Slow to stand (sometimes!)

[sienadog]

Hi everyone,

I am the proud (paranoid) dog mom of a 7 year old rottie/lab mix (Siena) who is the love of my life.

Siena has always been and continues to be a happy, active dog.

In the last year, however, he has had two incidences of limping. Both occurred after jumping. Once, he tried to clear five steps and didn't quite make it to the top, the other time he was being watched by someone else and was playing frisbee. After the frisbee incident we took him to the vet who simply told us to limit his jumping and he has been fine since.

In the last week or so, however, I am starting to notice some "stiffness" when he goes from laying down to standing up. He will get up quickly onto his front paws into a sit position and then he will sloooooooooooowly stand up on his hind legs. This occurs mostly in the evening and it's not every time he goes to stand up. Just sometimes.

When he was limping before and when we took him to the vet we were always thinking about his knees, but now that he's slow to stand sometimes I am becoming concerned about his hips.

He doesn't "bunnyhop", he does sit sideways but he has done that since he was a puppy and I was told at the time it was because of his docked tail.

He has been taking Cosequin DS for almost 2 years as a preventative measure per our vet's advice.

Does anyone have any input on this? Advice on what to watch out for? Suggestions for supplements in addition to the Cosequin to help keep him comfortable as he ages?

I know that I should get him xray'd if this continues, but any other advice or opinions any of you have for me would be appreciated. Thank you!

[observer]

It's pretty likely he at least has some arthritis. If you do a search here on arthritis, or joint supplements, there is a wealth of information here on the different things members are using to control those symptoms in addition to the Cosequin. I've used a product called Duralactin (tablets), others have had good luck with a supplement (tablet) called Dog Gone Pain; Adequan injections are another option, but I'd get X rays and see what you are dealing with before I went to the expense of that option.

[Zumie05]

That sounds the exact way that my Gary gets up when he is laying down. It is like he is trying to put all of his weight on his front legs so that he can use the rear ones the very least possible.

At 7 I agree with observer that your guy may have developed some arthritis. I would still have x-rays done just so that you can determine the exact cause of this for your own peace of mind, although I don't think they would be 100% necessary at this point. He doesn't sound too severe so I don't think any surgery is needed for him. If your buddy does have HD, my guess is that the treatment would be the same if he only had arthritis which would be pain control and joint supplements.

[Steelerfan]

Consult with your vet. My Bull Terrier mix has really bad arthritis, and Traumeel has been an amazing solution (I found out about it here-thanks everyone).

[CleasMommy]

I just ordered some Dog Gone Pain for my girl, we'll see how it works!

[jlaack]

I'd also recommend a visit to the vet and probably xrays. If the vet is stumped ask for a referral to an ortho specialist. The vet should be able to manipulate the leg(s) and pinpoint what is painful than use follow up xrays to confirm. BTW if your vet is the person that told you your dog sits funny as a result of having a docked tail, I'd recommend you find a new vet.

[sienadog]

After an evening of light exercise, I am noticing a limp on the right hind leg. When my husband was massaging him, Siena whined a bit when he was pressing on his "groin" area.

Do dogs pull their groins like humans do?

[Java Lover]

x-rays are imperative! A cruciate ligament can be torn and it can get worse. This happened to Java and she had to have surgery. She started limping after running with other dogs on the other side of the fence. She made a sharp turn and injured herself.

It may not be a coincidence that Sienna started limping after jumping. I hope it is just arthritis. There are good supplements for that. However, the only way that you can know what is going on is to get x-rays. My best to you and your wonderful Sienna!

[sienadog]

After an entire night of worrying and what seemed like a long day until his appointment... I was starting to think he had Lyme Disease. However, we just got home from the vet. The Lyme test (amongst other tick borne diseases that the test checks for) was negative and Siena showed NO SIGNS of pain when the vet manipulated both knees and both hips... lo and behold he winced when his lower back just above his pelvis was touched! The vet said his symptoms are typical of a back injury and gave Siena on an anti-inflammatory and told me to report back in one week. He said that if he's still in pain after a week of anti-inflammatorys (and limited activity) then we'll delve further into this.

When I asked him if we should take xrays anyway he said he didn't think it was necesary at this time since his hips are not where he is feeling pain. He told me that he very rarely sees Rottie's who do not have some form of HD on xray. He followed that up with the statement that most Rottie's are very stoic and may have xray evidence of HD but show no symptoms. He said that shepards are the ones who seem to complain about HD the most!