After her walk tonight , my little cav is having the odd limp now and then. I have checked her paws and nothing there and she does not mind one bit if i feel the leg. Just every now and then she has a wee limp, it is not constant but she seems a little cautious when trying to climb the stairs(usually she is the first up there) Is there anything i should do tonight for her ( going to the vets in the morn ) Should i try and keep her still and off her feet as much as i can or let her do her usual thing ?
Thanks

If you run your hands down both legs simultaniously can you feel any heat? if so you could have her on your lap all evening with a coolpack on it. Lucky it's a cav because you can pick her up to take her for her last wee and carry back to bed. Hopefully it will all have settled by morning or it's a vet job. It's quite  possibly her back so....No jumping on the bed .... the dog not you.

lol... Can't feel any warm spots. Will put her on the bed (she will not move till i do so it will be ok ) And will take her for her last pee alone tonight, cos her last pee is usual a 20 minute free for all with the huskies.
Thanks tooolz

Well, vet checked her over said she feels fine, but to watch her  (no limping in the vets,she made me look like a dafty) and guess what she is at it again. Not all the time just every now and again. I have been keeping her in when the others are out and taking her for her pee's on her own so she does not get too excited. Do you think i should ask for an xray at the vets?

Is it front or back leg lameness?

It is her back leg on her right side.

Its worth remembering that our dogs are hard wired to be quite stoical about injuries (after all it doesnt benefit in the 'wild' to show your vulnerable)
    When my little Red did her Cruciate ligament, weight put on the leg would send her up in the air nearly hitting the ceiling,yelping with pain!...But... when we got to the Vets she stood on the exam table stock still and didnt bat an eyelid as her leg was manipulated!! (didnt know wether to curse her or admire her!!!)
    Some dogs, troupers that they are, can mask an injury very well.

So could it be linked to her knee area? i.e a slipping patella or a cruciate problem? Both would be best to be seen by a Vet and possibly require treatment

Sorry HG, didn't read your post fully..................

You may need x-rays done to confirm or rule out these problems

I would suspect LP. It could have dislocated when she wasn't at the vet & not easy enough to dislocate by the vet. If that is the case, it doesn't sound like a strong case of it.

Thanks everyone, will ask for a xray in morn.

Well , vet says it is LP . it is not too bad as yet but she thinks in time she will need an op . She says too have a think about it and decide on what to do . So i am going to do some reading up on LP tonight . On here the quick look i have had seems to suggest that the ops are not always successful.

hey i have just gone throught this op with my dog on both his legs so have lots of info if you want any, i know people have prob had the op were it has been successful but i went to see a specialist and paid extra to see him and i really wish i had never had it done. the specialist made it sound as if it was so easy and my dog would be normal afterwards, we have had nothing but bother, and now my dog is struggling alot and is not even 2 yet. he is a springer so really full of life and just wants to be out there with my pup but cant. .

Any info would be great Stanyer ... i would hate to put her through an op if it was all in vain... She is not too bad the vet said but in time she could get worse and she will definately get arthritus(sp) in later life... she said it is up to me whether or not to have the op, but they would not be doing it, a specialist would ( they only do the op where they carve a groove in the bone and she thinks this would not help her any)And it is only in one leg ... I thought she had just pulled a muscle... OH HOW I WISH I WAS RIGHT .

dels was not bad either we only got it done to prevent it getting worse. well his legs are worse now than before the op. hope you got me email. do you know which specialist it would be.

Thats my worry , will i make it any better for her or not.... it is just the odd limp then stretch and she is back to her normal self ,,, and she runs round the field like a hare and nothing ( this was just after i first noticed it by the way not now as i am too scared to let her run ) she does have her mad night time pee with the huskies and comes in fine ( can't stop that as she yaps for it and she desrves some fun) it tended to be when she did the cavvie over excited bit when we came in from being out  ( the snorting ) that i noticed her limpy leg .. The vet did say she could live with it but then said she would be limited to her exercise and suffer later on in life ...and i asked about the gloucosamin and she said yes give it but it will not help her leg but help her overall self and help for the artheritus that she will get ... I am so confused at this moment in time ... cos since the vet has said what she said i feel like i am limiting her to what she does normally ( cos after i saw her limp  and asked on here ... she did not limp at vets( and they waggled her legs then and nothing ) and they said she should be ok i let her do her normal runs and twitty half hour at night  and nothing.. but cos i was aware of a limp now i am looking at her all the time and frightened i might be adding to her problem...and watching for the limp...

> the vet said but in time she could get worse and she will definately get arthritus(sp) in later life...

that is exactly what the orthopaedic (sp) vet said to me and he was able to manipulate her leg in and out of the socket but after a few weeks it stopped jumping out.  I've ordered glucosamine and chondroitin to attempt to stave off any arthiritis but haven't taken her back to the vet incase he still wants to do the op and I cave in to a guilt trip.  I've been telling myself that most vets advocate spaying at 6 months but it isn't (in my opinion, and fairly limited experience) the right thing to do so maybe I should go with my hunch here too?  Hmmm, decisions decisions.

