tests, and decide on appropriate treatments.

Until your vet visit, keep your dog on one level of your home. And limit his or her activity to prevent worsening of any potential injury.

If the limping is mild, is not worsening, and there are no obvious complications like cuts or foreign material in the skin, you should schedule an appointment with your veterinarian within 24 to 48 hours. However, if the limping is severe or accompanied by injuries like cuts, head to the ER for an emergency vet visit instead of waiting to get in with your regular vet.

Why is my dog suddenly limping on a front leg?

First, let’s talk about some possible reasons for your furry friend to suddenly start limping on a front leg. Then we can get to some of the conditions that cause gradual limping on a front leg instead.

Common causes of sudden front leg lameness include:

• Injury to a paw pad
• Broken or injured nail
• Bone fractures
• Tick-borne illnesses
• Neck injury causing pain to radiate down the front leg
• Muscle strain or connective tissue sprain

1. Injury to a paw pad

Paw pad injuries in dogs can range from subtle to clear-cut. Sometimes, your dog may suddenly yelp and start limping. And you can see an obvious cut on their paw pad. Other times, a dog might step on something tiny that causes pain but isn’t visible upon a quick look.

Often, protecting the injured foot by wrapping your dog’s paw can lead to a smooth recovery. However, severe injuries, like lacerations or embedded objects, might require surgical intervention.

2. Broken or injured nail

A dog may rip a nail off or a dog may split a nail, leading to pain and limping. The damage can be clear, like a nail that’s completely fallen off or is bleeding. Or it may be less noticeable, such as a tiny crack causing pain but not visible to the naked eye.

Fortunately, with proper pain relief and foot protection, these injuries typically heal in a few weeks. However, given that nails constantly touch various surfaces, they’re prone to infections. Keep an eye on your dog’s foot for signs of infection like redness, swelling, discharge, or increasing pain during recovery.

3. Bone fractures

If you saw your dog suffer an injury or trauma, your dog might have broken bones or a dislocated joint. These injuries can occur due to falls during activities (e.g. climbing stairs), jumping off furniture, or playful collisions. Even a misstep in the dark can result in injuries like broken toes in dogs.

If your dog suddenly refuses to bear weight on a leg following such an incident, a break or dislocation may be to blame. A veterinary exam and X-rays can usually diagnose the issue. Treatment varies with your dog’s age, the affected bone or joint, and the injury type. Sometimes, support through splinting, bandaging, and rest suffices, but severe cases may require surgery.

4. Tick-borne illnesses

Tick borne diseases in dogs such as Lyme disease in dogs can cause a dog to start limping. Any leg can be affected, and sometimes the lameness shifts from one leg to another, making it harder to diagnose. Blood tests are available for the most common types of tick-borne illness. And thankfully, most dogs will recover well with antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs).

5. Neck IVDD or other neck injury

Neck injuries in dogs can lead to pain that radiates down one of their front legs and causes lameness. Similar to humans, dogs have a compressible disc in between each pair of vertebrae in their spinal column. Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD in dogs) can cause these discs to become inflamed and put pressure on the spinal cord or the nerves that exit the spinal cord. This causes pain and other problems. If the affected disc is in the neck, the pain can radiate down one of the front legs, leading to limping.

Sometimes it is possible to treat IVDD in dogs without surgery. NSAIDs, muscle relaxants (e.g. methocarbamol for dogs), strict cage rest, and weight management can help resolve some neck injuries. However, more serious cases require IVDD surgery for dogs.

6. Soft tissue injuries (sprains or strains)

Soft tissue injuries like muscle strains or sprains (i.e. damage to ligaments connecting bones) are common in dogs but hard to pinpoint. Since these injuries usually don’t appear on X-rays, a vet might diagnose a strain or sprain if there’s leg pain without changes to the bones or joints on X-rays.

Soft tissue injuries can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty in weight-bearing. Fortunately, they often improve with rest, pain relief, and sometimes physical therapy for more serious cases. For joint instability from a sprain, a brace might be necessary during healing. Or the vet may recommend surgical treatment if the injury doesn’t heal with rest and medication.

Why did my dog gradually start limping on a front leg?

However, for other dogs, the limping starts gradually or just happens on and off. And then over time it may get worse or more consistent.

Some common causes of gradual-onset or intermittent limping on a front leg include:

• Arthritis
• Elbow dysplasia
• Osteosarcoma
• Immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA)

1. Arthritis

Osteoarthritis in dogs is a very common cause of gradual-onset limping in dogs. It is a form of joint disease caused by inflammation that leads to degradation of cartilage. In normal, healthy joints, viscous fluid lubricates the moving surfaces and cartilage cushions the underlying bone.

But in arthritic joints, inflammation causes the joint fluid to become thinner and less lubricating, which leads to cartilage wear and tear. Eventually, bony changes occur in the joints that cause more pain, inflammation, and decreased range of motion.

