Bumps & Leg Pain in Dogs
Dogs show that their legs hurt when they either lift a paw completely off the ground when they walk or they will be very reluctant to move at all. A dog that is limping, holding a paw off the ground or reluctant to move should be closely inspected. If the dog has bumps or lumps on the legs or leg joints, the dog needs to go to a vet.
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All Legs
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If the dog has pain and swelling in all four legs, the dog needs to go to the vet for tests as soon as possible. According to The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Dog's Symptoms (Michael S. Garvey, D.V.M., et al; 1999), this can be caused by tick-borne Lyme disease, by arthritis, by inflammation of the muscles called myositis or polyarthropathy (which is a fancy name for inflammation of the dog's leg joints that has an unidentifiable cause).
Lame One Leg
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If the dog is over six years old, does not seem to have any other symptoms other than being lame in one leg and that leg is swollen, The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Dog's Symptoms suggests that this could be the signs of a growing bone tumor. This condition can be diagnosed with X rays. When caught early, bone tumors can often be treated, even if they are malignant.
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Age
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If the dog is over seven years old, and the lameness and swelling in one, two, three or all four legs seem to suddenly disappear as the day goes on, then the dog probably has arthritis. If the dog is of a large breed such as a St. Bernard and is less than six months old, then the problem could be the bone disorder hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD). HOD usually happens in all four legs and is sometimes accompanied by a fever.
Other Symptoms
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Make note of any other symptoms that the dog has in order for the vet to quickly diagnose why the dog has bumps and leg pain. For example, are there any puncture marks on the swelling? If so, these could be signs of an animal bite. Is the dog vomiting? Is the dog breathing normally? These are things the vet will need to know.
Emergency
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Even if the bone had not penetrated through the skin, the dog's bump and leg pain could be a break. The dog will show signs of extreme distress, such as panting excessively, whining, cringing, licking the bump, trying to hide or even going into shock. Shock is when a dog collapses, shivering excessively, rapid heartbeat, rapid pulse and gums turning paler in color. Get to a vet at once.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Rena Sherwood
