Lethargy and Limping

Hi - New poster and staffie owner here. I adopted a staffie mix about a month ago. He's 80 lbs, and the vet estimated his age to be about 15 months. I took him for a general wellness appointment at the vet a week ago, and the vet said he's in great health and is just the right weight, but I have some concerns about his walking that I thought I might get some input on.

This dog is very high energy at home. I'm even working with a trainer to find ways to release his energy in better ways (less biting, more mental stimulation, etc.). However, I've noticed he's had some trouble walking.

I've taken him on hikes three times. The first time was the weekend I got him, and he was fine. The second time, was about two weeks later. The hike was fairly steep, and he went slowly on the way down. At the very end of the hike, he started limping on his right front leg and licking his paw. I inspected his paw but didn't find anything at the time. But the next morning I found a burr or grass awn between his toes. I removed it, but he limped for another two or three days before he was back to normal.

About three weeks after that--last weekend and the day after I took him to the vet--I took him on another hike. It was again pretty hilly, and he had some trouble going back down, again moving very slowly. The next day, he was very stiff during our morning walk and seemed to be limping a bit on his two front legs. The stiffness/limping went away after two days.

Then this morning, during our morning walk, I took him to a nearby dog park. The dog park is about a mile away, and for the last quarter mile before the dog park, you have to go up a hill, though it's not too steep. He was a little slow going up the hill. It was our first time at a dog park, and he was a bit timid. He didn't run around and didn't really do anything other than briefly sniff the other dogs. After about ten minutes, we left. Again, he went very slowly down the hill. By the time we reached the flat sidewalk closer to my house, he was moving very slowly, to the point where he was walking behind me. The whole walk roundtrip was about 2 miles, and it wasn't especially hot out (about 75 degrees). He was tired when we got home, though of course about half an hour later, he had some zoomies.

I'm concerned about his walking and lethargy on hikes/walks. He's about 15 months old (possibly a bit older), and it seems odd to me that he would be walking this slowly at the end of a two mile walk. Some thoughts I initially had about the inclines were that: (1) he's not used to them; and (2) his nails were a bit long for the latter two hikes (I had them trimmed this past week).

Based on some googling (always a dangerous thing to do . . .), his symptoms possibly accord with either elbow dysplasia or lyme disease. As for elbow dysplasia, the general limping on the front legs is a symptom, and when he sits, his front paws face outward a bit. As for lyme disease, the general lethargy and limping/stiffness are symptoms (though usually the limping for lyme disease switches legs). However, he does not have loss of appetite. I did find a tick on him after the first hike, but it seems very new, and I quickly removed it and applied Advantix the next day.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. I'm considering taking him back to the vet next weekend.

Hi & welcome to the forum.

Wow, 80lb is huge for a Stafford - unless you mean a Staffordshire Terrier rather than a Staffordshire bull terrier?

Do you know what his exercise routines were before you got him?

Yes, I think I did mean Staffordshire terrier mix (perhaps mixed with lab). Still learning about these breeds.

Before I got him, he was fostered for a month, and before that he was briefly in the shelter, after being rescued as a stray. When he was fostered, he was walked 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes each time. Currently I’m walking him twice a day, for 30-40 minutes each time. And then we’ve done a few hikes on the weekends.

The foster parent told me he had no limping issues, including when hiking.

Attaching a couple photos to show how he sits.

The paws turning out slightly is actually normal for Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and probably for AmStaffs etc as well, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

I wonder if the hikes have just been too long as he's not used to that sort/amount of exercise? Maybe reign it in a little for a few days & then gradually increase again & see if that helps.

A joint supplement may help, but at his age I don't think he should really need them!

What a lovely looking boy he is!

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Hi from me & Katy, welcome to our forum He's a handsome boy, what's his name?
It could well be that he's not used to long hikes & you will need to build him up to them. Might be worth getting another vet check but I would of thought he would have picked up dysplasia when he checked him over

Hello and welcome.
What a very handsome boy, congratulations to giving him his forever home
I do echo what has already been said. Long nails do not help and he’s probably not used to your hiking. How long do you hike for ?
Nifty has her 10km limit, she can’t do more as she’s a big girl

Despite popular belief, not all dogs are athletes and maybe your boy has sensitive paws to the surfaces you are hiking him on ?
I would initially think he’s just not up to the new routine and he’s tired/ still adapting, bless him. Do watch and let us know how he settles in.

Thank you all for your help!

To answer some of your questions:

His name is Finn.

The most recent hike was less than 5km, so that's why I was surprised that he struggled so much. But it was entirely uphill the first half, and entirely downhill the second half. And he did try to walk on the grass rather than the hard dirt path, so perhaps that bothered his feet.

I'll keep watching his walking for the next week or so before deciding whether to take him back to the vet. On that last long walk, perhaps the new experience of the dog park mentally tired him out and that's why he was moving so slowly at the end.