Why is this happening? She's only four!

[Anna_MN]

My poor black lab Maizy is having a very hard time walking. She walks sideways, can't get up the stairs, jump up on my bed, or chase a tennis ball. I know that hip problems are a huge issue with labs- but it shouldn't be starting at four years old! And it literally happened over a three day period. She is going into the vet tonight to get checked out. Please send prayers our way! They would be much appreciated. I will keep the thread updated when I find out her diagnosis.

 

[carolinagirl58]

It's very possible for her hips to be bad at 4. It may have been coming on for a while and just now got to the point of causing her problems. However it's also possible she has injured her neck. If that's the case, it may respond well to a round of steroids. My Pit Bull had a neck unjury last year and was getting really uncoordinated in her hind end. She is find now. Wishing you all the best at the vet! Let us know what happens.

 

[NYboy]

check her for Lymes. Can happen very fast.

 

[redhen]

I hope the vet visit went well..

 

[Anna_MN]

Great news from the vet! She was diagnosed with Anaplasmosis. It is a disease that is transferred by ticks and if left untreated can cause uncontrollable bleeding anywhere in the body. It is not Lyme's. We caught it just in time! She is on doxycycline for a month and will have to go back in 6 months to see if the disease has been fully treated. She will then have to be checked again at a year. In addition to that issue- she had a yeast and another bacterial infection in her ear. Her anal glands were also the size of cherry tomatoes so she got those expressed. She is on about 4 different medications right now and is sleeping peacefully on her pillow. Your prayers worked! Thank you so much

 

[AinaWGSD]

I'm glad that your vet was able to find the anaplasmosis and get her started on treatment! That was the one tick born disease that my old dog never did test positive for. She did however come down with bothy lyme and ehrlichia in spite of never going to an endemic area and being on frontline. My girl never did show any symptoms, both were found on her yearly heartworm test. But a 4DX snap test (tests for heartworm, lyme, anaplasma, and ehrlicha) is one of the first things that we do at the vet where I work when we see a dog with lameness that isn't easily explained by injury.

As for bad hips, 4 is definitely not "too young" to see the devastating effects of severe joint disease. It's not unheard of for dogs as young as a year old with hips so bad that the owners opted for humane euthanasia rather than a life of pain. Keeping them slim, providing nutritional supplements such as glucosamine/chondroitin and essential fatty acids, and keeping their muscles built up with regular exercise is the best you can do for them. There is also anecdotal evidence out there that vitamin C, esterC in particular, can help to keep them pain free. This article was the first one I read on the topic and although it is quite old by now I still think it has some useful information.

 

[Squawkbox]

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[Anna_MN]

Maizy is up and moving around great today! She can make it up the stairs on her own, but she is very very slow. She still can't jump up on the bed but can get up on the couch. She even jumped up to give me a hug today! Even though it only lasted a little bit, it felt good to know that she is feeling better.

 

[AinaWGSD]

So glad to hear that she's feeling a little better! Thanks for the update.

 

[redhen]

SO glad shes on the mend!! Those tick diseases are scary the damage they can do...