get up

[Maxy24]

when i took my dog out this morning, we went down the front steps and took a few steps and then he sat down and started to shake. I could not get him to move except for a few steps and then he would sit again. I thought it might be his hips because this has happened once before. So i massaged them and warmed him up and the tried to get him in but he still would not move. So I put the leash under him to walk him in but that only got him a few steps also. I opened the door and called for my dad to wake him up and he came down and told me to drag him in so i pulled him and he sat there then started to move , took a few steps and stared to sit again so i pulled him up the stairs and he walked into the kitchen and sat and shook. I massaged his hips and he stood up and tucked in his tail. He has not gone to the bathroom yet this morning so i will have to take him again soon. If it is his hips which i suspect it is as he has been walking around the last two days with a hunched back, should i just massage them and see if it works, he seems to be in pain when i massage them because he tucks his tail, so should i stop doing it. What can i do to help him?

 

[Maxy24]

we gave him some baby aspirin so hopefully that will help. What else should I do to help him?

 

[Barb04]

I would definitely have him checked out by the vet. If he seems in a lot of pain or discomfort, maybe you could bring him to an animal hospital today if you have one by you.

 

[Maxy24]

i was going to call the vet but they are not there on Sunday and we do not have any hospitals around. He seems fine now, I'm mostly worried about when i bring him out again if he'll do the same thing. His hips tend to get bad in cold whether.

 

[mrsgrubby]

Hmmm, i would keep giving him the baby asprin. Do you also give him condroiten/glucosomine for them?

Maybe getting him a warm coat or dog sweater would help his hips stay warm outside?

 

[Maxy24]

I was also thinking about some kind of coat to keep his hips warmer (I can just imagine what my dad will say to that ) What is the condroiten/glucosomine for? Sorry, I should probably know what it is for, I'm assuming it's for arthritis. He has only had it for about a year and he only get very occasional flare ups but now that he is getting older they will most likely be getting more frequent. We are going to give him the baby aspirin again at 8:45 tonight (12 hours after first dose) But I was wondering if he should get more tomorrow or should i just stick to giving it to him today?

 

[Lizmo]

Do you know where your vet lives? Or does he have an after hours number?

If so, you need to call him, he could have also had a sezier(SP?) If he did, you really just need to try and comfort him during that time, NOT moving him

Major has these some times, and when he does, he usually stands there shaking, for a few mins, and some times can't stand.

Also since I know you said Max is older, it could be live and death situation if left untreated.

 

[bubbatd]

Please ..don't give any aspirin unless it's buffered !!!

 

[Spiritus]

There are other things besides bad hips that could cause him to walk hunched up and not want to walk at all. What you described could be seizures, but the hunched back and being in obvious pain concerns me. Dogs typically have a high pain tolerance, and if you do see a sign of pain, it is usually considerable pain. A hunched up back can also be a sign of mesentaric torsion, which is a form of bloat, and can, more often than not, be fatal. I am not trying to scare you, or anyone else, but hearing his symptoms scares me. I lost a most precious dog to mesetaric torsion in October.... Please, get him to the vet as soon as possible.

 

[Doberluv]

I agree. Get him to a vet tomorrow. Asprin can be damaging for dogs and puppies are very small. I'd hold off on the asprin or any pain reliever till you talk to your vet. Sometimes they'll OK a very small dosage of asprin but I'd wait.

I was thinking the same thing Spiritus. I'm so sorry for your loss. How sad. It may indeed be something else causing him distress. Does he seem to have any pain in his abdomen...any distention or bloaty look to his sides? Has he gone to the bathroom yet? Any chance of anything getting stuck in his intestinal tract, like a piece of a toy or rawhide? Does he seem to be in pain? You may have to carry him until you see the vet. I wouldn't drag him if at all possible.

If he seems to get worse, I'd have on hand a plan for an emergency. Also....not meaning to freak you out but just in case...

Let us know. I do hope he'll be OK. Sending good thoughts your way.

 

[Maxy24]

He has gone to bathroom, he has peed and pooped. He seems better now and we have asked the vet about aspirin and they said to give it to him. We did give him buffered aspirin, just wondering what happens if it's not buffered and what does buffered mean exactly. I don't think it is a seizure because he was completely aware of me and everything when i said his name he looked at me and he tried to walk a few times although i don't really know what a seizure is like. He does not look or feel bloated although I'm not 100% sure what a bloated dog looks like and he has no abdomen pain. I'll ask my parent about the vet but I'm sure they will not take him unless he gets worse. It makes me so mad. I wish i could drive and had a job then i could take him myself.

