Moh, I feel a bit sick with starting to worried again. I never know if I'm just paranoid.

For the last week or so Mia hasn't really been herself. It hasn't been anything obvious but I just feel something subtle is different. She has seemed more lethargic and "sad" looking and keeping to herself a bit more. She hasn't been getting on the bed no matter how much I encourage her and even though I can see her thinking about it/wanting to (and she normally would leap up when given the hint of an invitation) and she has been reluctant to lift herself into the car. She has cried/whimpered twice now while getting into the car . The first time was at the start of the week and I sort of let it side as maybe a yawn but she did it again tonight . Before that I thought I was maybe just being paranoid and that she was tired or stiff or something but now I don't think so. I can't see any obvious sigh of what could be wrong. If I took her to the vet what are they likely to say/do?

Meh, she has just turned 2 .

Edit to add: She doesn't have any sign of a limp and still trots along fine. Day care say she is her usual boisterous self there...

kIt's a difficult one isn't it? but she does sound as though she is reluctant to actually jump anywhere doesn't she?

Is she eating okay, so you know it's not a tummy thing as that can hurt when jumping. You say she doesn't have a limp, well Flynn never limped with his HD (I'm not saying she has HD just that they don't always limp with limb trouble) and an examination by the vet will tell if she has pain on flexation. It could just be a simple sprain and they can be so brave that she wouldn't cry out and let you know. There must be a valid reason why she won't jump on your bed, what self respecting dog refuses a place on the bed?

Could it be an emotional thing at day care, I mean have there been any new dogs attend lately? Could even be an upset there but then they say dogs don't hold on to bad things like we do, so who knows?

I think a trip to the vet for a physical exam is your best bet to put your mind at rest once and for all. What a worry our kids are eh?

__________________

Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

She has been eating, drinking and pooping normally. She doesn't seem to want to climb anywhere (ie climb onto the bed or into the car) but is fine running around and even wrestling from the sounds of it at daycare. I don't think it is anything emotional, she is a very sensitive dog but she doesn't seem to be stressed in that regard and she seems to love daycare and has lots of doggy friends there.

I'm worried about HD or hip/joint problems basically but not sure what the vet would do if I took her in as nothing "appears" to be physically wrong and I don't know what they would get from an examination. She is terrified of the vets and really cowers and is reluctant to be examined so it would be hard to determine a legitimate response. Would they likely give her pain meds or would they just say keep an eye on it and bring her back if it hasn't cleared up in a week or so (incase it is just a sprain)? Because if it is the latter I would rather save her the visit and stress!

Taking a stab using the few snippets of information you have given and some speculation:

Is there history of CHD or ED in the bloodline?

If there is pain with getting in/out of the car while alone she might yelp in with pain and want to remain still while at home. But when in the company of a pack at day-care a dog will not show signs of pain as it is a weakness that a dog will withhold at all costs lest she loose her status within the group.

The vet will look at joints for movement, mobility and probably X-Ray.


As ever with questions about health comes the "What are you feeding?"

Which in turn lead to the fact that raw diets provide Glucosamine found in the joints of chicken carcasses etc. Rose-hip juice provides Vitamin C.

Practically you can provide a basic ramp (make sure it is stable and firm for the dog to trust it in use.) for the dog to use for getting in/out of the car - reducing the strain and stress on all joints would be wise until you are 100% sure of the cause, so think about stair cases too.

Hip dysplasia (canine) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I reckon they would give her pain meds if she cried on examination but they would have to flex her legs in order to determine if anything is wrong. Personally I would just keep an eye on her as she isn't showing signs of stress or pain and take her if she is still the same in a few days. You could also gently flex her back lags yourself to see if she flinches, just gently bend the knee up to her tummy when standing then straighten it by bringing it back behind her. That's what Noel did when he examined Flynn but he did it with purpose as he had to see if there was a response in order to warrant an op. If she is reluctant to let you do this then I think you'll know it is a limb problem.
With HD you see a "stilted gait" after exercise it looks like they are stiff on the back legs, sort of stilt like and when running they tend to "bunny hop" using the two back legs together as opposed to independently of each other.

I'm not suggesting you do this in a hurried, harsh way just gentle manipulation. Rest assured when the vet does it it will be pretty harsh but just like a doctor they have to establish a complaint by this kind of examination. I hated seeing Flynn have this done and it took five of us to hold him to allow Noel to do it but then he did have awfully bad hips.
http://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.u.../hip-dysplasia

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Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

She is not registered so I don't know her pedigree. Neither of her parents showed signs of HD or ED but neither were scored either.

She is fed Orijen.

Another thing which I am extremely worried about (more so now after doing a quick study up) is it being the early signs of Wobblers Syndrome! Her mother suffered from a severe case of this .

God, I feel sick...

Oh god, is there any way you could take her to a different vet? One she doesn't know? Bring cheese?

I really really hope she's okay and she's just sprained something or pulled a muscle

I'm going to phone the vet in the morning but they probably won't see her until Monday (if it gets worse I will phone for an emergency appointment). I'm actually crying right now, I don't know what I will do if that's it... I can't bear to imagine her suffering.

Isn't there an operation they can do to help it?

Isn't there a different vet practice you can go to? My vets is a small practice with a rotation of two vets on and one on call at all times and I can always get an appointment on the same day, I never have to wait. You will be wondering all weekend what's wrong at this rate when a vet may be able to at least reassure you while awaiting test results. Don't know but I would think bloods would be first on the list of tests and they can most likely be done on the first visit unless for any reason you have to fast her first.

If it did turn out to be Wobblers I would send an e mail to Noell as he's an orthopaedic and neuro surgeon and does spinal surgery, in fact a man with a collie just around the corner from me has had spinal surgery and his dog is walking again now without pain. From what I gather Wobblers is the vertebrae compressing on the nerves in the spine due to abnormality or growth deformity and can be surgically improved. If you do e mail they always reply but sometimes it'll take a week or so as they are extremely busy. You do need a diagnosis from a vet as he is a referral centre and a vet has to request you been seen by him but you can e mail just to ask if they can treat Wobblers or not.
Veterinary Practice & Hospital | Specialist Orthopaedics + Neurosurgery | Fitzpatrick Referrals

Hey don't cry, it may be nothing and I have panicked so many times during my life over the dogs and really the only real problem has been Flynn and his hips, so all the other 30 odd years when I have worried have been for nothing, It's just what we dog owners do.

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Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"