We have a 'wonky' dog ... and solutions to help her still get out and about

[Minxy]

Our Lily is nearly 14 years old and has a wonky front leg, it's a case of loose joints and arthritis/wear and tear, consequently she's been on Onsior tablets for a while now, only having them when really needed as sometimes she has very little sign of having a problem.

Unfortunately though she can suffer quite badly when it plays up and starts panicking, panting and shaking badly, getting herself in a right state (she's prone to shaking anyway). We don't let her do too much but obviously being on holiday she likes her potters but the other night she was very restless and in the morning wouldn't use the leg at all, and yelled when we touched her, not from us inadvertently hurting her but just as a warning that she didn't want to be moved. Fortunately we'd planned on going to Peso de Regua which fortunately had several vets listed so hubby dropped in on one and explained the issue and Lily's medical history etc. He was advised that she couldn't have anything that day as she'd already had Onsior that morning however to try a different tablet which is a bit more effective and kinder to her generally (ie less likely to cause issues with her organs etc which some can). We went back later in the day as whilst hubby was there he'd arranged for our dogs' pet passports to be done (details on appropriate thread) and the lovely vet gave Lily's leg/shoulder a really good check over, manipulating it like mad, but Lily didn't make any 'comments' at all, no growling, screaming, whimpers, nothing, just giving him the 'eye' as if to say, you hurt me and I'll bite you! He had her do a little bit of a walk and she very reluctantly used it but mostly managed on 3 legs, the conclusion the vet came to was that there was nothing which actually prevented her from using her leg, she just preferred not to due to discomfort etc.

Fortunately we've got a baby carrier, a simplified version of the below, which works a treat but she's still a bit of a lump to carry after a while even with 'hips' taking some of the weight.

Before we left for holiday I put in our shopping trolley just in case we needed it for her and I'm glad we did - for longer distances or where there are good paths etc it is ideal - she goes in it with a nice fat comfy cushion in the bottom ... at first she wasn't sure about it but now quite happily lolls about with her legs out enjoying the ride!

It's been a few days since the first 3-legged incident and she's been on strict rest only going out for 'necessaries' but she's started to use the leg a bit now, nothing like she would normally, but once she's done what is needed she can't half hot-foot it back to the camper using all 4 legs with a wonky walk ... we have to get a trot on just to catch her! It's gonna be a while before she's anywhere near to how she is normally, ie without any major issue, but at least she's not missing out.

 

[Smudger55]

Our Lily is nearly 14 years old and has a wonky front leg, it's a case of loose joints and arthritis/wear and tear, consequently she's been on Onsior tablets for a while now, only having them when really needed as sometimes she has very little sign of having a problem.

Unfortunately though she can suffer quite badly when it plays up and starts panicking, panting and shaking badly, getting herself in a right state (she's prone to shaking anyway). We don't let her do too much but obviously being on holiday she likes her potters but the other night she was very restless and in the morning wouldn't use the leg at all, and yelled when we touched her, not from us inadvertently hurting her but just as a warning that she didn't want to be moved. Fortunately we'd planned on going to Peso de Regua which fortunately had several vets listed so hubby dropped in on one and explained the issue and Lily's medical history etc. He was advised that she couldn't have anything that day as she'd already had Onsior that morning however to try a different tablet which is a bit more effective and kinder to her generally (ie less likely to cause issues with her organs etc which some can). We went back later in the day as whilst hubby was there he'd arranged for our dogs' pet passports to be done (details on appropriate thread) and the lovely vet gave Lily's leg/shoulder a really good check over, manipulating it like mad, but Lily didn't make any 'comments' at all, no growling, screaming, whimpers, nothing, just giving him the 'eye' as if to say, you hurt me and I'll bite you! He had her do a little bit of a walk and she very reluctantly used it but mostly managed on 3 legs, the conclusion the vet came to was that there was nothing which actually prevented her from using her leg, she just preferred not to due to discomfort etc.

Fortunately we've got a baby carrier, a simplified version of the below, which works a treat but she's still a bit of a lump to carry after a while even with 'hips' taking some of the weight.

