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How to Identify Lameness in Dogs

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What is lameness?

Lameness is the inability to walk normally due to injury, weakness or discomfort. A dog that is lame may have an obvious limp on a single leg, or may have an irregular, stilted or uneven gait. Generally, lameness is caused by problems in one or more limbs but can also be caused by problems with the spine.

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Lameness of a single limb is usually easy to see, as the dog will hold it in the air and refuse to use it at all or have an obvious hobble as they try to protect the painful leg. Lameness of a single leg is most commonly due to injury, such as a broken bone or pulled muscle, or weakness, such as a cruciate ligament rupture or dislocating kneecap. Severe, sudden lameness that doesn’t resolve within a few hours should always be checked by a vet. Lameness that improves quickly but regularly recurs should also prompt an examination with a vet; for example, dislocating kneecaps causes a “hopping” limp that often lasts only one or two steps before resolving but will happen every time the dog walks.

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Lameness of multiple limbs can be harder to spot, as the dog can’t avoid putting weight through more than one limb at a time. Multi-limb lameness is more commonly due to chronic conditions, such as arthritis, or weakness of more than one limb at once, such as cruciate ligament rupture in both back legs. As they cannot simply protect the painful leg, dogs with problems in more than one limb tend to adapt their gait and lifestyle to cope with discomfort. This is especially true when lameness is caused by conditions that develop slowly, such as arthritis.

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Signs of joint pains in dogs

This means that we cannot assume a dog is not lame, or indeed painful, just because they are not holding a leg in the air as they walk. Other, less obvious, signs of joint pain include:

• Unwillingness to walk, or walking more slowly
• Difficulty getting comfortable
• Changes to posture or appearance
• Unwillingness to go up or down stairs
• Difficulty getting on or off the sofa
• Licking the joints
• Changes in temperament or behaviour
• Pacing at night
• Weakness of the hind-limbs
• Difficulty toileting.

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Clinical Metrology Scoring

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Although we can often say that a dog is lame from watching them walk, it is a very subjective assessment, and different people may consider the lameness to be more or less severe. This makes it especially difficult to assess progression or response to treatment. Additionally, as vets and nurses we only see your pet for a short period in the clinic, and this may not reflect what you are seeing at home. Adrenaline is also an excellent pain relief!

Metrology is the study of measurements, and clinical metrology scoring is a validated system to grade a pet’s lameness in an objective and repeatable way. Metrology scoring enables pet owners to provide information in a way that clinical staff can interpret safely and repeatably. This can be used in an initial assessment to determine the degree of lameness present and therefore the most appropriate treatment plan. Repeated metrology scoring enables us to monitor response to treatment and support clinical decision making to provide the best care for your pet.

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The LOAD Questionnaire

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The Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) questionnaire is a reliable and repeatable way to identify if a dog has signs of joint disease and, if so, how severe these are. It is suitable for many causes of lameness, however arthritis is the most common application. The questionnaire answers produce a “LOAD score” which can be used by your vet or nurse to guide treatment and monitor changes over time.

The LOAD questionnaire consists of 23 simple questions that you will be asked to complete, either before or during your appointment. Most of the questions are multiple choice, and include questions about your dog’s lifestyle, exercise and general mobility.

The follow-up LOAD questionnaire contains only 13 questions but allows changes to be tracked and your dog’s management strategies to be adjusted accordingly.

The LOAD questionnaire is available here from the University of Liverpool.

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If you are concerned that your dog may be lame, we recommend arranging a check with your vet. They will examine the joints for pain, swelling and abnormal movement, as well as checking the long bones and spine if appropriate. Depending on what is found, they may recommend a treatment trial, or further investigations such as x-rays.