It is funny how much things come to my attention when I am looking for them.  When my dog was first diagnosed at xmas time I did a search on the site and didn't come up with much that was useful but since then there has been quite a few other dogs diagnosed.  Seems to be a spate of LP.

I will be going back to the vets in a few weeks and if she has not been limping bad ( i will try not too look for it but it will be hard as once i notice something i tend to watch for it )i will be telling her (if it is same vet that it as we have a few in one practice .. all young i must add . no offence meant there, but don't want my dog to be a case study ) all about what i have researched and see what her answers are, then i will decide whether to go for the op.  
Funny you should mention the spaying at 6 months , as i have a bitch who was and i think it has had a unusual effect on her ( she is unsure of what she is really ) and i don't agree with it either .
Your right about the spate of LP , i have been reading about dogs for a bit and knew hip and elbows were a problem in legs , and reading on CD.. never noticed it too much before but it was not a problem for me .. its a case of when you look you find . i suppose .

hi it really depends on what you want. i wanted my dog to be able to run free. the specialist did say to me i could let him live longer by restricting his exercise or i could give him the life he wants and he wont live as long. i dont know about different breeds but in a springer i dont believe in getting one if you dont work him and take him out for miles, they are so happy doing it and want to please you all the time. this is what they are breed for. so i would have prefered to give him the life he deserves and maybe not live as long, del would be really miserable if i restricted his exercise. the reason i got the operation was because i was not comfortable letting him run wild and felt like i did restrict him, i thought the op would prevent me feeling like this. maybe one day it will.

My girl is a cav , but has been with huskies from the day she was home ( 8 weeks old and they loved and protected her from day one ) they do not rag her or hurt her in anyway, infact they are just a happy medium of dogs( and i never over exercised her as a young pup either as i have been a silent reader of this site for a while and know the rules ) ... they all have a hoo haa on last pee  but thats the worst we have (hoo haa meaning dafty run about nuts in the garden as it is last pee time then bed and quiet time ) She was bought for her lap dog qualities (as we have the huskies and they are wonderful and would be lappies if allowed but are a little too large ... ) but she likes to have her mad moments and thats what i don't want her to miss out on . The huskies run on rig , she does not,  but we all go to the beach or forest and she does go off lead and this is her time .. when she comes into her own and thoroughly enjoys it  ( sometimes a bit too much as she yaps at anyone ) This is what i am frightened of letting her do now and i did start to keep her in for last pee and take her seperate but not anymore .. She is not here to work just really a lovvie dog. But i want her to enjoy her life ( consisting of the school run  then field with her doggy pals , sofa snuggle and mad pee . her work out is two or three times a week on the beach or forest  )... I have been reading up on LP and given advice from ppl who have been through the op ( thanks to CD)and other sites . And i will not be rushing into an op .
I seriously hope your boy does get better and your efforts, time and money have not been all in vain . I am glad there are ppl like you out there and i am sure it will come good in the end . ( good usually comes back to the good ) .. sorry to drag this on but it is hard as i am sure you know Stanyer21 , but thanks to you and others i know there are others going through it ... and it helps ..

im sure a can could probably cope with lp its it not to bad without the op to be honest. even with that bid mad time. springers are bit different that mad time never stops. i would try not to restrict the exercise and see how she gets on she will prob still cope (especially since there quite placid dogs)

have you considered having her seen by a chiropractor , one of my girls had a intermittent slight limp I took her to see a well know chiropractor in the dog world who is based in Market Drayton we had one visit a few days later the limp was corrected .
I have her details if you would like them PM me.

Yes that would be great,STARRYEYES

Hi am desperate for a chiropractor to take a look at my dog, please please could you give me the number, thanks so very much Richard lemon 07874804291

only just seen this thread, my vet told me this op doesnt always work and better keeping my money in my pocket!!! he suggested to me half hrs road work a day , no off lead exercise at all. i have to say after 7wks it had worked a treat on my dogs leg.

Hi Berry,
I was about to start a new thread about my dogs limping when i saw your topic.I hope you don't mind me tagging on a question about my girls Limp? :)

I noticed her Limp after a particularly rough play session around a week and a half ago,she hobbled for about 1/2 an hour and then was fine.However since then she limps after getting up from lying down,for approx 30 to 60 seconds and then walks normally.She runs around off lead when we go for walks and seems normal and happy.

The bottom line is she only limps after getting up,for a very short time, and then plays and runs normally,she lets me rub and touch,bend it with no probs.My first thought was arthritis,but after reading this thread I'm not so sure.And would arthritis just appear out of nowhere???

She's a GR,6 years old.

Hi Eden
Your dog may have a problem with her hips or knees, it is best to get her checked out by the vet and even get referred for a specialist opinion.

In the meantime, make sure your dog doesn't jump on and off furniture or use the stairs, limit her exercise to lead walks only, and you can always try hydrotherapy which is brilliant for dogs with any joint problems, also good to make sure she is not over weight.

Hopefully it is just a sprain of some kind and the rest will help.

Good luck with your girl :)