My dog's leg keeps clicking :

[terri01p]

I have a cockapoo who is 4 months now and for the last two weeks I have noticed anytime he runs or jumps off of something his leg makes a clicking sound, he is very, very active and his leg doesn't seem to bother him at all. I just don't know what could be the cause of this. I guess I might be overreacting since I just had my beagle die not to long ago . Just was wondering if anyone elses dog legs do this ? TIA

 

[HonestAbe]

You should take your pup in and have a vet look. It's probably nothing but it's worth checking out. Could turn into something like arthritis later? Certainly doesnt sound like poochie is in any mortal danger though. One of my guys at work sprained his knee and it clicks now just FYI. My vet wouldnt see him though. Sent him to the workmans comp lawyer

 

[dreamcometrue]

sounds like hip displasia, however that wouldn't be in the "leg" per se. And also more commonly found in large breed dogs. But the clicking noise is one of the signs of that. Of course, it could be something completely different. I would most definitely take him to the vet, because that doesn't sound good to me!

 

[terri01p]

Well I did take him to the vet today, not for that but for shots and I did mention it and she checked his hip which seemed to be fine, but at the time I was more concerned with how to get him to quit bitting , so I really didn't get her to pen point the problem, but now I'm home and it seems to be in his leg not hip and it starting to bug me and make me want to know what's going on. I'll take him back in a month for more shots but I hope he'll be ok.

 

[tinkerbell27]

Sounds maybe like Luxating Patellas. My Yorkie has this. Has to do with the ligament that holds the kneecap in place being too loose. If you were at the vet today though, I think he would have checked for it.
kelly

 

[Pea-n-Me]

anytime he runs or jumps off of something his leg makes a clicking sound, he is very, very active and his leg doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I did an exhaustive search for you this morning and there's not a lot of information out there. From what I'm reading, though, it could be anything from an orthopedic problem to nothing that he won't outgrow seeing as he's so young. However, there are inherited problems that can show up around this age, or seeing as he's so active, he could have injured something. Many times hearing a clicking does indicate bones rubbing together. There are many ways this can happen, such as a break in the bone itself or a ligament tear which causes the bones to rub together, however, this would typically cause pain and you would see limping or inability to use the leg which you seem to feel isn't the case. There are cases of hip dysplasia causing clicking, but it's usually not seen in a pup this young or small, and besides, you said the noise was coming from the front.

I would definitely mention it to the vet again on your next visit for shots and see if you can reproduce the sound for her. Continue to watch the pup and if it seems like it's bothering him, take him in sooner. They can examine the legs and tell a lot from how things turn, twist, etc, but an XRay is really needed to see for sure if anything's going on. Something to keep in mind for the futurre is that you can see an orthopedic veterinary surgeon for an opinion anytime if you want. He or she would be able to read the XRays the best and make recommendations based on what's seen. Friends of mine just had an issue where their dog was limping. Their vet said he had a torn ligament and recommended a big surgery. Orthopedist said no ligament injury, no surgery needed. So they're really the experts in areas of the bones and such.

I did find one website which explained types of orthopedic problems but I can't seem to find it again. If I do, I'll post. Good luck.

ETA: found it: http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/ortho.html

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Sounds maybe like Luxating Patellas. My Yorkie has this. Has to do with the ligament that holds the kneecap in place being too loose. If you were at the vet today though, I think he would have checked for it.
kelly

Exactly what I was going to say. Hailey, one of our miniature poodles, has this in her hind legs. The vet noticed it when we took her in to get checked out when we got her as a puppy. He said there are different degrees and her's is the mildest. In fact, when I've asked him about it during later check-ups, he didn't notice anything.

I've never noticed a clicking from her leg, just her kicking a bit when she runs like it bothers her a bit. Even then it doesn't seem to be much of a bother since she zoom-zooms across the yard like a Mazda.

 

[lewdyan1]

My Yorkie Poodle mix had both patellas corrected. Hers were really bad, but after they were correct she is doing great. Can't hurt to get it checked out!

 

[daisax]

My guess is also luxating patellas, which is genetically based. A responsible breeder will remove affected parents from the breeding program (and will have screened for this problem in the first place), so be sure to let them know.

Also, keep jumping to a minimum until you get to the bottom of this (hard with a puppy, but especially keep the pup from jumping on/off furniture), and keep weight under control as each extra pound will really stress the knees.