View attachment 604412

Before we left for holiday I put in our shopping trolley just in case we needed it for her and I'm glad we did - for longer distances or where there are good paths etc it is ideal - she goes in it with a nice fat comfy cushion in the bottom ... at first she wasn't sure about it but now quite happily lolls about with her legs out enjoying the ride!

View attachment 604416 View attachment 604417


It's been a few days since the first 3-legged incident and she's been on strict rest only going out for 'necessaries' but she's started to use the leg a bit now, nothing like she would normally, but once she's done what is needed she can't half hot-foot it back to the camper using all 4 legs with a wonky walk ... we have to get a trot on just to catch her! It's gonna be a while before she's anywhere near to how she is normally, ie without any major issue, but at least she's not missing out.

I feel for you Minxy, our Ralf is nearly 14, Arthritis, torn cruciate ligament last year and we've been told loosing feeling in his nerves. He's on plenty of painkillers and we have a dog buggy for him Today, refer Photo of Day we took him for a hydrotherapy session, it seems good and we will take him for more. We may also try putting Ralf in a, warm bath and massage his joints with warm water, help improve blood flow

The dog buggy is great as I can push him around and he can lie down even if he doesn't walk all the time he has some interest in the walk.

Sorry not sure if I have answered your question. Hope you find something useful. Cheers Smudger55

 

[Skyway]

Bless her x

 

[WESTY66]

Pm sent

 

[Jillytots]

I think a dog pushchair may be the best bet, though you need to take veterinary advice.Maybe like people, your dog just doesn't want to go out shopping anymore.

I've got what the French call a " market basket " a basket on wheels, though my doggie isn't unwell , I've used it to give my dog a rest or get him in places he's not really welcome in.Its made from wicker and has a round base I can put lots of cushions in, and it's breathable. I think, keeping your dog out of the heat is really important .You need to ask your vet what is the most comfortable position she can travel, but perhaps there will be some times when she can't bear to travel.Is it more important you get on with your usual routine, or would it be better if you stayed at home and one of you went out alone?

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[Podney]

The dog carrier fits you nicely Minxy. I’d imagined you to be a little older,or have you found the elixir of youth

 

[Burgo]

We have a 14 Yr okd lab cross podenco around 25 - 30kg and she has a duff shoulder, but is still walking. I need to lift her on and out of the car, but she can still get up the mh steps if I put carpet on them so she can grip. As & when we will get the likes of <Broken link removed> and / or <Broken link removed>.

 

[Fraggle 22]

When we had a dachshund who a disc herniated, after surgery she was permanently on 3 legs so we had a trailer for a bicycle which we made a bed for her so she could accompany our other dogs. She loved it as it was near the height of the others but she could lie comfortably in it. We did have signs made " I'm not lazy - I am disabled" as more than one person made snide comments. We have found Green Lipped Mussell and Tumeric supplements helpful with arthritis ( us and the dogs)
Long may she enjoy life.

 

[Odd-no-more]

We have dog carrier bags which we use off road and a pushchair, a dog one we got from Amazon we use on walks as long as it's not rough ground.

 

[Minxy]

The dog carrier fits you nicely Minxy. I’d imagined you to be a little older,or have you found the elixir of youth

Okay, photo of me and Lily.

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[Carolina]

Could you strap her bad leg to support it, like a knee brace, then at least she would get a bit of exercise and walk a while.

 

[Minxy]

Update, not brilliant news I'm afraid.

After some more incidents of panting etc we then had her screaming occasionally, we weren't sure if it was from pain or fear, probably a bit of both, she was still on her tablets and we found that giving kiddie paracetamol liquid (yes we are very careful with the dosage!) seemed to give her relief.

Unfortunately though she stopped using her leg altogether with her paw bent under and no attempt to straighten it, this was obviously a big worry. We gave her some time to see if things improved in case it was partly to do with her lack of use making it stiffen up. This appeared to work as she was a bit happier then we had a bad time with her on Thursday night Friday morning as she was very restless and panicking, but with no obvious pain when moving her leg but occasionally screamed when not being touched. Waiting until she could have her tablet and paracetamol felt like a lifetime but once they kicked in she settled down and was quite relaxed but then got excited and well and truly complained, muttering and barking at us, when we were about to take the other 2 out for a quick walk as she didn't want miss out!

