Any experts in dog paw injuries?

[Lori K]

My 8 year old german shepherd is being treated for perianal fistulas and the treatment is going well...anyway...about a week ago, he started limping a bit. It wasn't bad, and we figured it was because he was feeling considerably better.

Anyway, my oldest daughter came to visit and had him jumping around like a puppy and acting a fool all evening. I didn't think anything of it until yesterday morning when he started limping badly...very badly on the same paw.

I'd like to take him to the vet BUT I'm worried about getting him in and out of the truck. I know he can't jump up and I can get someone to help lift him in to get him there...but getting him out and back up again is going to be an issue as he's well over 100 lbs.

He lets me handle the leg...there doesn't seem to be any swelling that I can find so I don't think it's broken. I can't find anything in his pads (of course, that doesn't mean something small isn't there, of course, but he lets me push around without fighting.
Anyway, do you think I should risk additional injury and attempt to get him to the vet. I just know he's going to attempt to jump out of the truck as soon as the door is open.

Oh, and he does put some weight on the foot/leg to get around. When he forgets about it (gets excited about something)...he puts considerable weight on it, but then he limps worse later.
Oh, just to clarify, when I said we figured he was limping because he was feeling better...I should clarify...we figured that because he was feeling so much better that he over did it. This cyclosporine treatment has made him act like a puppy again. I think he forgot he's becoming an elderly gentleman.

[Janet T]

Did you look between his toes? He could have sprained the joint, or a toe for that matter. Try keeping him off his feet and quiet for a little while longer. I would check the foot again and really prod around. I'm not an expert but I have had dogs all my life. If you can't find exactly what is hurting him, than the vet won't be able to either. My dog is 9 yrs old and she can't get into the truck by herself either so I know what you will have to go through there. I would search thoroughly first. And give it more time to heal by its self. It might be a sprain that would take 3-4 weeks to heal on its own. Good luck.