Foo - What the heck is going on with this dog's leg?

Yesterday, my doggie started limping on the morning walk. It wasn't bad, but by the time I got back from the walk, it seemed worse. Last night when I returned from work, she wasn't using it at all -- just walking on 3 legs.

I inspected and felt it. No sign of swelling, sensitivity, or injury on any part of the foot or leg. She lets me manipulate the parts but doesn't want to extend or bend it even though me feeling it doesn't seem to hurt her. It just hangs there useless.

We skipped the walk, and did the same this morning because she was still on 3 legs. The dog walk is the only thing more sanctified than my bike ride -- this is the first time since we've had her that we've not gone for a walk. Marriage would be a close third though on the sanctity scale :D But I digress...

After she'd been up about an hour, she suddenly started walking on it as if nothing were wrong. And then after awhile, it was back up in the air. And then it went down again. Whether it's up or down, she otherwise acts normal

What could be going on? Her vet is out of town until Sept 14, and we're going to try to get her in to see someone else.

Time for a visit to the Vet. Have you looked closely at the paw? Could be a thorn in it. How old is she? You know some dogs mask pain very well, no where near as well as cats, but they could be in pain and you'd never know it.

Front or rear leg> Could be hip displasia, could have been a mild stroke, all manner of things.

She's very young (only 2) and lives a very healthy lifestyle, so we're hoping she doesn't have any "old dog" problems

I've felt/inspected her paws and between her toes thoroughly and can't find any evidence of anything she stepped on (and she doesn't indicate any pain). This is the rear leg. My completely idle and uniformed speculation is that it's as if a joint was out and then got popped in so I'm hoping it's not hip displasia

She will definitely get to the vet asap. It's too bad her normal doc is out. He's absolutely fabulous.

One of my dogs did the very same thing. Turns out he had pulled and torn one of his claws. He was able to walk until it got infected. I had checked his leg, shoulder and checked his paws for thorns but didn't notice that a claw was injured. Probable done it as he tried to climb the tree after the squirrel or put his front paws on the fence to bark at things in the alley.
The vat had to remove the claw completely but Mojo has his mojo back.
Ernest

PS: Oops, I just noticed that you said the back leg. Mojo would limp with the front leg.

She's very young (only 2) and lives a very healthy lifestyle, so we're hoping she doesn't have any "old dog" problems

I've felt/inspected her paws and between her toes thoroughly and can't find any evidence of anything she stepped on (and she doesn't indicate any pain). This is the rear leg. My completely idle and uniformed speculation is that it's as if a joint was out and then got popped in so I'm hoping it's not hip displasia

She will definitely get to the vet asap. It's too bad her normal doc is out. He's absolutely fabulous.

Another vote for hip displasia. There is hope though, if that's the diagnosis. One day when he was about 1.5 yrs old, after a run/walk with me the day before, Bailey could not even get up from a sitting position. The vet did what you did to the leg and the pain was only when moving the hip a certain way. However he has been on Rhymadyl or Tramadol, is now 5 years old and feels no pain. He runs full blast sometimes. Symptoms coming and going especially after using the hip is typical. I have pretty much the same thing myself. Without his meds he may not be able to get up to this day, but is not worse either. Someday he will need a hip operation. Ask the vet about the operation if it applies, it's kind of amazing.
Right now Bailey is a happy dog and does what he wants. He runs as much as any other dog. If you need to wait to see the vet, and it is a joint problem, try plenty of rest, and just a little walking, no running right now.

Like they say'it could be a torn ligament(or just a sprain).Lets go with the lesser for now MMMKay?
You can sneak a few baby aspirin in some peanutbutter till the vet gets back to ease the inflamation.

Like they say'it could be a torn ligament(or just a sprain).Lets go with the lesser for now MMMKay?
You can sneak a few baby aspirin in some peanutbutter till the vet gets back to ease the inflamation.

Wrap baby aspirin in a cold cut and see if it persists. My dog is super-athletic and if I took him to the vet every time he had a limp I'd be broke. Palpate his body with your hands, if he yelps, take him to the vet, if he doesn't. give him half an aspirin and re-evaluate tomorrow. Funny thing is my dog got back from his morning run with a slight limp this morning. A baby aspirin and one of his patented 12-hour naps took care of it, though.

It's probably not a torn ligament if she started using it again. Those things don't just magically heal overnight, and it's usually something that happens suddenly, not over a period of a few hours. If it were my dog, I'd take her to the vet just in case.

How's she doing today?

Knee cap dislocation is pretty common in younger dogs, especially smaller breeds. I would suspect this if the dog shows no pain other than not using the leg. Off to the vet!