Whether your senior pet has had trouble walking for a while or has developed a sudden limp, you must determine the cause to help them return to normal. Most lameness stems from pain, which can interfere with your pet’s daily activities and affect their quality of life. If your senior pet is limping, schedule an appointment with your family veterinarian right away for an accurate diagnosis, which may include one of these common conditions. 

#1: Osteoarthritis in senior pets

Arthritis is exceedingly common in senior and geriatric pets. In fact, veterinarians estimate that approximately 90% of senior cats, and a similar percentage of senior dogs, have arthritis. Arthritis can develop secondary to another joint problem, such as hip dysplasia, or after years of wear and tear on your pet’s joints. The condition causes deterioration of the cartilage lining your pet’s joints, which subjects the bony joint surfaces to further degeneration. As your pet’s joints wear down, they become painful and cause limping. Although any joint can be affected, the hip joints are most commonly involved in dogs and the lower back in cats.

Many treatment options are available to help arthritic pets live more comfortable, active lives, including:

* Anti-inflammatory medications

* Joint-protective supplements

* Laser therapy

* Therapeutic exercises

* Acupuncture

#2: Soft tissue injuries in senior pets

In the same way you can strain a muscle, ligament, or tendon, your pet can move the wrong way or overdo it and suffer temporary soft tissue inflammation. An overstretched tendon or muscle sprain can be so painful that your senior pet cannot walk normally. If you believe your senior pet has a soft tissue injury, schedule an assessment with your family veterinarian, who will diagnose the cause and prescribe appropriate treatment, which may include anti-inflammatory medications, ice therapy, or therapeutic exercises. Never treat your pet’s aches and pains with human medications, as many anti-inflammatories are toxic to pets.

#3: Cranial cruciate ligament disease in senior pets

Your senior dog’s cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) helps stabilize their knee joint, much like the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in people. After years of deterioration, partial or complete CCL tears can occur in dogs, leaving the ligaments susceptible to a minor injury. Although an acute injury, such as landing wrong after jumping to catch a ball, often causes CCL tears in younger dogs, senior dogs are more likely to develop chronic ligament degeneration with progressive weakening. Without CCL support, your dog’s knee joint becomes unstable and cannot bear normal weight. Affected dogs typically limp and may hold up the leg, which cannot bear any weight. Your veterinarian can determine whether a CCL tear causes your dog’s lameness and will prescribe appropriate treatment, which may include medications, physical rehabilitation, or surgery.

#4: Overgrown toenails in senior pets

A simple explanation for your senior dog’s lameness may be overgrown toenails. Your dog’s toenails grow continuously, can quickly become too long without regular trimming, and can curl and poke into their paw pads, causing pain with each step. Overgrown toenails also are likely to become caught on something and break, which can cause pain and lameness. 

Overgrown toenails cannot be immediately cut short unless they are “quicked” under anesthesia since the nerves and blood vessels (i.e., the quick) also grow longer. If your dog’s toenails are overgrown, they should be trimmed by a groomer or veterinary professional to avoid cutting into the quick, which causes pain and bleeding. With regular trimming, the quick will regress, and your dog’s toenails can be cut shorter. 

#5: Osteosarcoma in senior pets

Osteosarcoma, or primary bone cancer, is most commonly seen in large-breed dogs and typically affects the leg bones but can also develop in the skull, ribs, vertebrae, or jaw. As osteosarcoma grows, healthy bone tissue is destroyed, causing significant pain and lameness. Affected bones may fracture as they deteriorate and weaken; a broken bone is sometimes the first sign of osteosarcoma. Treatment is available; however, osteosarcoma is typically aggressive, often spreading to the lungs, and carries a poor prognosis.

If your senior pet’s mobility issues have worsened, and treatment no longer provides a good quality of life, you may consider supporting them with veterinary hospice care during their final weeks and months. When the time is right, in-home euthanasia can provide a peaceful passing.