is it just old age in my dog?

Question

my dog is 11 in jan and she has always been sprightly and active being half whippit. but recently she started chewing her foot and was limping on it...shes done this before and the vet always gave her tablets to clear it up (we had tests done to see why she was doing this but they never found out) she also started for the first time licking her belly which came out in lumps and the skin turned dark and wrinkly. now she refuses to walk anywhere...yet when she eventually gets to the park she runs a little bit and seems fine. im thinking of getting her a doggy pushchair to wheel her to the park cos it takes forever and she keeps stopping and shes too heavy to carry. it breaks my heart tho as she use to love her walks..is it just old age? i always thought she would live to 17 but now im not to sure. she means so much to me..i got her when i was 13 and was being horrifically bullied, if it hadnt been for her i would not be here today. i love her so much and just want to help her.

she has one of those plastic funnel things to put round her neck to stop her licking but as soon as it comes off shes licking her belly like its itchy...why?

shes lost quite abit of weight too

which is wierd cos shes hardly doing any running

Answer 1

ok, theres a lot of things could be causing this. my cat had a flea allergy, a flea only had to look at her and she chewed herself until she bled. sometimes there wasnt even evidence of fleas on her.
my mother in law has a dog that acts in a similar way, and its just stress with him. she never can tell what sets him off, but he will chew at his paws and sometimes other reachable places. the skin there always turns a funny colour and looks sore.
apart from that, it could just be down to old age, and the dog's body is shutting down. don't be too sad, you gave that dog all the love it needed for the past (nearly) 11 years, be glad that you had great times together. look after her in her twilight years, she might surprise you and keep going until she's 17! x

Answer 2

Hello, let me first start by saying that a chihuahua could live up to 16-18 yrs old. It is hard telling the age because they live for so long. I have a 5 yr old chihuahua and i am also a veterinarian technician... If i had to guess i would guess your little guy is 6-8 yrs old. He looks young and bad teeth are common in the breed and i dont think his teeth have anything to do with his age. You could probably try chipping some of the tartar off. Take your finger nail and chip away from the gums. If you chip towards the gum the tartar can get lodged and become infected. Or if you dont wanna do that you can buy some dental bones to chip some of it off. His gums look healthy and pink. They do not look infected like some people are saying but it is hard to tell in the pictures. His teeth definetly need some work though. The best way to tell a chihuahuas age is by seeing how active he is. Normally older dogs are less active. Also chihuahuas are more proned for disorders as they age. Check for luxating petallas (knee problem), eye problems, stiff joints(more common in larger dogs) etc.. Also you could see if he sleeps a lot but it is common for all dogs to sleep a lot. It is hard telling a dogs age over a few pictures but i would guess 6-8 yrs old. Best of luck to you and your dog.

Answer 3

A whippet is kind of a large dog, and may be developing arthritis. You could ask the Vet about Rimadyl. It is an excellent pain reliever that you give the dog after it has eaten some food.

Eleven is old for a dog, so you should expect some wear and tear. Think of her as being in her late 70s... adn imagine your grandmother jogging around in tennis shoes.

The Elizabethan collor (e-collar) is probably a good idea, because licking can cause open sores.

She may have developed some type of allergies, and you might try washing her in a special soothing oatmeal bath.... You can ask the Vet about it... and you can also get it at a health food store. If the oatmeal bath reduces the belly licking then it is probably a skin allergy.

Answer 4

Was you dog having trouble walking before she started the licking? It could be that the licking is just a habit she has got into while she is not walking around. When she does walk, does she have trouble getting onto her feet? Does she fall over much? And is it when she bends her neck in a certain direction? There is a condition called wobbler's syndrome that is common in large dogs and it is where the spinal cord becomes compressed and affects the ability to control their legs. Exercise tends to make it worse. The wieght loss could be muscle loss due to lack of exercise too.
My dog has this condition and if you think it could be I can give you more info.

By the way, please do not give your dog rimadyl. It can have some very serious side effects and very rarely helps the underlying problem. If you want to try something to help if you think it is arthritis then there is a product called flexicose and it contains high levels of liquid glucosamine. We use it for our dog, and if we hadn't tried it he would have had to be put to sleep by now. His spine was pressing on his spinal cord and he was completely paralysed. We were told his spinal cord would never recover but this stuff reduced the swelling on his spine and got him on his feet in no time. Infact he has just started cocking his leg today! (Hes 2)

Answer 5

Ok, change vets. There are several vets in my town, and i know someone who took her cat to one particular vet because there was something wrong with her and they stuck her on tablets for 3 years which cost an absolute fortune and didn't help. So she went to another vet for a second opinion and they knew what it was, gave her an op and she's been fine ever since. Get a second opinion, your dog shouldn't have those symptoms for no reason. And yes, normally cross-breeds do live slightly longer than pedigrees but i shouldn't think a whippet-cross will live to be 17.
My dog always loved her walks right til her dying day, but i suppose that wouldn't be a given for all dogs. Definitely get her checked out again though. Let us know how you get on.

Answer 6

I can sense the desperation in your words and sympathize with you. How wonderful it would be if our pets could tell us exactly what is wrong with them but they can't. In the past, I've done a great deal of research online for answers when one of my pets was very ill. I brought that information to my vet and my pet lived another very happy six years. If I were you I'd research any and all types of illnesses my dogs breed or breeds (if mixed) could possibly have. I would also consider getting another opinion from another vet. There might be some tests out there that your vet did not do or doesn't know about. Your pet should have another good four years or so of a happy life left to live. You might consider taking your pet to the nearest animal hospital where they have specialists. Good Luck

Answer 7

First off I would get a second opinion ..........
it could be her diet is causing a skin irritation......
I am not a vet but she seems irritated by some thing ,you can get some natural cream from pet city etc which contains aloe Vera.If she is walking be patient with her as getting a cart will stop her using her limbs.she is 77 in dog years.Massage her legs after a walk,they like this and it is the same as reflexology in a human.Also did you know that most meds given by vets are out of date human medication.....so from 6.50 to 24.00 plus:food for thought there.Also you may want to look at http://www.dorwest.com you can even ring them and have a chat.......hope you get it sorted,
best wishes to you both x

Answer 8

I think you should talk to your vet about getting her arthritis medicine, before you do the wheelchair thing because of the saying "use it or lose it" is really true with dogs and arthritis, the longer you can get them to work their joints the better. Cosoquin DS is a daily arthritis medicine for dogs and really good and won't hurt the dogs kidneys or liver.
I would also ask the vet for a standard blood panel for your dog, they can check for any diseases like kidney why he may be losing weight BUT the weight loss can also just be old age too.
I know you're worried, the person below me wrote she can sense the desperation in your words so can I. When my senior dog got sick with kidney disease, I worried every day, instead of enjoying the time we had left. My advice to you is to just do this stuff with the vet, then enjoy each day with your baby.

Answer 9

Ask your vet about diabetes and dermatitis, both can cause itchy skin.

Examine her skin yourself, is it dry flaky? Can you see any parasites or flea dirt?

Pedigree has an excellent arthritis treat out at the moment that seems to work. Please stay away from rymadyl it affects the kidneys and liver.

Licking excessively causes the skin to thicken and become lumpy. If you are not happy with your current vet then find another.

Answer 10

Many common natural remedies are claimed to have blood sugar lowering properties that make them useful for people with or at high risk of diabetes. Learn here https://tr.im/axLWC

A number of clinical studies have been carried out in recent years that show potential links between herbal therapies and improved blood glucose control, which has led to an increase in people with diabetes using these more 'natural' ingredients to help manage their condition.