Hi… my young, healthy, vibrant, fast, agile lab mix has been limping for about a month or maybe longer. Not a severe limp, but definitely noticable. There is nothing in his pads or between them that I can detect, and manipulation of the leg and foot doesn’t produce any noticable or specific area of sensitivity (he doesn’t like having his feet and legs touched as a general thing, but i haven’t noticed the bad leg being differently sensitive than the other).
It doesn’t stop him from doing anything at all, he would happily, if I let him, do what undoubtedly caused the problem to begin with: play his favorite game that involves a lot of jumping and landing and fast turns, etc. We have played a few times when the limp seemed a little better, but then it worsened so I’ve not played with him in a few weeks. But when he’s excited, walking, playing, whatever, he ignores it and it can actually appear to go away.
It seems worse after sleep, when he’s been off it for awhile.
OK… I KNOW I SHOULD TAKE HIM TO A VET. I want to, believe me. Broke. And because it’s so damn mild I am 90% sure I’ll spend $100-$200 I don’t have to spend to have them tell me they can’t see what the problem is, I feel certain it’s somewhere in his tendons or muscles.
All to ask: is the purpose of wrapping an injury to support it while it heals, to be annoying enough that the animal avoids using that leg, or what?
I wrapped his leg in an Ace bandage and now he’s really staying off of it, which seems like it’s probably a good thing. I want him to let it heal, and since he’s so oblivious to it and will run and do whatever anyway, I think he’s slowing the healing.
So any tips or information about the ways to help him let his body heal it so he isn’t a gimp for the rest of his life?
(And he’s just turned 2 years old a few months ago, he’s very, very slim and strong and healthy, I have no reason to believe it’s arthritis or anything like that, and I’ve avoided giving him any kind of pain relief because I think that will allow him to push it even more… I want his discomfort to make him stop using it and let it heal!)