 

[Doberluv]

That is a good sign if he's gone to the bathroom. If he were bloated, he'd be in real distress I think and his sides would pooch out and be hard. He wouldn't look responsive because he'd be in real pain. Just keep an eye on him. (which I'm sure you'll do anyhow)

Buffered asprin is easier on the tummy. I believe that dogs have a thinner mucus membrane lining their stomachs and too much asprin can ulcerate it more easily than ours. I don't know that for a fact....think I read it somewhere. And it may be that it's hard for their livers to clean out. So, go easy on it. Buffered means it dissolves more gradually, is coated with a protectant shell. Your vet told you it's OK so it probably is. You could also do a Google search and see what you find. Make sure the source is reputable.

Remind us....what age and breed your dog is. Has he done anything extra strenuous or fallen, jumped off something and perhaps hurt himself? If he doesn't seem better in a day or two, try to convince your folks that he needs to be seen. He may indeed have a back or hip problem. Keep us updated. I do hope he'll feel better soon.

 

[Maxy24]

he is ten and is a Shar-Pei/lab mix. Thanks I'll keepa close eye on him and If he does not feel better soon I'm sure we will take him to the vet.

 

[Maxy24]

Today he is no better. We gave him more baby aspirin last night around nine. He woke my parents up last night because he was sitting at the bottom of their steps crying. He usually sleeps on my bed but he is probably unable to get on my bed and i do not even want to think about how much it would hurt to jump off. When i got home from school he was laying down on the living room rug (also weird because he is always on my bed or the couch down stairs) He had a little trouble getting up and going down the steps outside but not too much. He went pee outside and then stood there for a minute and his back legs were shaking a little so i started walking him in and he walked a few feet and then sat down. I called him a few times then gave a tug on the leash and he stood up and i quickly walked him in. Then he went in the kitchen and sat down and started to shake. The shakes are not terrible tremors, it's kind of like he's cold. Right now he is sitting with his paw and head on my lap and is shaking a little. I'm getting very worried especially with his age that he has a serious problem. I hope that it is only arthritis that can be treated with medicine and added vitamins/ nutrients to his diet. I don't want to give him more Aspirin but i will if it helps with the pain. I will tell my parents he is still in pain and hopefully we will get him to the vet.

 

[Barb04]

Please do talk with your parents about your concern for him. I really think he needs to get to a vet to be checked out.

 

[bubbatd]

You'll feel so much better if he's vetted ...keep us posted !

 

[Whisper]

I really hope he can go see a vet. I know it must be hard for you to watch him like this. Please keep us updated.

 

[Maxy24]

We are hoping to take him to the vet tomorrow. Is there anything i can do for immediate relief. I don't want to keep giving him aspirin as i heard it can cause pretty bad stomach problems. I thought about a heating pad, would that work? Also for long term should i give him Glucosamine and chondroitin? My mom has a bottle of it that she can not use because she is allergic to shell fish. if so then how much should i give and how often should i give it? i was thinking about massaging it but I'm not sure if that will help, it seems to hurt when i touch his hips so i don't want to massage him if it will just cause more pain. Thanks!

 

[Lizmo]

I would talk to your vet before starting any Meds Just to make sure it's not some thing else.

Let us know how the vet visit goes! Sending my prayers!

 

[Maxy24]

what is a dog seizure like? When i got home from school today Max came down from upstairs (he never goes upstairs) and i took him out to pee. He went down the front stairs slowly then sat and began to shake, they were worse than they had been before and he had to lay down. They got a bit worse and i put my coat over him. After ten minutes i encouraged him to stand and slowly got him to come inside. He sat in the kitchen and shook for 5 mins. then came into the living room and flopped down. I put the heating pad on his hips although I'm starting to worry it may be more than his hips. He shook for a few more minutes and is now stopping although his back legs still shake every few seconds. he looks at me when I say his name and every thing and his shaking is not violent or thrashing so i was wondering what a seizure looked like. I don't really think that is what it is but want to be sure. my mom should be home soon and I'm pretty sure we will take him to the vet today. He tends to hold up his right front paw when he shakes but i have squeezed and flexed it in all ways and he has no pain or response when i do it. he is sleeping beside me on the floor right now with the heating pad on his hip.