Hind legs giving out!

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Hi,
I am waiting for a call form the vet but I thought some of you folks might have some wisdom to share. My 13 year old lab's (well, 13 in September) hind legs have been giving out the last two days. I have been reading through this forum and on line - and think it may be either arthritis or something called
spondylosis. His lumbar spine region feels as though it is protruding and was very warm to the touch last night. (Cooler this morning) I have been giving him a low dose buffered aspirin in the morning and evening after meals - and I think it is helping a bit with the pain - but I am not sure what to do for him while I waiting for the vet. I put his harness on so I could help him up stairs (I would avoid them altogether - but that is where we sleep and he kept following me wherever I went and I know he wanted to be with us when we were sleeping - so I practically carried all 70 pounds of him up the stairs and then down the stairs. This has happened once before, perhaps a year ago, but not so bad - and he was better after rest in a few days. And now - we have a 3 month old puppy - which is not exactly helping things. Any suggestions or experience for me? I know he is 13 and getting old - and it is so painful to see - as all of you know.

[Bridget]

Yes, it is hard to watch them grow old. I think the hind end giving out is just part of the old age thing, no matter what the reason. My oldest dog, who is also 13, is on Rimadyl for the pain of arthritis/hip dysplasia. It seems to help. In the meantime, I just help her when she needs it like you are doing. She was on aspirin and that helped for many years, but now needs the stronger meds. Good luck to you and your lab.

[JenC]

Hudler doesn't walk around much on his own. More times than not, I lift his hind end and then kind of usher him either outside or back to bed. He has no stairs to deal with.

Arthritis is in the joints. Spondylosis is when the vertebrae start to fuse. Hudler has both, plus nerve degeneration and leg wasting due to his larengeal paralysis.

You kind of just have to do the best you can with joint supplements and pain meds.

My husband and I talked the other day and it will be time to let Hudler go when he can't support himself up any longer because it will be too hard for us to carry him all the time.

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Oh - that is so hard. I am so very sorry. I dread the time that this may happen to Moby. What a sweet puppy. I think this just eventually happens to them when they get old. Before we took such good care of our pets - dogs as large as Labradors just did not live so long. Heartbreaking to witness.

[dogmom]

Talk to your Vet about a better type of pain relief. Aspirin should only be used very short term due to the degeneration it may cause to tendons and ligaments. There are many very good canine pain reliever/anti-inflammatory drugs available. Generally, bloodwork is done prior to prescribing but as a geriatric dog, he should have that done regularly anyhow.

[Meeps83]

Until you hear from your vet I'd definitely limit the playtime between the two. It's hard when you don't feel good AND have a 3 month old that just wants to play.

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Yes - he actually wanted to play tug of war with the little one this morning and I wouldn't let him. He is showing a wee bit of improvement - but just a tiny bit - and I think we need to be careful until he is stronger - which hopefully he will be. Thank you!

[Georgie]

Hoping for the best for your lab! I love the photo, beautiful.

[lovemylabby]

I just want to say... I just love the photo you posted of him...it is precious.

You may want to consult with your Vet on this...there are many good anti-inflammatory meds (NSAIDS) available for dogs. Remember to think of quality of life over quantity of life when they get to be this age.

Bless his heart...I hope he finds some relief soon.

[Berna]

Sending positive thoughts. I'd definitely go to the vet - see if NSAIDS would help. I wouldn't give him aspirin.