Front left leg limp

Dr. Mike,
I have a 7 month old male chocolate lab with a limp. His left front leg seems to be the problem. At first I thought maybe he had just sprained it and for a little while it did get better. I haved worked all the joints and checked his paw for thorns and cuts and can find nothing and he doesn't act like he is in any pain when I do this. He runs, jumps and plays as hard as my other puppy but with a limp. Also it seems more pronounced when he gets up after he's been laying down for a while. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jeannie

There are several common causes of front-limb lameness in young large-breed dogs. All of the causes require an exam and radiographs to diagnose. In my practice I admit the dog and give it a light sedative prior to radiographing the dog (young labs hate to hold still for pictures)! My best advice is to have your dog examined right away before any serious damage is done to the joints. Good luck.

Dr. Mike

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