Although dogs cannot speak, owners can roughly know their health status based on their mental state, appetite, behavior and other daily behavioral changes. Because dogs move around a lot, their feet are easily injured. How can we quickly check whether the dog’s walking is abnormal?

Bernese Mountain Dog

Check the dog's lame foot and the dog's leg to visually see if there is any cause of pain. First of all, when you find that your dog is lame, check carefully to see if there are any different degrees of trauma. There is something stuck in the pad of the sole of the foot, which is the most common. Then there are the cracks or redness and swelling between the toes, and then there are any traumas on the legs, etc. You can do a visual inspection first to determine if it is a problem you can solve on your own.

Use your hand to gently touch the dog's lame leg to see if there is any swelling or any difference in the other leg. If there is no trauma, there may be something underneath the skin. Caress and pinch the dog's little leg with a little force, and pinch it along the thigh to the toe. Feel if there are any hard places or swellings. Pay attention during the process to see if there is any situation where the dog will be sensitive and pull out the leg when pinched in a certain place.

If you are not sure whether a certain part of the dog's leg is normal, you can refer to the leg of the dog that is not lame and feel if the other leg has the same structure. Straighten your dog's legs to check if the problem is with the bones or ligaments. The way to check whether there are any abnormalities in the dog's joints or ligaments is to straighten the dog's lame leg. See if the dog reacts with resistance. If it is not particularly struggling to resist, there shouldn't be much of a problem. If your dog is in pain when you pull it, he will definitely struggle hard.

If no problem is found after the above inspections, let’s take a look first. Sometimes it may be that the leg or foot was bumped somewhere, but the ligaments were not injured and the skin was not broken. It is difficult to find the cause. After a few hours, it will gradually get better. If your dog is still lame after 4-5 hours, you should take your dog to the doctor. If both hind legs cannot walk at the same time, you should take it to the doctor immediately, because it may be a spinal problem.