My dog can hardly walk

[Billy.]

I took my lab out with me today, he's about five years old and he's got a perfect hip score. I left the house at 6:30 and got back around 15:30. As any dog would be, he was very lethargic and visibly fatigued and slowly walked back to the car. He wasn't limping or anything and even had a little sprint towards another person who was shooting on the land who walked my way.

 

In the car he fell straight to sleep and it was a bit of an effort to get him out the car. I put it down to him being so tired. Anyway a couple of hours later he was whining downstairs (His bed is in a little cubby hole under the stairs) I went down and he hadn't eaten his food and really struggled to get up. He tried to get up, paws slipped on the tiles and he ended up lying on the floor again... His tail was wagging away, so he was happy, but he just couldn't get up...! I managed to get him up with a bit of sandwich and he had an almighty limp and he seemed like he was avoiding putting pressure on one of his hind legs.

 

I found some anti inflammatories (For dogs) and he's taken the recommended dose.

 

Does anyone else know if this is an actual known/common problem with dogs, or is it really that he's been run too hard?

 

Help most appreciated

[Delbert]

Maybe just as simple as muscle strain my spaniels have all experienced it

after very long days in the field. If it comes to that so have I if you want to take

a precautionary view my old vet recommended the shark fin extract Chondriatin/Glucosamine

available from other sources these days we buy it for all our dogs usually get it from

online vitamin health food people Zipvit and the like to protect the joints. I will confirm

that it does work very well Fern in her later years became very stiff in her hind quarters

and after a couple of weeks on 500mg a day she launched herself one morning from the

bedroom doorway on to my bed like a puppy she never had problems for the rest of

her life.

[louis123]

had exactly the same situation few weeks ago with one of my labs, took him to the vets had a couple of shots and a few tablets and he was fine the next day. they said he had just over worked one of the muscles in his hind legs and would soon be back to fitness. few days later and he was 100%

 

atb louis

[al4x]

sounds like over work, is he fairly fit or has he been taking it easy over the summer and just over done it?

 

One thing with Hip scores they give a guide to the dog but aren't the full story as a Labs hip life depends a lot on how they are treated in the first 12 months, for the best hip lifespan they need restricted exercise and you have to be very careful about things like letting them jump in the back of cars.

[jen shooter]

Well i have seen this before its quite common in greyhound racing, its called Acidosis its a build up of lactic acid in the mussels, this can be caused by a number of things,if the dog is not at full fitness or maybe carrying an underlying injury the dog may be off its feet for two days if you give the dog electrolites the day before the shoot then it stops the build up of lactic asid if you get a blood sample within 24 hrs you can test for level in the blood you can buy anti tyeuptablets on the net.

cheers jen shooter hope he s better soon.