I took her with us in her papoose and she seemed to be okay despite the wonky leg but we decided not to continue travelling eastwards along the southern coast (we were just east of Marbella) in case we had to return home early if she didn't improve so on Friday drove back up to Algodonales Aire where we'd spent a couple of days earlier on. After teatime she was unhappy again so we decided we'd go to a vet and were pleased to note that there was one in the village which was open on Saturday morning despite it being Easter weekend.

Unfortunately the vet had been called to an emergency so we had to wait until 2.30pm to see her when she had a good check of Lily's leg which was stiffish and had some muscle atrophy from lack of use but couldn't find a definitive issue so x-rayed her. Fortunately Lily was really good and didn't need to be sedated which due to her age was a good thing. The x-rays confirmed that there was no breaks or misalignment of joints which was a relief so the issue seems to be down to a nerve issue, possibly being compressed which would explain her lack of movement and her paw being flopped under as she can't tell it to move.

The vet gave her a steroid jab which should last for 4 days to see if this reduces any internal swelling and allow the nerves to recover a bit so she can use the leg again, it won't be a quick process but hopefully if there is an improvement it means we're on the right track.

We're going to stay here until Tuesday when we're due back at the vet's to review Lily's situation. We can't have her struggling to walk on 3 legs as even going to the loo is difficult for her as she can't balance properly so we put a harness on her to steady her. It's far from ideal for her and we certainly don't want her suffering or missing out so if the treatment has made no difference then we're going to have to give some serious thought as to what to do.

We could take her to Marbella for a CAT scan to confirm the issue but it wouldn't change the treatment for it and of course she'd have to be sedated heavily as her fear of bangs etc would cause her a lot of stress from the noise of the machine. Operating at her age is risky and that's assuming they could solve the problem by relieving the pressure on the nerves if not then amputation is likely the only other treatment but she's too short and old to have the leg removed and be able to cope.

We're trying to keep calm and be optimistic so Lily doesn't pick up on our concern but the next few days are going to be hard and very drawn out. I never imagined we'd be in this situation with her for one minute otherwise we'd never have come away.

 

[pampam]

you have my heartfelt sympathy,when you know your pets in pain and you cant reassure with words its so blinkin distressing,i like the idea of the pet pushchair,i see lots of them on my travels they are especially great in crowded places when theres lots of people walking about,and dogs have to jump about to stop getting stood on (especially the little ones)
the ex gasmans looks just the job for lilly
good luck
pampam

 

[pampam]

I googled this and like the idea of the flowing water,as hundreds of years ago i used to do this with horses…..in case you have no signal

 

[Reallyretired]

CAT scans don't bang, that is NMR.

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[AndyPK]

Hi, Minxy. How are things today…..?
Wendy (our 16 year-old) goes out every day in her pushchair and lies down in it when she gets tired after walking or if her back left knee is playing up (the vet recently told us that it dislocated/relocates occasionally….). Lily might be more comfortable in a buggy, but it can be more challenging if you want to go ‘off-road’. Hoping for some better news for you.

 

[Beemobile]

I don't have an old dog but I'm old and I have arthritis (seriously painful at times) which can't be sorted medically, three years ago I put myself on turmerick and at the same time my friends old dog was put on it as well, we both felt the benefit of it, it is a natural anti inflammatory, worth a try.

 

[Minxy]

CAT scans don't bang, that is NMR.

MRI? CAT scans may not bang like MRIs but still make noises that she'd hate, as she's a fighter they'd have to give her a good dose of sedative so quite a risky proposition.

 

[Minxy]

Only a single episode of panic last night around 4.30 am then a bit of a complaint this morning when she was trying to sit up from being laid flat out so we're going to prop her up a bit at night to see if that helps so her rearranging her position is easier for her.

We're at the reservoir near Algodonales at present where the other dogs can have a nice snuffle and run around as there's no where in the town to take them so they've missed that for a few days. We've put Lily in the papoose and walked round the lake a bit with a brolly to give her shade then put a soft harness on so we could give her support and encouraged her to have a little potter to keep her mobile and prevent her good legs from getting weak.

