Joined
·
663 Posts
Sorry - this is a bit long but I'm hoping these symptoms or behaviour might sound familiar to someone.
Some background info:
Jaeger, who is my SchH dog, has been having some hind end problems since last fall. He's been seen by two ortho specialists, and a third has looked at his knee and hip X-rays and couldn't find anything suspicious. We initially thought he had an ACL injury but his joints are stable. His hips are cleared through OVC. He was put on glucosamine and rested all winter, and since he wasn't showing any signs of favoring his leg, I've been slowly bringing him back into condition with longer walks, but no ball throwing or jumping. To watch him bounce around, you would never suspect that he has anything wrong with him.
We did a little heeling in the park the other day and after a couple of minutes, he seemed not quite himself. He was in a sit, then got up and acted as if something had bit him. His hind legs were shaking and unsteady, his body language was submissive and he wasn't putting his full weight on one of the legs - all similar to last fall minus the "bite or shock" reaction. Of course, he was fine by the time we got home.
Over the past two days, I've been doing the "DM" test where you flip the dog's back feet so they're standing on their toes. (I've had a DM dog in the past.) Jaeger will hold one foot in that position for a couple of seconds and hold the other foot that way for an extended length of time (more than 5 seconds) before flipping his foot back into place.
What I don't know is whether the dogs will automatically flip their foot into the normal position (like a reflex action) or is there any chance that he's holding his foot in this position because he thinks it's an OB exercise? (I know that sounds really strange.)
Has anyone had experience with pinched nerves, herniated discs or spinal issues that sound similar? I'm not even going to think about DM. I'm waiting to hear from my vet to book further testing but just looking for feedback in the meantime.
Thanks!
Some background info:
Jaeger, who is my SchH dog, has been having some hind end problems since last fall. He's been seen by two ortho specialists, and a third has looked at his knee and hip X-rays and couldn't find anything suspicious. We initially thought he had an ACL injury but his joints are stable. His hips are cleared through OVC. He was put on glucosamine and rested all winter, and since he wasn't showing any signs of favoring his leg, I've been slowly bringing him back into condition with longer walks, but no ball throwing or jumping. To watch him bounce around, you would never suspect that he has anything wrong with him.
We did a little heeling in the park the other day and after a couple of minutes, he seemed not quite himself. He was in a sit, then got up and acted as if something had bit him. His hind legs were shaking and unsteady, his body language was submissive and he wasn't putting his full weight on one of the legs - all similar to last fall minus the "bite or shock" reaction. Of course, he was fine by the time we got home.
Over the past two days, I've been doing the "DM" test where you flip the dog's back feet so they're standing on their toes. (I've had a DM dog in the past.) Jaeger will hold one foot in that position for a couple of seconds and hold the other foot that way for an extended length of time (more than 5 seconds) before flipping his foot back into place.
What I don't know is whether the dogs will automatically flip their foot into the normal position (like a reflex action) or is there any chance that he's holding his foot in this position because he thinks it's an OB exercise? (I know that sounds really strange.)
Has anyone had experience with pinched nerves, herniated discs or spinal issues that sound similar? I'm not even going to think about DM. I'm waiting to hear from my vet to book further testing but just looking for feedback in the meantime.
Thanks!