My 10 old sweet girl suddenly is limping badly:(

[gingerbreadsmommy]

I have a GSD who just turned 10 this past October. As a puppy she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that affected her nails and is now affecting her eyes but those seem to be somewhat under control after seeing an eye specialist. About two months ago she began walking with a slight limp in her right leg. It got worse so I started giving her Synflex (which I highly recommend to everyone) and I saw considerable improvement. However as of the past week the limp is more severe and now we are noticing that she is barely putting any weight on her left leg.

The eye doctor mentioned arthritis but just by feeling her legs, there haven't been any x-rays taken but due to her age I'm sure that's the cause. I understand her age but naturally I want to do everything I can to prolong her time with us as long as she isn't in a lot of pain. She seems to be a little less excitable than usual since her vet visit yesterday and but she does still have a good appetite if we make her something she likes to eat.

The vet said to give her a week of doggie bed rest and prescribed a pain killer and another joint supplement. They wanted to do x-rays but we decided to first give her a week of bed rest and go from there.

I am just so confused and worried about why this suddenly would happen. We live in Chicago and it is cold so I'm sure that affects it as well as her age. Has anyone experienced this with their dog? Or does anyone have any suggestions for other things we can give her to help?

One thing I did realize that is interesting is that the Synflex called for a double dosage for the first ten days to get the glucosamine in her system and then it said to give her a normal dosage from then on. But it seems like she was doing better when she was getting the bigger dosage, so I ordered two more bottles of it today of two different formulas (one for pets, one for arthritis in pets) and I'm hoping if we give her the first dosage she took and alternate the two forumals, she will get back to the way she was when taking the bigger dosage. I know there's only so much I can do at this point but I've never had a pet before her and we picked her up at six weeks old, so she has been with us her whole lifetime. I wish dogs aged the same way people do, their lives seem so short compared to ours If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it, she is the smartest, most beautiful dog and I love her to pieces.

[LisaT]

tick disease?

[eddie1976E]

Have a lyme and anaplasmosis test done. My dog was limping like that and turned out it was ana. This disease can destroy the kidney so might want to rule that out. After 3 months of doxycycline, she was fine, we just keep an eye out for the limp.

[Elaine]

My first thought in a dog that age with sudden severe lameness in one leg would be osteosarc. Does she have any swelling or pain in the long bones of that leg?

[Bridget]

Heidi (9 years old) has been having a harder time lately, so might just be the weather. Although, with Heidi, we know she has arthritis. It seems her hardest days are when it is damp or cold is coming, rather than the cold. Good luck.