# Dog yelps sometimes when stretching



## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

recently started yelping every now and again when stretching or sometimes when she's playing or jumping. She looks at her back leg so I assume the cause is coming from there. She's walking fine, showing no sign of pain when touched. No injury that I'm aware off and I'm with her 24/7.
Do you think it could be a pulled muscle?
She's 2 years old and Heinz 57 and very strong for her size (medium)


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

It could be a pulled muscle, or something more serious like a partly torn ligament, where rest is important to prevent further damage. If it's been going on more than a few days, a trip to the vet should be your next step.


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## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

It's very intermittent. Days can go by and nothing, then today she had a stretch and yelped. how would the vet diagnose it?
She's going for her annual check up next week


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Could also be patella problems. If my dog yelped then I think I'd be down the vets


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## Dingle (Aug 29, 2008)

Certainly if my dog did this more than a couple of time while only streatching, i'd be down to the vets


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## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

I've already said she will be going the vets. Just after some ideas of what it could be


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Aww she is a very sweet dog! 
Sounds like it could be a pulled muscle, but the Vet will prob check for Luxating Patella. When I took Muttly they just stretched it out and in and moved it around. Felt all the knee joint and quickly concluded.

(for Muttly it was mis-diagnosed) but just to give you an idea. I think they can be too quick to jump to this diagnosis due to the £1000 plus operation per leg.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

fluke13 said:


> Calla has recently started yelping every now and again when stretching or sometimes when she's playing or jumping. She looks at her back leg so I assume the cause is coming from there. She's walking fine, showing no sign of pain when touched. No injury that I'm aware off and I'm with her 24/7.
> Do you think it could be a pulled muscle?
> She's 2 years old and Heinz 57 and very strong for her size (medium)


If it was something like a soft tissue injury something she had pulled or strained usually it seems to tend to be a more constant thing.

It sounds possibly more like joint discomfort, when she over stretches or jumps. You can get things like luxating patellas where the knee pops out of alignment and pops its self back in again. You can get grades of it, but the lower grade/s do as described.

Sometimes any problems don't become apparent until they have a proper orthopaedic exam, with the vet doing different manipulations of the joints and extending the joint. Might be worth just getting her checked over and see if they can locate a problem. They can usually find slipping patellas on exam.


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## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks Muttly, my gut tells me its probably a pulled muscle, will be going the vets to see what they think.
She does have very muscular back legs and tends to get over excited and jump all over the place.


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## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

Sled dog hotel said:


> If it was something like a soft tissue injury something she had pulled or strained usually it seems to tend to be a more constant thing.
> 
> It sounds possibly more like joint discomfort, when she over stretches or jumps. You can get things like luxating patellas where the knee pops out of alignment and pops its self back in again. You can get grades of it, but the lower grade/s do as described.
> 
> Sometimes any problems don't become apparent until they have a proper orthopaedic exam, with the vet doing different manipulations of the joints and extending the joint. Might be worth just getting her checked over and see if they can locate a problem. They can usually find slipping patellas on exam.


What would be the treatment for luxating patellas?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

fluke13 said:


> What would be the treatment for luxating patellas?


You get grade 1 to 4 if I remember rightly, 1 is the least they pop out and pop back in again, 4 the worst are out of place all the time and they walk oddly.
I believe that if it is a very low grade and it happens very occasionally it can be left. Obviously the higher grades need surgical repair, sometimes they will advise to repair a lower grade too if it happens a lot, as if it happens frequently it can cause arthritic changes to the joint more.

It may not be this, with luxating patellas something else you often see, is that when they yelp they tend to hold the leg up and/or may skip for a step or two.
It does sound though whatever yours is it only seems to bother her when she stretches so extends and jumps, so when stress is put on something.
When I have had soft tissue injuries with mine, they tend to have shown more constant signs. I suppose though it could be something like a pulled tendon or ligament, and when its extended more fully like the stretch, or the position to jump or the impact of landing it does cause a problem perhaps.

Best to let the vet do a full orthopaedic exam, they should check her back and neck too as well as her limbs, and they will do extensions and manipulations so if there is anything wrong they should hopefully be able to locate it or at least where it is, by the response.


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## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

Sled dog hotel said:


> You get grade 1 to 4 if I remember rightly, 1 is the least they pop out and pop back in again, 4 the worst are out of place all the time and they walk oddly.
> I believe that if it is a very low grade and it happens very occasionally it can be left. Obviously the higher grades need surgical repair, sometimes they will advise to repair a lower grade too if it happens a lot, as if it happens frequently it can cause arthritic changes to the joint more.
> 
> It may not be this, with luxating patellas something else you often see, is that when they yelp they tend to hold the leg up and/or may skip for a step or two.
> ...


Thanks for the info. she has never held her leg up or skipped a step or two. She tends to look at her back leg then look at me as if to say "did you do that?"


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

fluke13 said:


> Thanks for the info. she has never held her leg up or skipped a step or two. She tends to look at her back leg then look at me as if to say "did you do that?"


I think the only way you are going to probably get a more accurate idea of what might be going on is to get an orthopaedic exam done to be honest.


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## fluke13 (Jan 7, 2013)

just wondering does luxating patellas come on so quickly? Wouldn't this have been present before now?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

I know sometimes it can be apparent in very young dogs, The problem at least sometimes or that Im aware of is often due to the grove the knee fits in being a bit too shallow so it doesn't stay where it should, so pops out and in again in a lot of cases. Ive known a couple of dogs a staff and a shi Tzu, that were not small pups and from what I remember older then a year when the problem happened but cant remember exactly how old they were.
There are so many parts to the knee tendons and ligaments as well as the knee/joint its self its difficult to say that's assuming it is the knee where any discomfort or pain might be coming from. In all honesty you can drive yourself insane worrying and speculating what it might be, your best bet as said is to get the vet to have a look and examine it. Personallly I would and have done in the past rather spent a consultation charge and be told there is nothing to worry about then sit there worrying. Trouble is that with most medical things there are often several differentials as to what can cause it.


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## MontyMaude (Feb 23, 2012)

fluke13 said:


> just wondering does luxating patellas come on so quickly? Wouldn't this have been present before now?


In my experience it is very sudden in that one day the knee joint is fine until the point that the knee cap slips and then in Hector's case it will then keep slipping in and out randomly, he rarely yelps about after the third or fourth time but he does always have a scared/hurt expression on his face.


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## Hagrid (Dec 10, 2014)

I hope you find a solution to what is causing it!


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