We see many patients that are limping or holding up a leg and the owners invariably tell us “Fluffy has been limping for about 3 days, but she isn’t painful.” In actuality, the fact that Fluffy is limping tells us she IS painful! Unless an injury has just happened (your dog just jumped up to catch a frisbee, then yelped when landing on the ground as the ligaments in his knee ruptured), it is uncommon for a dog to whimper, cry, moan, or otherwise exhibit typical “human” pain responses. Because the leg does hurt, they hold it up to protect it from hurting everytime they use it. When a dog has a painful back or neck, they might not cry or whimper (although back pain often causes some whimpering when the dog tries to move or is picked up), but they also won’t move much at all. Everything hurts when they move, so they just stay in one spot.
Cats are masters at hiding pain. If they hurt, they just lay in one spot. Since cats sleep a fair amount anyway, it can be very difficult to tell the difference! Signs that they have musculoskeletal pain include not jumping up onto furniture or on your lap, decreased appetite (they don’t want to get up to go to the food bowl), or not using the litter box appropriately (especially if the box is far away or down stairs from where they are resting).
If you notice any changes in your pet’s normal behavior, it is worth reaching out to your veterinarian to see if we should see your pet. If it is a limp after a hard day of play the day before, we may recommend you just let your pet rest and see how things are in 24 hours. But if your dog doesn’t want to move at all or if your cat hasn’t eaten in 24 hours, they should be seen as soon as possible.
