Can a dog's leg fall asleep??

[AlliKat]

Can a dog's leg fall asleep?? Has this ever happened to you? It appears this is what has happened to Bruiser two nights in a row now and I am a little concerned.

Wednesday evening he was fast asleep on the couch (as usual) and we woke him up to put him to bed (with us). As he was walking into our room I noticed he was limping. I checked all of his legs/paws, no obvious sign of injury, no yelping or flinching when I massaged them. My husband said maybe his leg fell asleep and I totally scoffed at the idea.

Thursday morning he was totally fine - went to doggie daycare, they said he was running around all day, totally normal.

Thursday evening - same deal! Wake him up from the couch, and he limps his way outside to make his final pee and then upstairs to bed! Again this morning, totally normal.

Is my husband right? Did Bruiser's leg just 'fall asleep'???

Obviously, because he is a Frenchie, I get super-concerned about joint issues (spine, hips, knees, etc) but he IS only just over 2 year old.

[bulldoggin30]

Not to alarm you, but what you are describing happened to Dutchie when he was younger. He would play at daycare or around the house but had a slight limp after prolonged inactivity. I immediately thought it was his hips so I scheduled an x-ray. It wasn't the hips, but he had a subluxating patella, where his knee cap would not stay in the patellar groove. He did have to have surgery which was successful but he can still have a slight limp at times. You should contact your vet if this persists. Hopefully it's nothing but better safe than sorry.

[French Queen]

Hi Allison, Andrew & Bruiser - yes if they lie in a certain way for a long time they can constrict some of the blood vessels but once they get moving their perfectly fine.

I'm wondering if he has been overdoing it a bit more than usual in the last two days at daycare.

Don't let him lie as long on the sofa at night, he'll probably pretend he's sleeping, dont give in be firm. Get him up 2/3 times take him into the garden or just walk around the house as long as you keep him going, just see if he is any better with not lying for too long. I suggest that you note the position he is lying in then get him to lie in a different one, then see if he limps.

But if he is repetadly lame when rising then there is more likely a reason other than his leg falling asleep, you will need to get him checked out.

French Queen & the little clowns :)

[slakker]

I think it can fall asleep, but if it's regular and consistent, it may point to other problems... it's worth while to have a vet check it out if it happens frequently..