Selective Limping

how old is she?  young growing dogs may be troubled with panostitis

mrv

how old is she?  young growing dogs may be troubled with panostitis

spiritdogs

Have your vet test for tick borne illnesses.  They can cause intermittent lameness, too.

I will ask about that.

 Is it possible she is playing you.  She limps, gets attention, limps some more, gets more attention. I had one do this to me, but she changed legs.

You may also want to have a cruciate tear or partial tear ruled in or out.  Brinxx was lame, on & off, when she tore hers.

It's possible, but pretty rare, for a dog to "play" you -- and to be perfectly honest, I would only consider that as a last option because NOT getting it diagnosed could be a really bad thing.

My best suggestion would be for you to try a TCVM vet -- their exam is completley different.  No testing -- just treatment (which is included in the visit fee). http://www.tcvm.com -- there's a locator on the left.  It can really really help enormously in diagnosing something intermittent like that.

racuda

He said it may be a pulled ligament, and with rest it should heal. Ever tried to rest a Lab?

Yes, as a matter of fact I have. lol    If you don't truly rest her for the time recommended, the injury won't heal fully.  Most people have an incredibly hard time enforcing crate rest for two weeks.  I would take her back to the vet for a re check.  If rest is advised, bite the bullet and completely rest her for the entire time recommended.  No off leash time at all.  No running, no jumping, no extended walks.  It's tough but it's the only way to allow some injuries to fully heal.   I hope it's nothing serious and resolves with that dreaded word: rest.

 having a dog that is 5 months post knee operation - I know all about how difficult it is to rest them - do it!

He had intermittent limping and never limped full time.  It was a partial ligament tear, I hope your dog's isn't torn but I will say if it doesn't heal with the 2 weeks rest it may be a partial tear

good luck

Back to the vet we will go. I'm afraid it may in fact be a cruciate tear, as BEVOLASVEGAS suggests. Googling reveals that Surgery may range from $600 to $3,000, and recovery may take from 6 to 14 weeks.   kpwlee, do those estimates sound about right with your recent experience?

 The recovery is different for every dog but suffice to say that our recovery was smooth and at 5 months out he is still not back to where he was prior to injury. The first 8 weeks post op are the toughest.

We had a TPLO which I was told was the best option for a very large, very active dog total cost with the original xrays and 8 week post op xrays was @$2600.  The price will vary with the size of the dog, where you have the work done, what option you choose.

There is a ton of information on the yahoo group about all the different types of surgery and a whole other group for conservative management.

I would certainly look for a specialist if you go the surgical route or at least a vet that has vast experience performing the surgery you choose.  It makes a huge difference.

It is important that you factor in the age, general health, and activity level when deciding what to do.