# Limping Lucy - 10 year old havanese having a bad weekend



## Emily Balawejder (Nov 4, 2018)

Hi friends--

I'm hoping that someone here might have some encouraging words or stories to share.

We've got a 10 year old havanese who is pure light and love. On Friday night, she was walking just across from our home and something suddenly happened and she started to limp on her front leg, just a bit. She hobbled home, and seemed mostly ok if slightly off Friday night. (I was out when this happened, and I didn't get her normal joyful greeting, jumping up all over the place, even though she still came to see me, tail wagging.)

Saturday morning, it got much worse. We examined her leg extensively. Nothing seems to be wrong with her pads, her nails, her toes. She doesn't wince or pull back when we bend her elbow or shoulder joint. It just seems that she is holding her leg really rigid when she is still and can't or won't bear weight on it. She will limp around, and has been out to go to the bathroom, all of which is quite normal, other than it being painful to watch this sweet little thing hobble about to do so. She ate her normal breakfast and dinner. I brought her a rotisserie chicken yesterday (her favorite), and she ate that up like it was going out of style.

I did notice a small soft lump under her affected leg's arm pit (in the axial space.) she's had limpomas before, and it feels like it could be that. Her shoulder joint also feels a bit warm and maybe swollen or inflamed. 

Bit of course, I've gone all the way down the dramatic route of this being the end of her. It was so strange how quickly it set on. One step she was just fine, the next she was not.

I haven't seen many stories about havanese limping in their front legs for any reason other than trauma. Does anything in the above story sound familiar or does anyone have any suggestions about what to do? I don't want to give her an asprin, as it seems she's fine when she's still.

I have a day I can't miss tomorrow for work, but I am so worried about my pumpkin! My dad is going to get her an appointment with her vet as early as possible tomorrow for whatever it is that needs to be done, but I can't seem to stop googling one terrible story after another. 

She's still too young for this! Has anyone experienced anything similar? Any thoughts or recommendations?


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

This is a situation for your vet to look at. The lump is particularly worrisome.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yep. It would be a disservice to you and to her for us to even GUESS what is going on. She needs to be seen by a vet. And I also would NOT give her aspirin without first consulting the vet.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I hope it is nothing serious and that Lucy is feeling better soon.


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

Vet appointment is in order, could be arthritis, something caught in her paw (infected), check that lump out. Hope sweet Lucy will get better soon and back to being herself.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

I'm behind in reading posts and just ready your thread about Lucy. How is she?


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## Emily Balawejder (Nov 4, 2018)

Hello, all!

The good news is Lucy is doing much better. On Monday morning she woke up around 3am and just wasn't limping anymore. She started jumping up and acting like herself, if still perhaps a little bit slower. The lump was still there, though, and we got a vet appointment for her at 9am Tuesday.

She continued to get better all day Monday and by Tuesday you wouldn't have even noticed that anything was wrong. The vet thinks that she must have pulled a muscle in her paw, and the lump doesn't feel at all suspicious to her; she's relatively sure it's a cyst that is aggravated because of how still and inflamed she was, and she thinks it's likely to go away. I pushed for a biopsy, but had to be reminded that I wasn't the paid professional, and instead, that the recommendation is to leave it be unless it continues to be bothersome.

As of today, Lucy is entirely herself.

So, in short, she simply twisted the wrong way and all seems to be better.

Thank you all for your responses--and for this forum. You helped more than you know when I was spiraling out of worry!!

<3


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

I like hearing good news!


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