What this means
A swollen joint is not easy to spot, especially under long hair. Usually the limp or the reluctance to use the leg comes first, and only then do you notice that one part of the leg looks thicker or warmer than the other. Comparing it with the same part on the opposite side helps.
Note whether one joint is swollen or several. One joint more often suggests a local injury or damage, while several suggest something more general. Also note whether the joint is hot, whether your dog licks it or will not let you touch it, and whether your dog is also dull, off its food or feverish.
It is best not to test the joint by pressing or bending it, as that hurts. Write down which joint you see swollen and for how long, whether the swelling has changed, and whether there was an earlier injury, bite or wound. It helps the vet get oriented faster.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your dog.
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Inflammation or wear of the joint
A long-standing joint change can cause swelling, warmth and stiffness. Your dog may limp, especially after activity or on getting up.
About the condition: Arthritis -
Damage to cartilage during growth
In growing dogs, especially larger ones, the joint surface sometimes forms poorly. Limping and swelling of the joint can appear.
About the condition: Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) -
Damage to the head of the thigh bone in a young dog
In some young dogs of smaller breeds the blood supply to the hip joint is damaged. Limping and pain appear, and swelling can be hard to see because of the muscle.
About the condition: Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease -
Inflammation caused by the immune system
When the immune system attacks the joints, several can swell at once. Your dog may be dull, feverish and limp on changing legs.
About the condition: Autoimmune disorders -
An injury, bite or infection
After a wound or bite a joint can swell quickly, warm up and hurt. In that case it is important not to delay.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Which joint is swollen, and whether more than one is
- Whether the swollen area is warm or red
- Whether your dog limps, uses the leg partly or not at all
- Whether your dog licks or chews the spot and does not want it touched
- Whether your dog is also dull, off its food or feverish
- Whether there was an injury, bite or wound near the joint
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit if a joint has been swollen for more than a day, if the swelling keeps returning or if there is limping with it. If the swelling is sudden and hot, your dog is dull or will not use the leg, go straight away.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Arthritis Bones and joints Arthritis is inflammation of the joints in which the cartilage gradually wears down, leaving the joint stiff and painful. It can develop with age, after an injury or because of joints that did not form properly. Ongoing pain limits how freely and comfortably a dog moves, so changes are worth showing to a vet.
- Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) Bones and joints This is a joint disorder of growing dogs in which the cartilage lining a joint does not develop as it should: it becomes too thick, attaches poorly to the bone and can crack or flake away. A loose flap or fragment of cartilage irritates the joint, causing pain and inflammation, and over time it can contribute to arthritis in that joint. A young dog can limp for other reasons too, so what is happening in the joint is for a vet to decide.
- Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease Bones and joints This is a condition in which the blood supply to the head of the thigh bone is disrupted, so the bone tissue starts to break down and the head of the thigh bone loses its proper shape. The hip joint becomes painful, arthritis can develop, and the dog avoids putting weight on the leg. It affects growing puppies, so limping in a young dog shouldn't be left to sort itself out.
- Autoimmune disorders Blood and immunity This is an umbrella term for conditions in which the immune system, instead of defending the body against germs, starts attacking the dog's own tissues. The skin, blood cells, joints or internal organs can be affected, so these diseases can look very different from one another. What the condition is and what caused it is for the vet to determine.
- Lyme disease Infections Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed to a dog by an attached tick. In Lithuania its bacteria are spread by the castor bean tick, which lives in woods, parks and long grass. Some infected dogs show no signs at all, while others develop painful joints weeks or months later; whether this disease is behind a dog's illness is for a vet to establish.
Body systems: Bones and joints Blood and immunity Infections