Howdy, all. I am new to this board and I hope this post is in the right spot. I have a 14 year old Brittany who has really been slowing down this past week. She struggles to get to her feet when she has been lying down. She drags her left hind leg a bit and limps severely on her left fore. She often does not put weight on it at all. The most confusing part is that she has a hard time most of the day, but occasionally is well enough to trot around a bit. My family is torn over whether or not she is on her last legs. We do not want to wait to the point she is really suffering, but we don't know how to interpert what we see now. (We have not yet taken her to the vet for this because it would be stressful for her and a hefty expense for us.) Any thoughts?
Sorry to hear about your dog.
I'm no expert but I would suggest you do a little gentle experimenting if you can't get your dog to the vet. It's a little weird that your dog is only having problems with one side of its body. Could it be an injury? Feel around the concerning areas gently and gauge your dogs response; is he stiff, sore,etc, and how much so? Get the dog up and moving every hour or so for a couple minutes(excepting bedtime); try a little buffered asprine a couple times a day and see if that helps(those two little things helped my old dog alot)Call your vet for a dosage, he should be happy to help. I hope there is no serious problem, but the fact that its just one side of the body is concerning. Take her to the vet if at all possible. If you think a trip to the vet might be too stressful, then yes, your dog is probably on its last legs. Good luck.
I am not a doctor, but perhaps it could be a stroke. Any asymetry to her face (no, I am not kidding), Dogs get TIAs and strokes just like people, and strokes can be followed by small seizures that disorient the animal. The symptoms can also come and go somewhat if they are due to TIAs. When one of my dogs had a stroke, the vet also suggested we check her ears, as an infection can sometimes mimic these symtoms. I don't think there is much you can do for a stroke, but an ear infection needs to be treated.
Our personal experience follows. We had one dog with a noticable stroke. Suddenly could not move well, one eeye fixed, one ear drooped. She recovered pretty well and lived about 5 more years, but was always slightly funny-looking (one ear drooped a bit). Another old (13 yo) dog had a series of seizures within a 24 hour period, and we put her down without much investigation, as the vet suspected either a brain tumor, or some other equally serious condition.
I agree with Polly sounds like a stroke, so sorry for you,
it must be taking it's toll seeing her in this state, if you
suspect it is near the end, the moment she is incontinent
and not eating for a more than 3/4 days this could be a sign as well they also start looking for a remote area of garden/ or quiet place...Looking at her age it is not difficult to figure out what the vet would suggest..
Thanks for the suggestions. I read on other threads that Ascriptin is a good OTC medication to try. Has anyone used it with an older dog? How did it go? Also, are there any guesses as to what amount would be good for a 30 lb dog? Thanks again.
Leah
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Old dog...thoughts?
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