my doggy is getting old :(

[lynda66]

she's about 11 now, last few days she has had problems jumping on the sofa and she has just been hopping to try and get on the bed, tis weird, cos she was still running round like a puppy in the snow chasing snowballs, ....... think i may take her to the vets for a check up ....... and make her a step to get on the bed ....... she's also been snoring much heavier than normal

any ideas how to make a step suitable for a jack Russell cross brillo pad to use as a spring board??

[Chillimad]

Bless her,, just give her lots of cuddles,, she may have a cold

[lynda66]

oh she gets lots of cuddles all the time, she won't let you get out of giving her her daily cuddle quota lol ...... though waking up next to doggy under the duvet with head on pillow next to you and doggy breath licking your face to wake you up is a bit excessive lol.

[Chillimad]

Sounds just like my old dog,, the one I have now would not even fit on bed

[lynda66]

i always had big dogs that slept downstairs till we got her, and she's just too ikkle to sleep on her own lol ...... she was made up last night though, cos rob was home, so she got to sleep with him ...... she's his dog really, and she misses him.

[Glutton4...]

Get one of those mini keep-fit trampoline thinggies (trampette)! She'll 'boing' onto the bed then lol!

[lynda66]

Get one of those mini keep-fit trampoline thinggies (trampette)! She'll 'boing' onto the bed then lol!

ooooooo that's a good idea ....... wonder if she'll use it ...... guess i have to remember not to get out that side of the bed, cos i don't wanna spend the night on top of the wardrobe lol

[allotmentlady]

she might have pulled a muscle playing in the snow.....let her rest for a bit, has she a temperature?

[lynda66]

no she seems fine in herself, and eating ok, in fact eating better than normal lol .... guess she could have .... but she's still running round like a nutter when she goes out.

[bluemoon]

Perhaps it's a bit of rheumatism made worse by the extra exercise in the cold?

[scarey55]

My dog has arthritis and he can't walk up the stairs very well and has to have about 3 goes at jumping on the bed and he's a Greyhound so not too small either. We took him to the vet who has put him on glucosamine tablets. I wonder if this may be the problem with your dog.

[lynda66]

i have some glucosamine, what dose is he on scary?? i can reduce that to 1/4 for poppy as she's ikkle don't think it will do her any harm anyway .... mind you she's just been playing snowballs with next doors kids, running round like a 2 year old lol, she's now knackered and has managed to get in the bed to snuggle up .... think she's just looking for sympathy

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi Lynda - I was gonig to say that Dexter Dog is on gluco-wotsit-stuff and has been for two or three years now. Even tho he's only 7 now, he's had arthritis for a while. Apparently, dogs can get it at any age. If you search, Im sure you'll find some threads.
(Fertles in cupboard for Dexters medicine)
Dezter has "Flexible join" nutritional oil by Vetzyme. Both cats and dogs can have it. He had it everyday to start off with (as per dose on bottle) but now he has it every three days or so.
He also has Pedigreee chew-like sticks as well. They come in a yellow box and state that they are for dogs with arthritis. He has these as a treat instead of normal chews.
Let me know how you get on.

[scarey55]

Glad to hear that Poppy is a little better
I would certainly suggest a trip to the vet to make sure it is arthritis with her.

Flash has some special stuff from the vet which has a couple of other things in it too so I can't give you an actual amount, sorry. As Bernie said, Flash doesn't need to have them all the time, he has them for a month on and a month off so that he doesn't get too used to them.

The tablets I used to give my other dog (sadly dead now) was Arthtiti-UM from Mark & Chappell they are a bit expensive but they do work very well and you can buy them on-line.

Hope it is just a temporary thing though and that she's completely recovered very soon.

[Wren]

A small foot stool (from junk shop), will act as a step to get up the bed, an you can use the human grade glucosamine from health shops instead o spending a fortune on pet shop or vets stuff . It's all the same .
The trouble with terrier's is that they are 'HUGE' dogs in a wee body, an they have massive drive too, so they race around at breakneck speed no matter how old they are, an refuse to notice any discomfort, until the next day when they are all stiff an sore.

You have to admire them

Wren