I have a 5 year old black lab I rescued from a marina. 2 labs got together and had puppies, but apparently the mother had a hereditary form of mange and wasn't supposed to breed. So the puppies had mange and my pup was the litter runt born without a toe. Apparently the father had a missing toe as well on the same front right paw. Needless to say, I spent alot of money at first for a busy and penniless college student. The pup also had an allergic reaction to heartworm meds during the mange treatment. The last few years have been great and he turned out to be the best dog ever. He has followed me across mountain hikes, up tree climbs, backpacking through high current rivers during floods on adventures and has been my greatest companion. His coat also grew in after his first year to be a shiny, thick and soft coat. During our adventures I've tried to protect his deformed paw with wax, socks, shoes, etc. But the missing toe left a portion of his paw where the soft skin with hair poking through actually folds over it so it is contact with the ground. Over the years he has shown some sensitivity toward the paw. He is 5 now and has developed a hypothyroid. His meds have corrected his labs and he has some of his puppy like energy back.  But I've noticed him limping on the same leg. At first I thought it was maybe his paw or a pulled muscle. But the limp has stayed for a couple months now regardless of rest or medicine. His paw looks okay. Im terrified the congenital paw deformity is somehow related to additional problems that could be affecting his leg in other areas. I've had trouble finding anything related to toe deformities. The vet said it was not arthritis and just gave us Vetprofen for bad days and said it should get better with time. I'm scared it could be a bigger problem considering his history. Does anyone have experience with this? Should I demand an xray or some other imaging or procedure?