[jfountain2]

I came home from work yesterday and my beagle/lab mix was being his normal self. About an hour later he was limping badly on his right front leg. I checked his leg out and couldn't find any scratches or cuts. He also did not show any signs of pain when I squeezed his paw or rubbed his leg. I gave him a children's aspirin and got him to settle down for the night.

I went to work today (he was still sleeping) and when I got home his limp was much better but still there. I checked out his leg and still saw no signs of injury but his shoulder is very warm, almost to the point of saying it's hot.

I think he might have some sort of infection. I have some (human) penicillin (500mg) and I was wondering if I should give him some.

Will giving him half a penicillin hurt him? help him?

Any advice would be welcome.

 

[skifast]

Take him to a vet.

 

[Leam]

I'm assuming your dog is a normal healthy active pet so it's very possible that he simply tweaked his shoulder jumping around playing and as long as there is no open wound giving him penicillin won't do much of anything. Just a reminder here DO NOT give your dog Ibuprofen or Tylenol! Aspirin is ok. My suggestion is as long as he is acting ok, except for a slight limp, eating and going potty as usual not to worry too much and try to keep him quiet, if he is listless and not eating and appears to be in stress then get him to a vet right away! Age is also a factor here to keep in mind. Give him some TLC tonight and if he's still limping tomorrow call your vet and see what he says.