Is there anything I can do for my black lab? weakness in bad legs, intermittent collapsing?

Question

I have a black labrador retriever named chloe and she is, unfortunately, getting up there in years (she'll be fourteen in two months). She has always been in great shape, walking three miles a day, until about a year ago when her old age was really starting to set in a bit.

Now her problems are mostly with her back legs. They are weak so I help her up stairs or even pick her up and carry her. Once or twice a day (ALWAYS right when she wakes up and gets excited to see me, then afterwards sometimes she'll do it several times over the course of the day, sometimes not at all), her back legs will give way and she'll collapse. i don't think she's having a seizure because her eyes aren't glazed over, but she's definitely unhappy, and her tail bends down at an unnatural angle. it only lasts 20-30 seconds or so and then she can get up. also, during the day she gets very tired very quickly.

so is there anything i can do besides accept the fact that she's getting towards the end of the road?

She's been to the vet plenty of times and his opinion is that there's nothing to be done about it. But if there's one thing I've learned about vets, doctors, lawyers, and people who are supposed to know everything about their field... it's that they don't. So I'll take as many informed opinions as I can get. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Answer 1

Haven't you had the vet check her over? It's not impossible that it's something that could be fixed.

What's Chloe's quality of life? Is she still happy in the main? Enjoying her food, her walks, her time with you? Or do you think she's suffering?

If the vet says there's nothing to be done and you know that she's not getting pleasure out of all the things she used to, then you really have to consider doing what's best for her and having her PTS. It's hard, I know - we had to do that for our yellow lab - but it's a kindness, I promise.

Good luck.

Edit: Just read your additional details. Have you got a second opinion? Particularly if your vet hasn't run any tests. Or posted on a doggy forum? The same thing might've happened to someone else and a treatable problem discovered.

Answer 2

Ok in the past year has she put on weight? if so put her on a diet.
may dog food maker make a senior diet. Keeping weight down will help. Now Many people suggest glucosimine and condalotramine. I will also suggest MSM too. If in pain etodulac is a good med to start with.

Also I must also say she is getting up in age and some of what you are seeing are signs of aging and loss of ability. Or loss of her quality of life. This is said not to criticize you or anything you may have done. Just the reverse. You have given her a good life. Just start to prepare yourself the she may be at the end of her time. Give her all the love you can and continue to do what you re doing. Never give up on her. But if her quality of life is rapidly diminishing please dont let her suffer.

I had to do the hardest thing 5 months ago when My best friend of only 7 years came down with bone cancer. She had a young spirit and yet her pain was more than I could bare. Even though she was a fighter, I had to let her go. So if the time comes, be there for her and let her know how much you love her.

If there is anything else please email me.

Answer 3

You may want to have a vet check her to confirm that she is not having seizures. There are focal seizures where the body does not actually convulse. They just go into a stare and they can last for a couple of minutes. If her body is stiffening up it is possible that she is having seizures.

If she is not having seizures there is probably arthritis setting into her hips and it can be very painful. There is an over the counter pill that you can give her called glucosomine chondrotins that is very helpful with senior dogs.

Also, you may want to keep up on nail trimming. Long nails that click as she walks or have grown so long that they bend to the side or under the pad can cause the ankle to splay and will affect her legs and the way she walks.

I am the pet owner of an elder lab and have worked in the pet industry for 17 years now.

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Answer 4

first off, I think you should take her to a vet.. (maybe a different vet, if you want a second opinion). There are numbers of reasons why this may be happening. She could have bad arthritis, hip dysplasia, a pinched nerve, a spinal problem of some sort, etc.... Pain medication may help manage the problem and keep her on all four for a while longer. Because she's older, I wouldn't get into surgeries and stuff because you have to think about recovery time. I went through a similar situation with my old golden (for her it was seizures) and you get to a point where you want to focus on the quality of the time she has instead of trying to "fix" her problems. I hope this helped a little. Good luck.

Answer 5

I think you should really get a second opinion. The behavior you describe could still be seizure activity. If it is not, there are suppliments you could try. One is glucosomine, this will help her joints and such. Also, if she is overweight at all, this will give her trouble with onset of displaisia. If you go to a second vet and he/she tells you the same thing, if you believe the "quality" of her life is still in good shape, and you are financially able, I would check out the holistic approach. The bottom line is this would not hurt her, it may not work, but it's worth the try. And keep in mind that at her age, if she's had a good life with you, you've done your job as a pet owner and pet lover!!!

Answer 6

Poor old girl! I would get a second opinion from a different vet. It may not be news you want to hear though. It sounds like you are incredibly loving owner, but your vet may feel you dog is suffering. It may not be all doom and gloom though, some times a steroid injection can help, but it's best to go in knowing all the possible outcomes. I wish you both the best, and I hope she gets sorted.

Answer 7

She needs some medication. Sounds like she has arthritis. Very painful condition & getting up is the hardest thing for them. Once they get going they do loosen up. In this day & age there is no need for a dog to suffer that way. Metacam works wonders & is availible from your vet. Tell your vet you want something for her arthritis.Once on medication they can sometimes act like a pup again.

Answer 8

There are carts that can support the back end of dogs with hip dysplasia, etc: http://www.dogkarts.com/

At 14, you may want to think this over thoroughly, though. That is a pretty advanced age for a Lab - are there other health issues? What is her quality of life? I wish you luck on making the best decision.

Answer 9

i watch emergency vets a lot on animal planet. usually this means that they could have arthritis but there is another kinda rare disease that dogs can get where they slowly lose functions in their back legs. i don't know what it's called though. you might want a second opinion. if this is the case then she could lose motor fuctions in her back legs altogether. i hope you find out what's wrong with her though. and make the right choice for her.

Answer 10

You could try contacting a holistic vet....some people believe in them, some don't, but they do things like massage and accupuncture to help eith muscles and joints. Just google them and see if there are any in your area.

Otherwise, I would get a second opinion. Like you said, it might just be down to accepting the fact she is old and her body is tired.