Soft Tissue Injury Recovery Time?

I suspect Loki has a soft tissue injury. this friday mid fetch game he started to favour his right front leg and limp a bit, run a bit off kilter. He often charges mercilessly, bulls through underbrush and saplings, anything to retrieve his ball (which flies erratically when he misses a grab). He has since limped on occasion on walks, but shows no signs of pain or discomfort, wants to play and run just as much (and does at his will despite trying to calm him) also without sign of discomfort, limp aside.

I have inspected his paw numerous times, no trauma, or discomfort with pressure, same goes for rubbing his muscles down. I know how easy it is to ignore soft tissue injuries though as I am a bit of a gym junkie, so that doesn't mean they don't necessarily hurt, he would just rather be doing something else.

I am thinking the may have just strained a muscle, with the sudden onset this has shown. I have always been watching his gait knowing many corgis have hip problems. What am I wondering is what is the turn around time on soft tissue injuries, how long do they typically take to mend up? Is there anything I can do to speed his recovery?

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pinkerton on December 13, 2009 at 7:41pm

I know all about the corgi play getting out of hand and the corgi coming out limping. Our 7 year old Hank has actually been diagnosed with early arthritis in his front leg. So when he does too much ball chasing, he comes up lame for a couple of days. Not sure whether Loki could just have a strain or slight injury or something more. The painkiller Tramadol usually makes Hank feel better very quickly, which is a mixed blessing because he also just wants to keep going, going, going regardless of pain. We've also used an anti-inflammatory called Metacam, but only when he really did a number on it once. Mostly, I tend to feel that "rest" - which means not playing and only going out for quick bathroom breaks - for a couple of days will do the trick. I know that's hard to impose on an active corgi, but it does help.

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Permalink Reply by Alice on December 14, 2009 at 3:40pm

An anti inflammatory would help. You can give children's Aspirin but if you want something to give on a daily basis the vet can prescribe something safer for regular use. We gave Finn Aspirin every so often when he'd get a good limp going in his hind leg but after the limp coming and going so often we made a visit to the vet and he prescribed something. We still don't give it every day, just when needed. It was very inexpensive and effective.

You could also try a cold compress if he'll sit for it then after a few days you can switch to heat.

If it continues for too long or gets worse you'll probably want to see your vet.