Limping Dog Causes: Blossom Becomes Lame

What do you think is the most common cause of limping in dogs? What do you think would be the most likely reason for your dog’s lameness?

Yes, there are causes of lameness that are more common than others. Does that mean that is the case with your dog? Don’t fall into the assumption trap.

Limping Dog Causes: Blossom Becomes Lame

Blossom’s story

Blossom was a seven-year-old female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her mom adopted Blossom when her first owner died. You couldn’t find a gentler, more good-natured dog.

Living in the country, Blossom got to enjoy daily long walks in a variety of natural environments. She loved wide-open spaces exploring and relishing in her mom’s company. Both Blossom and her mom were in great shape.

Blossom starts limping

Given her active lifestyle, when Blossom started limping on her front left leg, her mom assumes Blossom twisted her foot or got a minor sprain.

Blossom’s mom decides to skip on a few walks. After a couple of days of rest, the limp went away. However, as soon as they tried to resume their outdoor adventures, Blossom started limping again.

They returned home and her mom examined Blossom’s leg. She started at the shoulder, working her way down to the foot. Was there something stuck there? Blossom didn’t want to have anything to do with further exam–she was wriggling and wouldn’t stay still.

At the veterinarian

At the veterinary clinic, Blossom behaved very well and allowed her veterinarian to examine the underside of her foot. There was indeed something there. It was a size of a small pebble, firmly attached to the skin of Blossom’s foot.

A careful, close-up examination revealed that the foreign object was quite unique–an accumulation of dried mud, grass, and small rocks. It has combined into a stone-like object firmly attached to the fine hair on Blossom’s foot.

Removing the culprit

Getting the mass of was quite painstaking–bit by bit the veterinarian had to trim away the hair it was attached to. Once the mass was gone, so was the limp.

Sometimes the problem is bigger than it seems and sometimes it is not. The limp alone doesn’t always give that away. However, if your dog starts limping, start by checking the feet.

Original story:
Blossom, a seven-year-old female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who was limping

Related articles:
Why Is My Dog Limping? Causes of Lameness in Dogs—Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog
Common Limping Misdiagnoses in Dogs

Further reading:
Lameness Exam: What Your Vet Might Be Missing?

Categories: Conditions • Dog health advocacy • Lameness • Limping • Symptoms

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

11 Comments
  1. Dorothy "FiveSibesMom" 19/12 – 10:41 am

    So happy Blossom’s foot was something that was able to be taken care of! It is so important to not ignore a limp. Sometimes it can be just a strain or they stepped on something, but here, limping and lameness came often…unfortunately due to CCL tears. So every time I saw one of my pups favoring a leg, I caught my breath. My one Husky also had a torn dew claw that became infected and had to have it removed.Thankfully, all of them recuperated from their injuries and were able to get back to running like Husky dogs love!

    Reply
  2. Sweet Purrfections 19/12 – 12:14 am

    Ouch! I’m happy Blossom’s limping was nothing serious and was “easy” to correct. If one of my cats were limping, I would probably take them to the vet immediately.

    Reply
  3. Beth 19/12 – 10:20 am

    I’m glad that Blossom’s injury was fairly minor! I will remember this if my dogs start limping!

    Reply
  4. Marjorie Dawson 19/12 – 3:14 am

    Poor Blossom, it sounds painful and I am glad the vet was able to help resolve her limp. I thought our Silver had hurt his paw last year as he was limping, but it turns out he has a tussle with another cat and a course of antibiotics sorted him out.

    Reply
  5. Sandy Kubillus 19/12 – 11:31 pm

    Great for Blossom that it was a simple solution! I’ve had a dog limping due to osteosarcoma, coon hound paralysis, and torn ACLs. It’s great when the cause is something so simple as junk stuck in between her pads.

    Reply
  6. Ruth Epstein 19/12 – 4:31 pm

    Thank goodness Blossom is ok, I always check Layla’s paws when she starts limping to make sure there is nothing there especially as we do a lot of walking on sidewalks

    Reply
  7. Chelle 19/12 – 2:27 pm

    I’m glad Blossom’s limping turned out to be something simple to treat. This past summer my senior boy suffered from a soft tissue injury in his shoulder, as well as a pinched nerve, that lead to him limping on a front paw. His recovery was long but luckily he did fully recover.

    Reply

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