We're now chilling for a bit at one of the shaded picnic benches and Lily is having a snooze in the cool grass. Will be interesting to see how she is when she has to get up. The red bandage is just to stop her scuffing her leg when it rubs on the ground.

 

[Carolina]

I'm sorry to hear the problems Lily has. I know how awful it is to have to make a life and death decision if your pet is suffering. I hope you can make the right decision for yourself and your dog.

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[bobandjanie]

Hope Lily is better soon, it's a job to try getting them to relax and rest even though its painful, dogs hate to miss out on anything, probably a bit heavy to carry far, so wheels would work better for her and you.

It was bad enough Janie having to carry our Izzy around when she did her cruciate ligament about 7 + kg , we purchased a carrier, sometimes when out walking Janie had the carrier on the front and rucksack on her back.
She recovered without surgery, the vet said there is no guarantee she would use it if they did. Bob.

 

[Reallyretired]

MRI? CAT scans may not bang like MRIs but still make noises that she'd hate, as she's a fighter they'd have to give her a good dose of sedative so quite a risky proposition.

Sorry my confusion.

The differences between NMR and MRI​

While NMR uses radiation frequencies to generate information, MRI generates information based on radiation intensity. In NMR spectroscopy, the goal is to determine the chemical structure of matter whereas. In MRI imaging, the goal is to generate detailed images of the body.

 

[Jaws]

It was bad enough Janie having to carry our Izzy around when she did her cruciate ligament about 7 + kg , we purchased a carrier, sometimes when out walking Janie had the carrier on the front and rucksack on her back.
She recovered without surgery, the vet said there is no guarantee she would use it if they did.

Thats a bit mean Bob.. You cold at least let Janie see a doctor rather than a vet !!

 

[Minxy]

Little bit of improvement in the sense that she's not complained too much today, still has a yell sometimes when we go to pick her up but that's from fear rather than from being in pain as she did it before I even touched her, she really does get herself into a tizzy.

After her rest at the picnic area we went back for lunch and she spent the afternoon outside in her fluffy bed under a large fir (?) tree which gave us and the camper shade so it was lovely sitting out with a gentle breeze to keep us all comfortable which we were appreciative off as it must have been over 30 today! After we'd had lunch hubby got out a rabbit leg which the Brits next to us on the aire had left over after they'd eaten their BBQ grub so the dogs got this, along with the 'offal' which hubby cooked ... as he was feeding some to Tazzy and Minky little Lily started to complain making the funny little squeaking and mumbling noises that she does when she's excited about grub.

Getting her to toilet though is an ongoing issue as she just holds onto it, other than a few wees she's done nowt else today ... I'm expecting her to explode soon! She's had her dinner which she wolfed down and is now snoozing so hopefully she'll want to do something more 'productive' before bedtime once it's worked it's way through her system.

She seems a bit more relaxed now and has been raising her head and watching us this evening rather than just laying down flat, so we're taking that as a positive sign that she might be feeling better, no change with the leg but we know that's not going to be a quick fix ... we'll take any improvement we can at this point no matter how miniscule.

 

[Minxy]

I keep forgetting to say, a wonderful funster has kindly offered me the perfect doggy buggy for her which we'll pick up on our way home when we hit the UK in mid-May, until then we're managing with the papoose most of the time as she's seems to enjoy being carried around like Lady Muck ... I have to admit though I never knew I had muscles in some places until I stated carrying her in it ... they don't half ache at times but she's worth it.

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[scotzsue]

Evening Minxy just caught up with the thread, how is Lily today? Do hope you mange not to curtail your trip.
Do you think mum and Lily are in cahoots hope you tak ethat the way it is meant and that you enjoy the rest of your time away.

 

[Minxy]

Evening Minxy just caught up with the thread, how is Lily today?

She has been more interested in what we were up to today, especially when food was involved.. The harness is working a treat so she's managed to hop about a bit more when out to do her ablutions and when wanting to go back to the camper she really gets a spurt on.

She's certainly much happier and more comfortable but still has the odd yell out of fear rather than pain if she's not quite prepared herself to be moved so tenses up even doing so before we touch her, but by telling her what we're going to do, eg take her out for a wee, she understands and doesn't get uptight which helps.

Do hope you mange not to curtail your trip.

