Your dog limping after jumping off the bed can be linked to several potential reasons, including a paw injury, broken toenail, sprain/strain, arthritis, or a rupture in the cranial cruciate ligament.
Sometimes it’s to snuggle at night, and other times, it’s a way to greet you good morning. It’s without a doubt that dogs love jumping on and off the bed a little too much.
This overactivity can be less cute and more of a worry when they suddenly start limping after jumping off the bed.
Though a dog’s limp is usually a temporary problem, it can still be alarming, especially if you observe your dog experiencing extreme pain and restlessness.
So, why is your dog limping after jumping off bed? Read on to find out.
Categories of Dog Limping
One moment they’re stretching and bouncing; the next, they’re whining and limping. When your dog loves to move a lot, it’s hard to keep track of what caused them their distress.
Veterinarians have two general categories that classify your dog’s limping, namely sudden and gradual onset limping.
- Sudden Limping -This is when your furry friend’s lameness develops instantaneously because of trauma or injury. If your dog just got its limp from simply jumping off the bed, it might be sudden limping.
- Gradual Onset Limping -There’s also the possibility that your dog’s limp is the result of a developing condition. This is when the limp cultivates over time rather than suddenly.
Reasons Why Your Dog is Limping After Jumping
Here are some of the potential reasons why your furry friend is carrying its foot after jumping off the bed:
Sprain/Strain
When they suddenly start limping, two of the common reasons might be that they got sprained or strained.
A strain is an injury that a dog can get when a muscle or vital tendon is being pulled. Typically occurring in the thighs or hips, strains are usually the result when your dog stretches its body too much.
Meanwhile, a dog can get sprained when there’s an injury to the ligaments that link two bones together. This can cause joint damage, which is common in a dog’s knees, elbows, and wrists.
Minor sprains are able to heal on their own. However, if it doesn’t go away, you might have to check in with your veterinarian.
Paw Injuries
As dogs jump, they don’t make it their job to see what debris they’ll land on. This could cause them to step on an object or have it stuck between their toes.
The result? An uncomfortable dog in pain!
They’ll start limping as their footpad swells because of the injury. You’ll also notice that they’ll start to lick or bite the uncomfortable area.
If this seems to be the problem, carefully check your dog’s paw for the object and remove it.
Broken Toenail
When your dog jumps off the bed, it may use its nails to grip onto something for a safe landing. This could cause a dog to break its nail.
Though a fractured nail may seem like a normal injury, it can cause a great deal of pain to your friend. This pain may prompt your dog to act aggressively toward you if you insist on seeing or touching it.
As much as you want to treat your dog by yourself, it’s always better to have them checked by a vet.
Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture
The cranial cruciate ligament is a connecting tissue in a canine’s knees. When put under lots of pressure, or when partially or completely torn, it can cause inflammation in the joint. Due to this, a dog suffering from CCL rupture will show differing severities of limping.
It’s under the sudden limp category if it’s simply caused by a dog’s trauma from jumping off the bed, but it can also be gradual due to the ligament’s slow deterioration.
This condition is common in dogs regardless of breed, but age and weight are considered to be the two biggest factors of CCL damage.
Arthritis
Canine arthritis is prevalent in older dogs. If your elderly dog is experiencing difficulty getting up and down, and he suddenly starts limping, then he could be suffering from arthritis.
However, a dog can also have arthritis from CCL damage or if a torn ligament causes injury in the joints. This is why this condition can cause your dog to limp after jumping off the bed.
What to Do When Dog Is Limping After Jumping Off the Bed?
When you see your dog suddenly start limping after jumping off the bed, you can consider it an emergency.
Sometimes, the cause is obvious and can easily be mendable, but even so, the best course of action is to call your veterinarian.
Explain to your vet what happened since only they can clearly determine the cause of the dog’s limp. After a thorough examination, the vet will tell you exactly what needs to be done.
Why Do Dogs Love to Jump On and Off the Bed?
Your dog’s love for your bed starts with you!
We’ve all gone through a phase when cuddling our dog on our bed was a favorite pastime. While it’s forgivable when they’re a pup, it’s a habit that you need to break as they grow up.
Separation anxiety is one condition believed to develop if you continue letting your dog sleep with you. However, there’s no scientific evidence that proves this is factual.
While you might not be unable to stop your dog from jumping off your bed or any other surface, you must work on limiting this behavior so that your pooch doesn’t suffer any of the above-listed injuries.
How to Stop Your Dog From Jumping On and Off the Bed?
If you want to prevent your dog from jumping on and off the bed, then consistency is the key. Don’t encourage them to hop on the bed in the first place.
If they did, avoid punishment. Instead, stimulate them to get off the bed by giving them treats.
Consider crate-training your dog so that they’ll know they have a space to stay in rather than your bed. Or if you still want their presence inside the room with you, give them a comfortable bed of their own.
Dogs are smart. With time, they’ll learn that your bed is off-limits to them.
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.