Introduction
Your Beagle willl most likely stay healthy throughout his whole life, though no one is completely safe from the diseases and injuries, so when your suddenly starts to limp, things might be very serious.
Limping
There can be various reasons your dog is limping. When you notice this, you might probably try to inspect the dog right aways, however it’s not the best thing to do, because if your Beagle is threatened or in great pain, he will most likely bite your because of it’s instincts.
So, first of all, look at the dog’s leg:
- Can you spot any bites or bruises on the leg?
- Is there any blood on the leg oron the ground?
- Do you see any swelling or leg size increase?
- Does it look like the dog feels great pain?
From these questions you can get some understanding about the situation. Is possible, put amuzzle on your dog or have someone holding him when you approach.
There are verious reasons which may cause your Beagle limping. Even specialists cannot always define the exact reasons for this, so if the case in uncertain and not obvious (when you see it’s not an open injury, for example), you’d better find the good veterenarian who is experienced and informed.
Somewhat obvious and observable causes of limping are stated down below.
Broken Leg
While it is not easy to ensure if the leg is broken indeed, when you see your dog having great, terrible pain or when you see the dog cannot put any pressure on the damaged leg without whimpering, you should take it to animal hospital right away where you can get x-ray and see is the leg broken indeed.
Damaged Nail
This one is especially common for dogs with long nails. You have to examine every nail to see wether it is turned, bent, split or even missing. Sometimes the nail will not be fully detached, when damaged heavily, so you really have to carefully examine all of them.
Bites and Bruises
If you notice some of these, then you can try to clean the wound and disinfect it (if your dog allows so). If the wound is too large, you’d better take your dog to vet to make a proper bandage and apply antibiotics if the infection happened. And do not allow your dog to lick the wounded area to prevent infection.
Splinters and Small Cuts
You can pretty much deal with these on your own. Make someone hold the dog while you removing the splinter, and make sure you clean and desinfect the place. Do not allow your dog to lick it aswell in order to prevent infection.
Rash between Toes
Usually caused by the dog walking to much, this may also be the case of yeast infection. The swelling may also appear if your dog licks the paw too much when it itches. Examine the paw, if you dont see any inflammation, and it doesnt smell or look too terrible, then you may let it heal on it’s own. Otherwise, take your dog to a vet.
When You Should Consult Your Veterenarian
- your dog growls/snaps at you while you try to inspect it’s leg;
- you are not comfortable with inspecting the dog’s leg;
- you notice terrible smell or swelling;
- your Beagle was bitten by another animal;
- the dog is in great pain;
- your dog is constantly depressed or doesnt have an appetite;
- you cant figure out the cause of pain.
Obviously, it doesnt affect front legs, only back ones. When your dog walks/runs with altered gait, tries to avoid any activity which requires extensive movement of rear legs(like climbing or exercises), doesnt feel happy from usual walking/exercises and becomes depressed and irritable, then yout Beagle is most likely in great pain from hip dysplasia.
In this case you should deny all the dog’s activities and take your dog to a good vet who can identify this disease properly instead of wasting the precious time and your money trying to cure “something that looks similar”. This thing is very serious and can make your dog pass away too soon.
This may be caused by overexercising, so be aware. If your dog avoids activity and looks irritable or even bites you when you touch it’s spine areas, then you’d better take it to a good vet aswell, because this case is also just as serious as hip dysplasia.
