My dog is walking slowly and stopping. Is it the Evening Primrose Oil?

In an old dog, my primary suspicion is that he is suffering from arthritis. It is quite common for old dogs to get varying degrees of arthritis. This can be helped with medication and some physical therapy. In order to get the best treatment you would have to take Jack to a veterinarian. The veterinarian will ensure that Jack doesn't have any other injuries or conditions causing him to limp. Considering he seems to have a significant decrease in activity, it's best to take him to the vet within the next day or two. Decreased activity can also indicate other, more serious problems like heart disease or anemia, so it's best to get him evaluated by a vet as soon as possible to ensure it's nothing serious. I hope that helps and Jack gets better soon.

I would be most suspicious Jack is in pain. Pain can come from anywhere but the most common reasons are spine issues like pinched nerves or compressed discs, chronic pancreatitis or hip/elbow arthritis. I recommend to have Jack examined by the veterinarian since this is the only way to begin figuring out what is happening and causing him to hurt. In the mean time, you can rest him so not strenuous activity and short walks (15 minutes) only. You can also start him on a joint supplement for dogs but the main treatment will begin once you know the underlying cause. I hope this helps.

At his age and size, arthritis is almost certainly a factor. However he could also have a neurologic issue contributing to the walking changes you're seeing. I would recommend a vet visit for a general exam, to make sure more testing of Joe's neurologic system isn't needed, and then to get started on some antiinflammatory and pain medications to get him more comfortable moving around. It's also important to make sure Joe is an ideal weight (if he's not, decrease his food by 10% every month or two until he is) because that helps a lot with arthritis in big dogs as well. Good luck!

Given that this is a change to his behavior a quick check up to rule out underlying medical causes such as heart disease or early arthritis would be recommended. If all clear then limiting the exercise to 50-60% of the current time and reducing the intensity by throwing them less far should keep him interested and excited without tiring him completely

It sounds like he is experiencing typical geriatric changes. There is not much we can do to restore hearing if caused by aging. The energy definitely slows down as they age. A daily canine multi vitamin may help. If you haven't been getting his blood checked once a year I would consider this and go see your vet to have this done as there certainly are diseases that can cause shadow to feel lethargic and sleepy. In regards to going up stairs, it sounds like arthritis may be slowing him down a bit. I would consult your vet about pain medications that you can give shadow to help with arthritis. Dasuquin for dogs is a great product along with omega 3 fish oils to aid in reducing inflammation. Welactin is a great fish oil product you can get over the counter. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please contact me with any additional concerns you may have!

Hi there. Thanks for using PetCoach. It sounds like his enlarged prostate may be causing him some discomfort. It is good that he is having no issues defecating. The other option is that he has some spinal arthritis near his pelvis that is causing his reluctance to jump or possibly a strain/sprain of one of his back muscles. I recommend you get him to your vet for an exam and possibly some x-rays to check his spine/hips and prostate. If you wanted to do something at home you can try using a joint supplement to see if that helps. It may takes weeks though before you notice a big improvement. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach to address your concern. Based on your description I would not suspect that a probiotic would cause this symptoms. In my years of using probiotics in dogs, this is one symptoms I've never seen arise from using a probiotic. Probiotics are quite safe to give to dogs and rarely cause side effects apart from GI upset (vomiting / diarrhea). I would recommend monitoring Roxy for 24 hours and if the symptoms persists, take her in to be examined by a veterinarian to help rule out other causes of this. Vestibular disease or other neurological disease would be possible causes. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns that I may help you with. Please see the below article for more information that may be helpful for Roxy. If after reading this article and following the recommendations Roxy does not improve, I would get her seen by a veterinarian. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/