Problems with Walking and Kidneys
Hi,
I am new to the forum. I have a 14 year old, 75 lb female lab named Chappy. For the past few months, she's been having trouble with hind end weakness-- her legs occasionally go out from under her. Sometimes she does a split, sometimes she just falls. Recently, she's dragged her back legs a couple of times. We have hardwood floors, tile, and carpet. She's most comfortable on the carpet, although she's fallen a couple of times there too. We currently have her in non-slips socks when she's inside, and that seems to be helping. She's on Rimadyl (150) and gabapentin (200 twice a day) as well as Glucosamine/MSM treats.
She had a slightly elevated creatinine (1.6) several months ago and her diet is Hills K/D.
I had the vet out yesterday to take a look at her, because she seemed to worsen last week. He said that overall, she looks very healthy for her age. Gums, etc. a good color. He thinks there's a neurological component to the walking issue (she didn't turn her paw back when placed on her knuckles). He drew some blood, and her creatinine levels have increased (3.3; BUN 51). He wants to retest her blood in a couple of weeks to see if there are more changes. In the meantime, I'm going to try to take her off the Rimadyl in case that's exacerbating her kidney issues.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I guess I'm concerned about the trade off between the Rimadyl (she's still able to walk 1/2 mile or so) and her kidneys.
Looking forward to any responses and getting to know you and your dogs. Thanks.