When to Get Emergency Care if Your Pet Is Limping

The lameness of your pet may typically wait until the following working day for treatment. However, certain ailments combined with limping indicate that you should see the nearest emergency veterinary hospital straight once.

Indications of lameness in animals that demand immediate attention

Visit the emergency room if your animal pal exhibits any of the following symptoms:

  • Dragging a limb
  • Not bearing weight on a limb
  • Extreme lethargy
  • Uncontrollable bleeding
  • Excessive swelling
  • Excessive vocalization
  • Abrupt worsening of a limp

Your pet may need emergency treatment for the main reason, not necessarily the limp, if they exhibit slight lameness along with alarming symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea.

Lameness causes in pets that require emergency care

Numerous conditions can cause pets to become lame, some of which require rapid medical attention. Even if a muscular strain or sprain is worrisome, you don’t have to head straight to the closest emergency room. However, some illnesses do demand immediate attention, such as:

  • A fractured limb
  • Paresis or paralysis of one or more limb
  • A deep or large wound that will not stop bleeding
  • A venomous insect or snake bite
  • A car accident
  • A dog fight

While some of these incidents might not seem to cause much harm, they could actually cause internal problems that need to be treated. A thorough examination may uncover damage to your pet’s liver, spleen, kidneys, or bladder, which could necessitate intensive hospitalization. For instance, you might believe that your pet who was hit by a car and only has some road rash on their legs and a little limp is fine.

A pet that has been bitten by another animal is another scenario that frequently necessitates emergency care. Punctures only leave tiny holes behind, yet the wounds spread infection very quickly. Additionally, a pet that grips and jerks your pet might seriously harm the underlying tissues and quickly worsen the situation.

Determining whether your four-legged friend who has become a three-legged pet needs emergency care can be difficult. Give our staff a call to discuss your pet’s condition so that we can determine whether they require emergency care.

 

We are happy to welcome you back into our building for appointments with our doctors! Following the most recent recommendations, masks are no longer required inside, but our staff is happy to wear them if you prefer, just let us know during your visit. We ask that ALL appointments continue to call to check in from the parking lot as this has greatly reduced lobby traffic, leading to less stressful visits for our more timid patients. We continue to be glad to accommodate curbside appointments at your request.