I came home this afternoon to find that my 11yr old male is trying not to put any pressure on his front left paw.
He was fine on our walk this morning & when I left for work. My husband said he was fine when he arrived home but started limping as soon as he stepped out the door for his walk.
I can only assume he's done something while we've been out, jumped off the sofa & landed awkwardly  maybe.
There is nothing in his paw or pads but the first digit is painful & he whimpers if I touch it.
Any ideas what I can do? I assume vets will say rest it?
We have closed the door so that we are all I'm one room & he can't do anything but sit still.

It could be a fracture so you need the vet. One of mine broke a front toe last year and the vet x-rayed and bandaged.

Thanks. Gave him crate rest overnight & initially he seemed a bit easier this morning but then he started limping again & keeping the paw off the floor. It does seem intermittent but I'm waiting for the vet to open now.

Don't take it as read that it is a paw issue. Sometimes the 'visible' sign may not be the cause. One of my dogs was limping (front right) and we assumed he'd hurt his leg/paw but it turned out that he had some inflammation along his spine close to his pelvis! Anyone who looked at him limping would have automatically thought it was a leg/paw issue but the Vet went over him very thoroughly and located the source of the pain - nowhere near his right leg/paw but by his pelvis.

> Sometimes the 'visible' sign may not be the cause

Too right.   When my Basset started all this, after doing it early days, I rested him off which put him back on all four.   But it kept happening so eventually I involved my vet, not the one who did the full x-rays when he was 8 months.   He was worried enough to do full x-rays again and the result was dire.   Starting with subluxation of the hips and going to all kinds of stuff with his spine.   He was 7 and I know Noel Fitz would have come out with all scalpels blazing .   Really, with my lad, it's a question of where to start and whether it was feasible in any case, cost apart.   He's on Metacam, probably for the rest of his days but doing fine, so far.

So yes, I'd be off to see a vet who may well be able to put what's going on right with complete crate rest and antiinflammatories.   Fingers x.d

Thanks all.  Took him to the vet this morning, she doesn't think anything is broken, but it does seem to be his first "digit" on his front left paw that is tender.  So, we have some pain relief and will see how he is in a couple of days.  Just typical that these things happen when they are due to be with our lovely dogsitters shortly who normally take them for long country walks.  Hopefully he'll be better in time for that.
He is fine in every other way and is probably wondering what all the fuss is about.

Glad you got to the bottom of it and hope it heals soon

> One of my dogs was limping (front right) and we assumed he'd hurt his leg/paw but it turned out that he had some inflammation along his spine close to his pelvis!

This is almost a carbon copy of my oldest!  Without sufficient anti inflammatory, she has a persistent limp on her front right which is from inflammation right in the middle of her pelvis.  In her case it's due to spondylosis and a slipped disc, both in the same place.