Why is my senior dog stiff, slipping on stairs, and avoiding pooping?

This presentation could commonly be caused either by a neurological damage of the nerves of the back legs (usually from spinal cord), caused by a stroke or a intervertebral disc extrusion/protrusion,or potentially by severe arthritis and osteo-arthrosis. A check up and appropriate medications (anti-inflammatories) would be ideal and essential to understand the underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

As a 16 year old dog it is almost a given that Nokie has some serious arthritis and that while she probably has been having pain for a few years now but did not show it, the pain now is so bad that she is afraid to jump up on the bed or climb stairs. In severe arthritis cases like that the quality of life can be significantly improved by giving NSAIDs which take inflammation away and therefore pain. Make an appointment with your vet for an exam and a blood test to verify that her kidneys and liver are working properly and then your vet can prescribe NSAIDs or pain medicine for Nokie. At the same time the vet can rule out other causes of weakness.

Poor Sugar! She could have arthritis, a problem with an inter-vertebral disc in her neck or back causing her some pain, an infection, etc. If she is reluctant to jump on things and/or go up steps then it is probably a disc problem and she is experiencing some discomfort. The best thing would be to have your vet take a look at her to determine the cause and treat, She may need an anti-inflammatory and pain medications to help. Hope she feels better soon!

Poor Luna! Because she is 8 or 9, my first thought is that she may be suffering from arthritis. That would cause her pain, and from your description, it sounds like she is painful. It could also be that she injured herself. Arthritis is common in older dogs. I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose if she is suffering from arthritis, and can give her some pain meds for it. Rimadyl (an NSAID) is a good drug to give to help with the symptoms of arthritis. I also recommend giving her glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate supplements. They provide the necessary nutrients for cartilage repair and function. Use of them helps relieve some of the symptoms of arthritis, and you can use it in conjunction with Rimadyl to help maximize relief from her symptoms. Give her vet a call today to make an appointment. Best of luck!

It sounds like Rose is in pain, and I see she is a senior dog. It could be arthritis causing her pain, or she may have injured herself. I also see she isn't spayed, and a pyometra (an infection of the uterus) could cause these symptoms as well. I would take her into a vet immediately to get checked out. I hope this helps!

She could be suffering from a hip problem, i would recommend taking her to your vet to get her checked, possibly have an xray done, if she has a bad hips she needs pain killers/anti inflammatories at the very least .

Hello, sorry to hear about Maicah. It sounds like she may be dealing less likely with an infectious disease and more likely with an inflammatory disease. On her bloodwork her white blood cells, which are the first responders to an infection are in the normal range, hence why I would be less suspicious of something infectious. Her red blood cells are decreased, which could occur from a chronic inflammation, loss of red blood cells, and potentially destruction of red blood cells. On the other hand, if she has erlichia this could cause joint pain and anemia. However, you tend to see other changes in the bloodwork which are not shown in the pictures you posted. Doxycycline for 3 weeks should treat an erlichia that could be present. A snap test or a PCR for erlichia could confirm this diagnosis. The weakness in her hind end could be associated with a primary orthopedic disease or neurologic disease. Some neurologic diseases in poodles can arise from degenerative inflammatory diseases. An orthopedic and neurologic examination could test for these. X-rays could also outline a primary orthopedic issue or be suggestive of a neurologic issue as well. In summary, Maicah should be thoroughly evaluated for a primary orthopedic or neurologic issue. I am a little less concerned about the erlichia at this moment due to the lack of changes in her blood, however she should have a snap test or PCR performed to confirm this. Her albumin is elevated which could be an error from the machine or she could be dehydrated. If this is an inflammatory disease, the prednisone she was prescribed may help. I hope this helps and best of luck!