[Basil2016]

We have only had Basil for a little over a month. She's a 7 y/o Yorkie that we got from a rescue.

She's a sweet dog, but really dislikes being in her kennel. When in there she scratches like crazy, and now she's all of a sudden favoring one foot or the other, it's not always the same foot and she doesn't always limp.

Yesterday morning she was limping drastically on one foot, I quickly scooped her up thinking she was hurt. I examined her foot, she let me touch it and rub it without complaint. There were no cuts, she just had her toenails trimmed a week ago, but they looked fine. But because she was so badly limping I put her in her bed and went to call the vet. As I was dialing, I turned around and she was walking up to me with no limp at all. I hung up and watched her for a while and she was walking just fine, so I thought maybe she slept on it wrong or it cramped up, I don't know. Then a few hours later, I noticed her limping again but only a little bit, so I just kept an eye on her. Through out the day.. she limped, holding up her left paw for a while...then walk normally, then I noticed at one point she was limping on the other side...then back to walking normal. My husband thinks maybe she's hurting herself scratching at the kennel door OR doing this to get extra attention from me. I don't know what to think. Her behavior seems normal otherwise, but I have noticed her liking at her paws (front and back) quite a bit. So I'm also wondering if the shampoo used at the groomers (never been there before) has irritated her skin.

I have a call into the vet, but I thought I would try this out too and see if any of you have any ideas.

 

[mathilda]

I'd go to the vet and get the dog x-rayed.
Dogs you usually don't think so complicated to fake an injury to get attention.
since you dog is already a little bit older perhaps she's got athrosis?
or she hurt one leg and now the other one hurts because she's putting all the wieght on it?
If she was insufficiently fed the last years this could be a cause for the bones aching too.
or it could be an older injury.
it could also be that she's got hereditary less perfect bones (i think I remember small dog breeds often have problems with the patella) and tried to rebalance it with an unnatural walking style and with that causes matieral fatigue in her joints.

 

[GRluver]

I would take her into the vet and have her tested for tick-borne disease (i.e Lyme, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis). Shifting lameness is a hallmark sign.