Need a vet's help for issue with dog

[KJMOC]

We have a 10-11 year old male boxer. He is muscular with low body fat, roughly 65lb. He has done the "frog sit" for years which I've read is associated with hip dysplasia. More recently, he has begun dragging his right rear leg. He takes a step forward, the rear leg will drag with the top of his foot scraping the ground, then he will flip the entire leg forward and land on his paw correctly. The same leg is turned in towards his body. He is unstable and at times even the above mobility isn't present and he drags his ass on his right side.

He has shown no pain. No whimpering. No yelps. I've rubbed the area with enough force that if he felt pain, he would have shown me. His brain is still firing and he thinks he can jump 10ft fences but he crashes into walls, doors, my children and our feet due to his instability. My internet diagnosis skills have brought me to hip dysplasia and/or paralysis.

I'm going to ask a question which may be impossible to answer for various reasons. I understand this. However, put simply, is it time?

 

[SniperCJ]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Sorry to hear. But I think the only 'time' it is, is time to get him to a vet for personal attention.

 

[5Redman8]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog


Another thing to consider is an inner ear condition. We had quite a scare with my girl not being stable.

As long as he is eating and is happy, it is not THAT time. Talk to his vet and see what can be done.

My "puppies" are 11 and 12 years old and think they can run and jump like when they were 2. I love their attitude and gumption even if they end up limping or taking it easy for a day or two.

Without whimpering or whining, I would make sure with the vet that he is comfortable and enjoy the rest of your days together.

 

[KJMOC]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

He will be going to the vet. I'm attempting to arm myself with some knowledge so that I have a clue when I get there. This is not a once in a while issue. He has not shown full mobility for months. He had a slow decline for a few months then rapid decline to his current state, which appears, paralyzed. The difficult part, other than his limited mobility, he appears OK. He eats, drinks, and uses the bathroom on a regular basis.

I'm not a city boy. My judgement is clouded because, against our best efforts, this dog somehow clawed himself into a position of family with us. This...complicates things for myself, wife and children.

 

[KAZ]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

We just had to face the same thing with our 11 3/4 year old GS. He in the last week could not get up without falling back down with no support in his right rear leg. His vet put him on Rymadal but it did not help in his case and things were tough on him. We had for the last year had him on short almost no walks and a canine version of bed rest. We don't regret the meds as it was worth a try. I will be pulling for a better result for you as this is a hard thing for certain. Every year, but especially after 10 with these big guys is a blessing. Regards

 

[KJMOC]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KAZ</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We just had to face the same thing with our 11 3/4 year old GS. He in the last week could not get up without falling back down with no support in his right rear leg. His vet put him on Rymadal but it did not help in his case and things were tough on him. We had for the last year had him on short almost no walks and a canine version of bed rest. We don't regret the meds as it was worth a try. I will be pulling for a better result for you as this is a hard thing for certain. Every year, but especially after 10 with these big guys is a blessing. Regards </div></div>

Your GSD showed no wincing or verbal evidence of pain?

 

[KAZ]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Sorry, but it is still to soon for me to relate all details. He had the same great vet his whole life and the vet tried shots,pills which affected him with side effects. We were like you in that we wanted to be fair to him and not give up without a fight. He let us know that he was ready to go. They are just like us in that a course of treatment may buy more precious time and we had to try. Again I'm pulling for a positive result for you.

 

[briscoetab]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Not a vet by any means and may be off. I think what you said about the paraylis could be the problem, from some sort of spinal injury or calcification.

I didn't think this generally happened with boxers but I guess it could. Usually I thought this kind of injury was limited to smaller dogs, especially dogs like miniture dachshund. Since dogs like the dachshund have such a large body and small spine they can rupture a disk and it will press on the spinal cord causing paraylis in the hind leg generally. Usually when this starts the paws will fold foward like you were talking about.

If this is the case it can sometimes be fixed by resting them for a couple months and restricting pretty much all activity. Many times in dachsunds it requires sugerty to fix, this can cost from 3000-6000 dollars.

I hope it is somthing simpler than what I have said, like an inner ear problem like somone else suggested. I have no idea if this type of injury can happen in boxers but it sounds pretty similar to ruptured disk or vertebrate disk disease in some smaller dogs. I would get your dog to the vet asap.

