@drstevemehler: 🐶 Is your dog limping? Watch the head—not just the leg. One of the oldest orthopedic pearls in veterinary medicine is the phrase: ⬇️ “Down on sound.” ⬇️ When a dog has pain in one front leg, they’ll instinctively shift more weight onto the healthy limb. That means: ✅ Head goes DOWN when the healthy (sound) leg hits the ground. ✅ Head goes UP when the painful leg hits the ground. It seems backwards at first, but once you know the rule, you’ll never forget it! Keep in mind, this is just one piece of the puzzle. Some dogs have multiple painful limbs, neurological disease, or shoulder conditions that make lameness much harder to interpret. That’s why a thorough orthopedic examination—and sometimes X-rays or other advanced imaging—is often needed to pinpoint the source of pain. Have you ever noticed your dog’s head bob when they walk? #Veterinarian #DogLameness #Orthopedics #CanineHealth #DogHealth

Steve Mehler, DVM, DACVS

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Monday 06 July 2026 19:56:37 GMT