We haven't however we've travelled back up to Aljucen, south of Caceres, today so we will take a leisurely trip back up and spend a couple of weeks or so tootling through France to the Chunnel. If we suddenly need to get back it will be easier for us to do so without a mad panic.

Do you think mum and Lily are in cahoots hope you tak ethat the way it is meant and that you enjoy the rest of your time away.

I've been wondering about that myself as both can be awkward and cranky at times and demand lots of attention. Fortunately it's all quiet on the 'Mum' front at present, hopefully it'll stay that way for a while at least so we can concentrate on Lily and try to enjoy our break.

 

[Minxy]

We'll Silly Lily 'Willy Wonka Leg' is a bit better. This morning she had her usual fretting but got over that and we took her out to a nearby field where the others had a romp around whilst she had a little potter (with assistance) then a nice lie in the grass in the sunshine.

It then turned dull, windy and looked like rain was heading our way, so as we'd just have been stuck in the camper we decided to drive further north and had another game of find the dog food! Loads of the supermarkets are totally out of the lower priced stuff which the dogs are used to and Lily especially enjoys, we tried 3 yesterday and 2 more today and none had stock, it's nuts.

Back to Lily, she had a nice potter at teatime on the grass along the old railway line at Bejar where we're staying for the night. I just held the lead/harness up to stop her falling over if she wobbled but she was managing really well on 3 legs and didn't want to stop but I picked her up after a while as we didn't want her to over do it until she's got more strength in her other legs.

We were really happy with all that as you'd expect but then when she was slouching on the sofa cushions with her legs out hubby had a play pretending to nip her nose etc so she did play bites and also moved her gammy leg slightly at the shoulder, this is the first time she's made any attempt to move it. She kept doing it and when asked for her paw we could tell she was trying to give it as it moved a bit again with no pain. We hope this is the start of some movement coming back, we have all our fingers & toes crossed ... even the dogs have got their paws crossed.

 

[Minxy]

Our little 3-legged monster has been a little sod today ... absolutely full of herself so obviously feeling much better. She's nearly got the tripod walking mastered, getting quite a trot on, although she doesn't seem to understand that when she wants to turn round she can't do it quickly otherwise she ends up in a crumpled heap, like a fish flapping around out of water. In the camper she wanted a drink as she was panting (hot) however as we couldn't stop immediately as we were on the motorway she decided to get up and hop to the bowl for a slurp then come back to her bed, she does plonk herself down in some funny positions though.

Later she actually moved her 'bad' leg at the shoulder a little bit - when she was lying down hubby asked her for her (good) paw in exchange for a treat but she actually lifted her bad one a bit ... brilliant! She's also got a neat trick with her good front paw, when chomping on a thin rawhide chew, which she usually has to hold with both paws, she managed to hold vertical between her good paw's rear pad and front pads, never seen a dog do it before.

Hubby wasn't too happy though as it was blooming cold overnight at -5 and we had snow! Fortunately the rain saw most of it us where we were but some of the cars we saw had it sitting 4 inches deep on them so goodness knows where they had been, trouble was that Lily wanted to go out at 3.00 am for a wee so hubby was NOT impressed at being frozen waiting for her to do her stuff.

Oh, nearly forgot, this is Lily sporting her little 'shoe' to protect her wonky leg ... I've had it for years in the 'just in case' dog first aid kit, mainly for if one of the dogs hurt a dew claw, however it's perfect for Lily so she doesn't scuff her foot/knee. Its not actually a shoe but a 'teething mitten' for a baby, I just happened to see it at a car boot sale once day and, not knowing what it really was, thought the rubberised type trim on it would be good at providing protection for a dog's paw.

 

[Minxy]

We've had some ups and downs with Lily, no change in the leg but she's definitely brighter and eating us out of house and home! It's a good job she loves food as we use it to encourage her and also calm her down, just gotta be careful not to let her put on weight otherwise she'll find it difficult to hop around.

She had a very restless night on Saturday, hubby had been up and down with her not knowing what she wanted several times, she was better on Sunday night fortunately. Yesterday we travelled up to Sanguinet and spent a couple of hours on the beach yesterday, she enjoyed her snooze under her umbrella and later got a snuggle from Minky.

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