A classic sign of arthritis in dogs is stiffness and discomfort upon waking up or after resting that improves with movement. And the limping tends to be worse in the winter since arthritic joints often hurt more in cold or damp conditions.

Managing arthritis in dogs

There are a range of treatments for relieving arthritis pain in dogs. To support cartilage health, your vet might recommend injections of Adequan for dogs or giving your dog joint supplements for dogs like omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin (all found in Dr. Buzby’s Encore Mobility™ hip and joint supplement, for example). And if your dog is slipping on the floor, a dog traction device such as Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips® dog nail grips can be helpful.

Pain management is a mainstay of arthritis treatment in dogs. NSAIDs such as carprofen for dogs effectively reduce pain and inflammation. And dogs who can’t take NSAIDs may benefit from different pain medications like gabapentin for dogs. Plus, acupuncture for dogs can offer additional pain relief.

Your vet might also recommend physical therapy (i.e. rehabilitation therapy), which can alleviate pain and help reduce the risk of compensatory injuries. Some potential rehabilitation modalities include:

• Hydrotherapy (e.g. underwater treadmill for dogs and swimming) to maintain muscle mass while reducing impact on arthritic joints
• Laser therapy for dogs to reduce pain and inflammation
• Exercises designed to maintain muscle strength and range of motion

As arthritis is chronic, ongoing management focusing on weight management, cartilage health, and pain relief is crucial for your dog’s quality of life.

2. Elbow dysplasia

You have probably heard of hip dysplasia in dogs, where malformation of the hip joint leads to pain and lameness. Elbow dysplasia is not quite as well-known, but is one of the most common causes of elbow pain in dogs. It is an inherited condition that occurs when the elbow joint does not form properly. Elbow dysplasia can affect one or both elbows, and is more common in large and giant-breed dogs.

Dogs with one affected elbow may have a “head bobbing” lameness that is more obvious as they land more heavily on the “good” leg. In other dogs, dysplasia affects both elbows, and there may not be obvious lameness, but rather a shortened stride.

Dogs with severe elbow dysplasia may be diagnosed as puppies if their joint malformation interferes with the elbow’s normal range of motion. But dogs with mild elbow dysplasia are often not diagnosed until they develop arthritis in middle age.

For all dogs with any type of joint malformation or disease, maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important to reduce strain on affected joints. And as with other causes of arthritis, using joint supplements and pain relief, plus physical therapy to strengthen muscles and manage secondary issues, can ease discomfort. For severe cases, surgery may improve mobility and reduce pain even later in life.

3. Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma in dogs, a rarer lameness cause, is a type of cancer arising from abnormal cells in the bone. It usually affects the long bones of the legs. In the front legs, osteosarcoma tends to occur in the upper part of the humerus (i.e. upper arm bone) near the shoulder and the lower part of the radius (i.e. forearm bone) near the carpus (i.e. wrist). Osteosarcoma is typically very painful and causes pronounced lameness, often accompanied by firm swelling of the affected area.

Treatment typically involves a dog leg amputation followed by chemotherapy. But your vet can help guide the decision about what is right for your dog.

4. Immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA)

Like tick-borne disease, immune mediated poly arthritis (IMPA) can cause lameness in one or more joints. Dogs with IMPA often have other signs of illness as well, which isn’t the case for most other causes of lameness we talked about. Fever, decreased appetite, being a lethargic dog, and GI upset are all common in dogs with IMPA.

Your veterinarian may need to perform a variety of tests to arrive at a diagnosis. Many dogs with IMPA receive a physical exam, blood tests for dogs, and X-rays. And if those tests don’t reveal an underlying cause for the lameness, the dog may need arthrocentesis for dogs. This is also known as a “joint tap”, and involves collecting samples of joint fluid to look for abnormal cells and infectious organisms.

The treatment for IMPA involves immunosuppressive medications. So a thorough workup is important to make sure no other factors are contributing to the lameness.

Work with your vet to determine why your dog is limping on a front leg

It’s crucial to remember that limping typically indicates pain, even if your dog seems fine otherwise. Dogs don’t usually cry out in pain and might continue with their normal routines, like eating and playing. This makes lameness a key sign of discomfort. Some dogs are very stoic and won’t even limp on a painful leg. But you may see more subtle signs of pain such as reluctance to play, difficulty getting up from rest, or unwillingness to go on walks of a usual length.

You know your dog better than anyone. And if you ever have a feeling that something may not be right, it’s safest to see your veterinarian for a thorough physical exam. For sudden, severe limping, it’s best to get immediate veterinary help, which may mean seeing an emergency vet. If your dog’s limp is mild or worsens over time, schedule an appointment with your regular vet within a few days.

Determining the cause of a dog limping on a front leg often requires some sleuthing. So a vet visit is essential to diagnosing the issue and ensuring your dog gets the necessary care to be comfortable and pain-free. That way the two of you can continue to enjoy your life together!

Why was your dog limping on a front leg?

Please comment below.