Question by Chris W: My dog is panting and has trouble walking on back 2 legs?
My dog is about 8 years old, about 1 month ago she had trouble walking, she just laid on the ground and when she got up to try and walk she couldn’t, it’s her back 2 leg’s, she also pants. I took her to the VET and he said she was a healthy dog, and just had a little arthritis. Today, exactly 1 month later after her last (turn/fit) she done it again, she was panting and had trouble walking on her back 2 legs. Please help, what should i do and what is wrong with my dog ??? oh by the way she is a shitsoo cross maltese
Oh, she also vomits and after she has she feels better and starts running around normal again.

Best answer:

Answer by elaine n
Arthritis can be very painful. Your vet should have given you something to treat your dogs arthritis. If you don’t believe the diagnosis is correct you need to take your dog to a different vet. Panting can also be a sign your dog is in pain.

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Question by lillith6662000: Dog with bad disc in back?
We got a collie/shepherd mix a few days ago, five years old, and sometimes when he’s standing one or both of his back legs will tremble like he’s scared.
We took him to the vet and they did x-rays. Hips are good; mo arthritis in his hips or legs, but there was bone growth between his second and third vertabrae which the vet said was caused by something wrong with that disc.
Whatever it its appears to be in early stages, and the dog shows no signs of weakness or stiffness or pain; just those trembling legs.
I’m assuming it will probably progress and get worse. Does anyone know how long before it gets really bad? I’m looking for some sort of timeframe. I’m hoping we will be able to enjoy him for at least a couple years!!
That was “no” arthritis; not “mo”–sorry!
BabyRotty, like I said, there’s no weakness–I can push on his back or his butt and it doesn’t make him sit or fall down. The lady who gave him to me didn’t mention anything,but he could have been doing this for years, for all I know.

Best answer:

Answer by bassetnut
Depends on the dog, his fitness and activity levels, and care he gets.

My Ginger had a disc injury this past winter. She went on crate rest and steroids to allow it to heal and she’s been seeing a chiropractor monthly ever since. She’s seems fine right now. She’s 10 years old.

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Question by Trail B: is it true that my miniture weenie dog has back problems that would cause him to cripple up, i need some help.?
My dog is old and for some reason he is acting like he has arthritis, its something to watch him try to get around, someone told me its cause wennie dogs have back problems, just wondering if anyone else’s dog might do the same thing, I dont know what to do with him…

Best answer:

Answer by Tiger
My does does that too when she walks sometimes.
I know she has back problems though because the herniated a disc a couple years ago. Also my dog is 7 and is a toy poodle.

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Question by ShellGoddess: Should I put my cat on arthritis medication if the x-rays of her leg come back fine?
About a month ago my cat started limping. We watched it for a while to see if it would get better but instead it seemed to get worse. She was not using her left front leg at all. We took her to the vet and they did x-rays. There was no obvious sign of problem on the x-ray so the vet thinks that she may have arthritis. She’s only 6 years old and we’ve never noticed her limping for any length of time before. The vet also said that she has some mild swelling around her shoulder joint and that she’s lost a lot of muscle mass on that side due to not using that leg. I know that some medications they put cats and dogs on for arthritis (medecam?) can be very harmful and even caused my friends dog to die of renal failure. I don’t know what we should do to help her?
The vet is having a panel of veterinary experts look at the x-rays. He can’t see anything obvious on the x-rays but he did say that there might be some loss of bone mass on one side of the wrist and the shoulder but he doesn’t know what that could mean. The risks of metecam for small cats is very high and the chance that it is arthitis is very low.

Best answer:

Answer by Ms. Informed
you could just try glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. my coworker (a nonpracticing licensed vet) said the supplements we buy for ourselves will do just as fine for pets…i forget the dosage though, so you should as your vet for his opinion on supplements.

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Question by Jmk: My dog has these weird pains, usually when the weather changes. Usually towards the back of his body.?
It’s usually from half way down his back and down. He hasn’t stopped crying. What should I do? Is there any kind of medicine that I can give him? He is a miniature poodle, bytheway. Does anyone know what it is? The Doctor said a while ago that it’s arthritis and happens whenever the weather changes.

Best answer:

Answer by Millenium
I’m going to answer this with Socratic Reasoning. If a “professional” has given you this answer. . .why are you asking non-professionals? Seriously! Anything we tell you is purely conjecture! I’d go with a “pros” advice.

Sorry. . .don’t mean to offend you. Just being honest!

