Bichon Frise raising back right leg this past week.

[billchamberlain]

Our six year old Bichon Frise Nicky's only sickness until this past week has been allergies. We have noticed that he occasionally limps and than keeps his right foot off of the ground. We have messaged his complete leg several time and have gone over all areas of his leg trying to see if he has a painful area but he has none. Our vet does not see many Bichons and I would like to have a good idea what we have before taking him there. Has anyone reading this message have something like this happen to there dog?

[Sarah]

Did you ever think that perhaps your dog has something stuck in-between his paw, like a sliver or another foreign body object he might have picked up on his walks or even in the yard or around the house? Feel in between the paw pads and see how he reacts. Other than that I'm sorry I have no idea as to why a Bichon would lift his leg, unless it's a joint problem in the knee or ankle, like hip dsyplasia or arthritis.

Let us know what the vet says.. If it's hip dysplasia swimming the dog is an excellent way of building muscle around the weakness and prevent surgery. I did this with my Rottweiler, and he never had problems. Arthritis would be different, but I could recommend you try to find an acupuncturist who would be willing to treat a dog. They would get the maximum benefit from that type of treatment, plus whatever medication the Vet would give.

But first you have to find out if its something simple like a foreign body, or possibly the other 2 problems.

Hope that helps and let us know what the Vet says....

[MaryAnn]

A friend of mine had this happen to her Great Dane just last week. She thouroughly checked between each nail and with a flashlight and found something and carefully worked it out (she's a certified dog trainer/behaviorist and her husband is a fireman/paramedic), and then irrigated it with saline and flushed the wound out....all was well after that.

So please be sure to check very carefully and thouroughly between each nail and paw pad, etc....using a flashlight. Call your vet if you find anything. My friend worked it out of her dog herself as she is well-trained, as is her husband. I don't recommend lancing or trying to remove anything by yourself without the proper medical training, as you could do more damage.