So this has been weighing on my mind a lot today. I posted this in the musing thread yesterday:
This is something I first noticed maybe a couple months ago? It was shortly after we got Cajun, so at first I tried to write it off like, maybe she just doesn't like going for walks with Cajun (no, doesn't matter). I had bought her a new harness, so I thought, maybe she doesn't like the harness? (No, doesn't matter).
When I bring her to the park and let her off leash she runs like usual BUT she is likely to lay down and rest after a little bit. Up until a couple months ago I have NEVER had her lay down in the midst of playing. Yes she's getting "older" but it's not like 5 is ancient so I don't want to make the mistake of shrugging it off as "normal aging." It's like she just doesn't have the stamina anymore for things.
It's bothering me enough that I want a vet to look at her. But I KNOW a plain old physical exam is going to be unremarkable. How much do you pursue further diagnostics in a situation like this, where there aren't really symptoms but something just feels "not right" and you're paranoid?
Obviously this is something I can talk with my vet about but sometimes I just feel crazy. And the vets I work with kind of agree that I'm crazy I don't want to go chasing something that isn't there, but this is just so out of character for her.
Juno is sooooo slow on walks lately. Like, she's as far behind me as the leash allows, and I feel like I'm dragging her along. I can't do bike rides with her anymore because she doesn't even keep up the pace if I'm just coasting. She's normal in all other aspects and when she's off leash, seems to run and play just fine. I mean, we just finished a lure coursing class and that didn't seem to be physically taxing on her. So my brain can't decide if I should be worried that something is going on, or if she's just choosing to be a slowpoke and is fine. But my paranoia kicks in because my brother's boxer has a heart condition, and after she collapsed the first time, the only symptom he could recall in hindsight was that she was starting to lag on walks.
When I bring her to the park and let her off leash she runs like usual BUT she is likely to lay down and rest after a little bit. Up until a couple months ago I have NEVER had her lay down in the midst of playing. Yes she's getting "older" but it's not like 5 is ancient so I don't want to make the mistake of shrugging it off as "normal aging." It's like she just doesn't have the stamina anymore for things.
It's bothering me enough that I want a vet to look at her. But I KNOW a plain old physical exam is going to be unremarkable. How much do you pursue further diagnostics in a situation like this, where there aren't really symptoms but something just feels "not right" and you're paranoid?
Obviously this is something I can talk with my vet about but sometimes I just feel crazy. And the vets I work with kind of agree that I'm crazy I don't want to go chasing something that isn't there, but this is just so out of character for her.