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Question by sparky: my 18 year old lab is taking dexamethasone, for arthritis in his lower back.?
i got a second opinion from another vet. my dog was on deramax. the vet i was going to didnt test my dogs blood before putting him on deramax he tested him 6 weeks later and he only tested for 1 liver enzyme. the vet i switched to said there is more than one enzyme.my dog had a complete blood work up and they are elevated so we are tring dexamethasone he is also taking denosyl for his liver.for the past 2 days my dog has been wetting his bed and seems to have to go out more often.i am hoping once the steriods kick in this will stop.when i was giving him deramax every other day he would wet the bed.i am so happy i listened to the little voice in my head that said go to another vet because the one you are going to is either stupid and/or just doesnt care about your dog because he is old.

Best answer:

Answer by alicia_marie_2003
Well I am sorry that you had a bad experience with a vet. I know I have had the same sort of thing happen and trust me you dont want to get me started on that vet. Well the steroids may already be working because when they are on steroids they eat more and drink more thus it makes thempee more than usual. This could be why he is wetting the bed. This is one of the “bad” side effects of steroids that and the ravenous hunger. It sounds like your current vet is on the right track for keeping your dog as healthy as he can be for his age. However most arthritis medicines for dogs do effect the liver and kidneys which is why whe had our dogs that were on meds like the above mentioned ones come in at least every 6 months to have bloodwork done to see all of their major organ functions. Unfortunately because of what damage may have already been done your dog may never “fully recover” from the damage but can be maintained for quite a while. I hope you have the vet problem sorted out and I hope your dog gets better. If you have any other questions or want to know about my same experience with a stupid vet email me. Good luck

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Question by BBBCW: What kind of dog should I get I have mild alleries and a big back yard?
I have arthritis also I really need a companion not to big not too little
I mention the backyard because there are many days when it is hard for me to even walk around the house but when my companion needs to get outside he/she will have a big back yard to run around in

Best answer:

Answer by Bumblebee
Well, big backyard huh….Well, beagles aren’t terribly small they are actually a good size – (I got a beagle puppy for Christmas last month) Also, border collies are great too but make sure they get TONS of exercize. My brother has allegies also and we have 3 cats and a new puppy and he does fine with our beagle. Hope this helped!

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Question by jayebird: I am applying for an assistance dog. Any insight,advice or others with assistance dog feed back welcome.?
I am 55, female and have several health issues. I have hepatitis–c, copd, arthritis,asthma and fatigue easily. I also have several emotional problems I have dealt with for many years. My health care professionals support the idea of me getting a service/assistance dog. Thank–you for any information.

Best answer:

Answer by KatieW
There is a ton of information you need to know before getting an assistance dog. What tasks do you want it trained to do? How will these tasks mitigate your disability? Do your doctors agree that you are legally disabled? What are the state (or country) laws that apply to service dogs where you live? Some states require that you register the dog with the state. Some states recognize only certain types of dogs. Do you want to apply for a dog from a program or train your own dog? If from a program, exactly what kind of dog do you want? Most programs are training dogs according to the type of assistance it will provide (guide, hearing, mobility, medical alert, autism, etc). You need to know which of these categories you fit into so that you know which programs to apply to. Also, can you afford to care for a service dog. This includes the yearly cost of simply owning a dog, service dog gear such as vests and patches, and the cost of private training or acquiring a dog from a program. Some programs charge up to $ 20,000 a dog, others are free but require you to attend a certain number of meetings each year or volunteer a certain number of hours annually in your community.

There are many websites you can look at for information.
http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/service
http://www.servicedogcentral.org
http://www.iaadp.org/ (International Association of Assistance Dog Partners)

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Question by chaptv: butHave 14 yr old Lhasa Apso whois very fat have cut her dog food way back but she isn’t losing weight?
She is just too fat, but can’t seem to get weight off of her – she has arthritis in legs, doesn’t want to walk for exercise either. Anyone have any answers or advice?

Best answer:

Answer by CleverGal
Usually, if the dog doesn’t have a medical problem and is still obese after cutting back on its regular dog food, the problem is typically that someone in the household is either feeding the dog under the table at meal time or giving the dog treats when no one else is around. All these extra calories add up.

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Question by Cameron: my 7 year old rottweiler has a limp in his back right leg?
he is a big dog, and suffers from arthritis occasionally(usually after walks) but lately hes been avoiding putting pressure on his back right leg, im wondering if this is related to arthritis, and what can i do for him? would ibuprofen and fish oil be good for him? what should i do?

Best answer:

Answer by walking lady
When your vet diagnosed him with arthritis, what did he tell you this dog needs to stay pain free?

Ibuprofen is NEVER given to a dog, nor is any other human med unless prescribed by a vet.

Fish oil – would have been a good idea and would have helped years ago, but its much too late now.

Your dog needs whatever your vet’s prescribed so he doesn’t have to live in pain.

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