Vet wants to recheck dog's lameness before surgery, is this normal?

Good Evening...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Luna is experience some trouble with her left front leg. Since the lameness seems to be reoccurring, I would recommend you bring her into a veterinarian for an examination. Young dogs can often experience many conditions that can cause lameness. These can range from conditions such as panosteitis (growing pains) to congenital conditions such as elbow dysplasia, or OCD lesion of either the shoulder or elbow. Certainly a soft tissue injury (muscle strain or sprain) may also be the culprit. Regardless, it may be nice to see if the veterinarian can determine her "pain point" and localize where her lameness is coming from. They will also be able to give you prescription medications that ma help to ease her discomfort. I hope this information helps, good luck and I hope Luna gets some relief soon! :-)

Thank you for reposting your question with pictures. The second x-ray is a little dark and is difficult to read, but I can certainly see that the area is not normal and why your vet would recommend amputation since the area will not get any better. However, if Ella only has a slightly limp, then I'm not sure why the amputation needs to happen now. Some dogs do very well with an abnormal leg for many years. If at some point it starts causing her more problems, it can always be amputated at that time. And certainly only having 3 legs puts more strain on the other legs, so we try to wait to amputate unless the leg is currently painful or causing problems. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. I would recommend trying to rest your pet for the next few days to make sure all is OK. If she continues to act like everything is fine, then a visit is probably un-necessary. She may have just had a minor sprain or mild injury that just worked its self out. If the lameness returns, then go see the vet for an evaluation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is some redness and bruising that is to be expected following a big surgery like that. I think this is likely fine. However, if this appears to get any worse, have her evaluated by her veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. She is also beautiful! Good luck and have a good night!

I am sorry to hear that. It sounds like she may be painful. Call your and see about getting her in for a recheck exam. If there is an emergency vet near you, I would recommend that you take her in to be seen. Unfortunately without seeing her and without knowing if she's received any medications at home, I cannot advise you to give her anything at home to help, she just needs to be seen by a vet. You can request a consultation so we can exchange information back and forth and I may be able to further advise you, but ideally a vet needs to examine her in person as soon as possible. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Lameness can be an indication of an orthopedic condition. This can be due to conditions such as a soft tissue injury, ligament conditions, a fracture and even a tumor. For this reason, I recommend that you have Jo evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. A veterinarian should be able to perform an examination and localize where the pain is so that further diagnostics like radiographs can be performed. Treatment will be highly dependent on what is causing the lameness. At the very least your veterinarian can start Jo on pain control medications to provide comfort. In the meantime, keep Jo's activity level to a minimum avoiding any jumping, running or rough playing. I hope you find this information useful in helping Jo. Wishing Jo a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they are not concerned about a broken bone, it may be a good idea to give Ben some time to rest up to see if this is just a soft tissue injury of some sort. I would give him a few days to a week on the medications and complete rest limiting his activity to see if he improves on his own. If no improvement is seen by then or he worsens in the meantime, have him reevaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!