Working Dogs , Stiffness In Body/legs Etc

[Christina77]

My red ACD , 3 years old is showing signs of stiffness in her hind legs/bum area when she gets up from her bed , mainly at the end of the day.

She's not working but active in running/play and walking everyday.

I give her 2 Fish oil capsules at night in her dinner , and were going to get her a bed that is off the ground ( currently has a king feather doona folded in 4 so nice and warm and soft)

Is it normal for a dog this age to shows signs of stiffness ? and is there anything else we can do to help prevent it getting worse ?

She sleeps indoors and it's not cold up here .

[Sheridan]

Get the vet to check for an autoimmune disease affecting the joints.

[Dogsfevr]

Good chiro or Bowen.HD could be a consideration

[cooperblue]

my ACD's joints crack when he gets up. Hes 10 months does your dog do this aswell as being stiff?

[Mooper]

Jack (8yo 30kg ACD x ) didn't show any signs of stiffness until a few months ago, before it really got cold. The vet believed it was brought about by me jogging with him in the morning, so we're back to a gentle walk now.

It's weird that it didn't show up when we were going herding every month or so.

The diagnosis was early signs of elbow trouble. The remedy was initially an anti-inflammatory injection, and a change in diet -- you're already doing the fish oil, which is great. In consultation with your vet, after ruling out other possible causes, you might look at adding a supplement like Joint Guard or Sasha's Blend with glucosamine etc. Jack has a scoop of Joint Guard each night on his BARF, and I'm careful about keeping him at this weight as he gets less active.

A raised bed may help, too, as you suggest. Jack has always had that, although he sleeps on a cushion in the lounge room by day when we're home.

Time for a vet check, I think.

[dooliekoolie]

Jack (8yo 30kg ACD x ) didn't show any signs of stiffness until a few months ago, before it really got cold. The vet believed it was brought about by me jogging with him in the morning, so we're back to a gentle walk now.

It's weird that it didn't show up when we were going herding every month or so.

The diagnosis was early signs of elbow trouble. The remedy was initially an anti-inflammatory injection, and a change in diet -- you're already doing the fish oil, which is great. In consultation with your vet, after ruling out other possible causes, you might look at adding a supplement like Joint Guard or Sasha's Blend with glucosamine etc. Jack has a scoop of Joint Guard each night on his BARF, and I'm careful about keeping him at this weight as he gets less active.

A raised bed may help, too, as you suggest. Jack has always had that, although he sleeps on a cushion in the lounge room by day when we're home.

Time for a vet check, I think.

Another good natural product to add to the fish oil and glucosomine is 'Seatone - Green Lipper Muscles'. We feed this to all of our racing Greyhounds daily as a precaution. The vet said that if they are getting the slightest hint of arthritis is will help

[Mooper]

Another good natural product to add to the fish oil and glucosomine is 'Seatone - Green Lipper Muscles'. We feed this to all of our racing Greyhounds daily as a precaution. The vet said that if they are getting the slightest hint of arthritis is will help

Hi DK I didn't know you had racing greyhounds?! You're a woman of mystery

Poodlefan here on DOL has recommended the mussels to me, too, but I keep forgetting to add them to my shopping list. Thanks for the reminder

Some swear by Ester C as well, as a more readily used form of vitamin C, I think? :D

[Christina77]

my ACD's joints crack when he gets up. Hes 10 months does your dog do this aswell as being stiff?

No I've never noticed that , she's mainly stiff after excersise and then resting .

great ideas guys , a vet check is first on the list then a few things as suggested added to her diet , luckily she's not overweight although being a typical girl she only has to look at food and put it on but we watch her diet carefully , she

she's got a big bum when she sits :D

[dananna]

My red ACD , 3 years old is showing signs of stiffness in her hind legs/bum area when she gets up from her bed , mainly at the end of the day.

She's not working but active in running/play and walking everyday.

I give her 2 Fish oil capsules at night in her dinner , and were going to get her a bed that is off the ground ( currently has a king feather doona folded in 4 so nice and warm and soft)

Is it normal for a dog this age to shows signs of stiffness ? and is there anything else we can do to help prevent it getting worse ?

She sleeps indoors and it's not cold up here .

[B-Q]

I'd check with a vet, we noticed stiffness in Harry's hind end when he was about 1 just after we moved here, found a tick on him and rushed him to the vets wondering if it was paralyses, they showed us what to look for in future and the vet said his hips felt weird, have him checked for HD, we did and it was very severe.

Buster is 5 and a half now, in Feb I decided to get the chiro vet to have a feel of his hips and check him out as he has alway sat funny and does get limpy on one side after a long sleep, he has mild HD on his right side. Now I look at it and I can feel that the other side has a lot more muscle.

Both boys are on glucosomine now, Hopefully atleast with Buster, because I caught it early I can keep him more comfortable as he gets older, both boys are ACD mixes (well Buster might be Stumpy Tail mix but who knows)

BTW Harry has very much got a J-LO butt, its his best asset.

Edited July 7, 2008 by busterlove

[dananna]

My red ACD , 3 years old is showing signs of stiffness in her hind legs/bum area when she gets up from her bed , mainly at the end of the day.

She's not working but active in running/play and walking everyday.

I give her 2 Fish oil capsules at night in her dinner , and were going to get her a bed that is off the ground ( currently has a king feather doona folded in 4 so nice and warm and soft)

Is it normal for a dog this age to shows signs of stiffness ? and is there anything else we can do to help prevent it getting worse ?

She sleeps indoors and it's not cold up here .

Hi. I have a dog with similar symptoms. At almost 2 years of age our dog suffers stiffness and some weakness in her hind legs/hips at the end of the day. It is prominent after a play/run, has a rest and tries to get up again. She often struggles to get up. There are also some loud clicks associated with this stiffness. She has had this problem soon after we got her (from the pound at 9 months). Although she has kelpie in her, she is quite a placid dog. She has warm bedding, is fed with Innova, given supplements of fish oil, glucosamine and chondroitin. A battery of tests on her legs, hips and lower back, cleared her from any cause of stiffness. She does exercise everyday but we have reduced the intensity and duration of her exercise. More walking, little running. This reduced the severity of the stiffness.

My next step is to take her to a chiropractor (must find a good one first), and try a new supplement, Natrozol. Natrozol is formulated for horses and also used by racing greyhounds. It is designed for muscular development rather than joint nourishment. The feedback from users of Natrozol is very promising; less lameness, better muscle conditioning, better recovery after exercise. I will try it for three months and see how it goes. If successful I will post it up.

I love the idea of a doona folded in four. I too would walk with stiff legs if I new I was going to get this treatment!

Keep on showing your ACD your love and affection. Good luck.