Bad idea, especially if you hear it from your veterinarian. Skin problems are also common reasons for dogs to visit their veterinarian. In particular, signs of ear disease such as shaking of the head and scratching at the ears means a trip to the veterinarian is in order. Ear infections in dogs are much easier to manage if they are seen early in the progression of the disease. Any skin problems that include hair loss, skin redness, or excessive scratching should also be seen right away.
Lameness is a very common problem in dogs, and occurs for many different reasons.
I believe that any lameness should be evaluated by a veterinarian. Many of these cases are simple soft tissue injuries that don't require much treatment, however that is impossible to know without a good physical exam. In particular, lameness in large breed dogs less than a year old is cause for concern as these dogs have several different skeletal diseases that occur fairly frequently. In next week's column, we will take a look at some of these causes for lameness in young, large breed dogs. The bottom line is this.