Limping Question

[Yankee Hammond]

I have a 9 year old sheltie - she is 16 1/2 inches tall and weighs around 32. She recently started limping on her left leg when she gets up after laying for a bit. It seems to be ok once she is up for a very short while. We had our holistic vet look and she moved the leg a bit and really saw nothing but suggested if it did not improve we might want to get xrays.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to see our normal vet and potentially get xrays.
I guess I am just concerned what it might be.

She really likes playing agility etc but we have been trying to keep her away from that a little recently. We are also into rally and obedience.

Has anyone had similar issues?

 

[Tabitha]

It sounds like your little girl is arthritic. Very common in shelties. My 9 year old has had arthritis since he was 6. I suggest putting her on a joint supplement. I use Cosaquin, it's worked very well for many people, I highly recommend it. But there are many other grate products out there too. A supplemental oil would help too, fish, olive, and (what I use) coconut oil are all good. Also before spending all that money on x-rays when it could be just normal aging, I would get her tested for hypothyroidism (also common in shelties) and get a full checkup. Also 32# sound a little heavy for a sheltie that size, my boy is just a bit over 16", medium boned, and is 25#. Is your girl light, heavy, or medium boned? Remember, it's better to be a little under weight than a little over weight, ESPECIALLY with seniors and puppies.

As for the agility, I've found that very LIGHT agility is good for some older dogs to a point (ie. jumps low to the ground and only a few), it keeps them active in their old age which has been grate for my ol boy.

PS How's the weather in Maine this time of year? I'm sure the cold is hitting her joints a good deal.

 

[Yankee Hammond]

Hi
The weather in Maine is cold and rainy this AM. Yankee is currently on fish oil - Nordic Natural, Glyco-Flex II and Ligaplex II. She was a retired breeding dog when we got her and weighted 42 lbs then. We did get her to 30 but she has creeped up again. She loves her treats and it is hard to keep people from giving in to her. Unfortunately she is not toy motivated only food motivated.

 

[trini]

I note you are seeing your vet and should get some definitive answers with possible X-rays if the vet feels they are needed. This may well just be arthritis or possibly a strained muscle, but always best to be sure.

Weight is a big factor that does put extra pressure on joints. I know it can be hard with dogs who are so totally food motivated. Have you tried using cooked green beans, no fat cheese, carrots, etc for treats? Every sheltie I have owned will eat pretty much anything and if you can make the treats fat free it goes a long way to helping keep weight under control.

Trini and my gang.

 

[Caro]

It sounds pretty much like arthritis, esp given her age.

My boy with arthritis is 16", long bodied and sits between 10.5 - 11kg (23-24lb). The only way I've found to keep him lean is to just completely cut out treats. I think they get used to not getting treats quicker than we do. Instead I might give them a chicken neck for a lunchtime or evening snack and that gets taken from their food allowance. I would also suggest ceasing agility until you can get her weight down, that's an awful lot of stress on the joints when she's jumping and turning. Pressures like that will actually degrade the joints more quickly.

There's quite a few threads on arthritis you might want to have a read through. I think the most recent ones would be by Fasb's Owner. They have lots of suggestions on how to help arthritic dogs.