Carrying Hind Leg When Running
 

I am concerned, but not overly concerned, with my Yorkie carrying his right hind leg when running. He does this now and then for a short period, but today when walking him earlier he did this more than usual. It was raining and I don't know if that had anything to do with it at all. The first time I noticed this issue was when we had a rain that froze back in December, I believe. He slide on the drive a short way got up and ran to check out stuff, potty, or something. I also have squeezed his foot, leg and thigh area when this happened when we were walking in the rain. He didn't pull away from me doing it, so maybe it isn't much of a concern. Has this ever happened to you all and your dogs~? Should I take him to the Vet~?

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It sounds a lot like luxating patella. It wouldn't hurt to get it diagnosed and see what grade it is, if it ends up being the diagnosis. Hopefully with supplements, pain can be avoided. You may also be able to do a few things so that surgery doesn't become necessary...

It could be the knee or the hip. I have one that does this and it appears to be his hip. I have not taken him in because he also hs as heart murmur so I don't believe that surgery is an option.

Wow ! don't know where THAT came from!!!

My post was to say that Yorkies are prone to luxating patellas. You may want to have your vet examine him. If he is favoring the leg it must be bothering him.:thinking:

I've never heard of "luxating patellas". He does use that hind leg to itch himself, does that mean maybe there isn't a problem~? He's only a year old since August.

Could it be why he's not eating much of his food lately~? He does eat it if I give it to him as a treat, but other than that he's not eating twice a day like he was back in December. I've always had eating issues with him. Also, he about thru up earlier when we were playing ball. Perhaps, he didn't chew his food good and then was trying to get the ball too soon after he ate a nibble of food that I was using as a treat. I guess I will call tommorrow for an appointment. I am not crazy about going in again. I was just in there in December for his yearly and she said, he was okay. I am also not crazy about the Vet I go to.

Did she check his knees at that time?

If it is LP, the kneecap comes out of place especially during walking or running. He would still be able to scratch just fine. It shouldn't cause inappetence unless there is a fair amount of pain and that doesn't cound like an issue here. It may also be his hip. It's best just to get it checked out if he is carrying it.

How many times has it happened and did it have anything to do with the time that salt or ice melt was put down for the winter? Ellie carries her legs occasionally when she has to walk on salt. Evidently it burns...

I don't think she checked his knees at the time of his yearly checkup. Mostly she checked his stomach and bowel area, and ears, I believe.

I checked a bit ago when he was really sleepy. I moved his lower legs around. Touched his knee areas too. I don't know anything about this issue but I thought touching him, he might have a sensation to move or act like it was in pain. Nothing happened. I just moved the legs in circles and touched his feet together. Physical therapy, I guess.

Maxwell has a habit when he runs to run in my garden and jump on top of the stone wall and off of it. Especially this summer when he was chasing rabbits. Could that have been where he injured it~? I know that they aren't suppose to jump off of anything until they get old enough for their bones to form. What age is that~?

In the begining of December I noticed my Piper was holding up her right hind leg once in awhile especially when we went outside. When we were in the house she really didn't carry that leg. A week later I noticed that everytime we went outside she was carrying that leg. I'm begining to think she hates the cold and snow. A few days later she is begining to do the same thing in the house. Piper lets me move her foot around and bend her knee and she doesn't seem to be in pain yet she's walking 3 legged once in awhile. On December 15 I bring her to the vets and he knows immediately knows it's her hip and recommends x-rays. Piper has Legg-Perthes Disease. This is when the head of the femur loses it's blood supply and it actually starts to die. In Piper's x-ray you could actually see the ball of the femur was pitted and was kind of floationg in the socket. There was 2 bone chips that had broken away and they were also floating in the hip joint. On December 30 Piper had surgery to repair the damage. This is a herediatary disease. I was really upset because I bought from a breeder thinking I would avoid having these problems. The good news is that Piper's prognosis is excellent. Piper just turned 8 months.

Practically all small dogs are known to have LP (google it for more info). Bailey was checked for LP on her very first visit - and every visit since. My Bailey is a level 1 - meaning her knee caps slip out when pushed out and they easily slip back in. Last year - when Bailey was about 8 mos old, she limped on her hind leg a few times. The vet confirmed level 1 again and said if she continiued to limp that I should consider surgery.

Oddly, Bailey has never limped again - so we never had the surgery.

After all this - my point is that if your vet has never checked your baby for LP - and if he/she has never even discussed it with you - then mabye its time to consider a new vet??

And my personal opinion is - do not rush into surgery. My sister's terrier mix was diagnosed with LP as a puppy and her vet said the dog would probably outgrow it - and it did.

Good luck!!! :)

Thanks Everyone....
 

...for the information and concern~! I did a search on it and was planning to see the Vet about it. I don't believe in surgery unless it's absolutely necessary. He's not crying in pain as the article I read, so that is good. I also will have another Vet to check him that saw him in the early summer when my Vet had nothing open. Plus I wanted a second opinion. Plus, I heard a lot of good things about that Vet except they are a distance away. I'll keep you posted on what they say. Thanks again.:animal-pa

He needs to be seen by an orthopedic vet and have his knees evaluated. If they are Grade 1-2 you will probably just need to keep him from jumping on and off furniture and add a good glucosamine supplement. If they are a Grade 3-4, he will need surgery as the joint will only deteriorate more and arthritis will set in. It will become very painful and eventually, inoperable.

Here is some information for you:

LUXATING PATELLA (KNEE CAP)

Thank you for the info. He doesn't jump on or off the furniture. He's only 7 lbs + and maybe less than one foot in height. It is my garden wall that he jumps off and on to. I can't control that when he's playing in the yard, and especially as fast as he runs when a rabbit or other animal come into his territory.