If it was me I would take them to an emergency vet because if it happens to be what I said or somthing similar time is a big concern. If you don't want to take your dog to an emergency vet I would monitor your dog and if it appears it is getting any worst at all I would get to the vet.

I hope everything goes well for you and your dog. I hope what I said dosen't cause you to worry for no reason, like I said I am no vet and may be completely wrong. Let us know what you find out and how it goes.

 

[piarevigliono]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

So sorry to hear that, I know how you feel. I'm not a vet but I also have a boxer, he is 10 years old with a very serious hip dysplasia and arthritis. I was told to put him to sleep because his condition was very bad. At that time I was told about a natural product called Chondropaw, I did a research and decided to try it as the last resort, what did I have to lose? I'm very happy I did!. It made such a difference in his condition that after 2 moths I stopped his pain medication. This is just my experience but I hope it will help others too!. In case you may want to check this product here is the lik: www.chondropaw.com. Good luck to you

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

My smith has boxers, always has - he has a new one. He gets em at 5+ years and enjoys them but said they rarely last past 9 years because of conditions such as this.

Going to repost this photo evne though I have it in another thread.

This dog has arthritis.
This dog owner is an awesome guy.

 

[Maxwell]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

DJMOC, from the sounds of your original post it sounds like degenerative myelopathy which our GSD Shana had. We had to put her down on Lori's birthday two years ago. She was 16. The dragging of the top of the foot is key.

I hope I am very wrong.

Maxwell

 

[KJMOC]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Everyone: Thank you for the information. Maxwell, I will research degenerative myelopathy.

 

[The Mechanic]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Deramax
My GSD had the same thing happen. This medication gave him a solid year or more to his life. If I skipped a dose you could tell right away that you did. It was that obvious. You need to prepare for the worst. I hate to say it but dogs were just not designed to last as long as humans.
My dog Ruger.RIP

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...277#Post1691277

 

[txgw]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

My wife works for a Vet orthopedic surgeon and said from the sounds of how he is moving/dragging his foot that she is betting it is something neurological. If you have the means she said at her clinic they would probably do a CT Scan or MRI. She also mentioned that boxers are very notorious for cancer and that it could be a spinal tumor. Another possibility could be a herniated disc in his back.

Now keep in mind that these are just thoughts/ideas from what you have written and without being able to examine the dog. Another idea/option that she mentioned as a cheaper option is a "doggy wheelchair" since he doesn't appear to be in pain. They make harnesses that you can put on him that pick his legs off the ground and he can wheel around. This would keep him from getting sores on his feet/legs from dragging them. She said that they run around $500 at her clinic.

One thing to keep in mind is that she works in a very specialized field, they only do surgeries and it mainly back and knee(acl) surgeries. They can do just nearly anything that you want done but it gets pretty expensive pretty fast. Feel free to send me a pm if you have some more specifics or questions and I'll ask her.

 

[Paulus]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

OK, let me ask you this: have you tried giving him glucosamine condroiten? i have an 8yr purebred yorkie rescued from a puppy mill. he has a hip we think was injured. he sometimes hobbles but will then walk just fine and play. been like this for a while. with milkbones that have the condroiten in them, he went from hobbling a lot to almost never.

Another coworker feeds his dog with severe hip issues condroiten and it has worked remarkable results. its something you can atleast try, and not likely to cause side effects.

I seriously hope you can find a fix for this and your pup returns to health. they are like family and hate like hell to lose one....

-Paulus

 

[Parallax]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Foot dragging can also be a sign of Lyme Disease in dogs. Have ticks around there ? Blood test....

 

[txgw]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

Little far south for Lyme Disease. Not saying it couldn't happen just pretty unlikely.

 

[UKDslayer]

Re: Need a vet's help for issue with dog

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Parallax</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Foot dragging can also be a sign of Lyme Disease in dogs. Have ticks around there ? Blood test....
</div></div>

Actually sounds pretty good for tick paralysis, another tick-borne disease that are caused by dog ticks (Dermacentor) that does occur in Tennessee. Problem is, you need to treat within 24-72 hours of first symptom for full recovery. Get to vet ASAP and don't dismiss this possibility, although there are tons of other things that can cause these symptoms too.