I have a 10 year old dalmatian that has started limping. My mom really doesn't have the money to take him to the vet.. she will if she needs to though. I'm just wondering, how can I tell if it is something serious or if it is just a pulled muscle?

He was walking up the steps and then all the sudden started whining and when he got onto the deck he was limping. He doesn't whine when walking and he lets me touch every part of the leg in question and he doesn't make any gesture that it hurts. I've checked his paw for glass and such and there is nothing there. Should he go to the vet now, or do we wait it out for a few days and see if it gets better? He is still running and playing with our other dogs just fine..

Please do not bash me about not being able to afford the vet bill, I'd help my mom out but I have a big vet bill coming up for the animals I own to get there shots and annual check-ups.

Just give it a few days and try to limit his activity. If he is walking on it and lets you touch it I don't see the need to rush him off to emergency.

If after a few days he is still limping and it gets worse at all then you might have to work out a payment plan with your vet.
It could be a pulled muscle, or arthritis or a sore nail, there are too many possibilities to guess unfortunately.

Maybe he stepped on or got stung by a bee? Any swelling?

A long time ago my husband accidentally knocked our dog over (long story) he whined and limped, we rushed him to the emergency vet and $200.00 later found out that he was fine didn't even pull anything. With in a day, he was no longer limping and we realized we had a wimp for a dog.:D:rolleyes:

It could be a pulled muscle or a torn ligament. With ligaments, they usually have to do a re constructive surgery for it to fully heal. They may be able to do some sort of physiotherapy for him if that is in the budget for you guys.

A bruised or pulled muscle normally can heal on it's own, with limited activity. Have you ever given your dog Aspirin before? If not you can always call your vet and ask if it would be okay. A lot of times injuries like this lead to arthritis. So when he does go for his check up, make sure the vets have a good look at his leg.

Aspirin is an anti inflammatory and will also help if he does have arthritis, this will help take the pressure off his muscle and joints. Try to keep him quiet for a few days, to see how the leg heals.

It's hard with senior dogs, just like humans as they age, their bones and joints become more brittle. Have you ever thought about introducing Glucosamine into his diet? It's fairly in expensive and has great results.

Thank you guys for your suggestions. He never has had asprin, so I'll call the vet on that one. We have him in the kennel for now so that he doesn't do too much jumping and playing. We'll also stop letting him play with the other dogs until we sort this out. It is a great relief he doesn't have to go to the vet right away. Maybe it can hold off until my moms next pay day. The vets around here stopped doing payment plans because to many people abused it and didn't end up paying, it is pretty sad.

My vet's the same way Emily. A few bad people ruined for the good ones. Mine used to take post dated cheques in good faith too. Not any more. I hope your pooch feels better soon!

We called the vet this morning, they said he should have been brought in as soon as he started limping, I'm assuming they just want to be safe. We asked about the Asprin thing and they told me the correct dose to give him.

Does it seem like it is better?