Sam I Am

Hi, I just stumbled across this site. I have a 6 year old (turns 6 on Fri.) st. poodle named Sam. Over the past couple weeks we have noticed him sleeping ALOT. He has always been very laid back and lazy, but lately he just seems to never want to get up. He doesn't follow me from room to room as much as usual and today he started having a really hard time getting up and down. He has quite a few stairs to go down to get out into the yard and he takes them very slowly and gently. He used to race up and down them. Also when we go for a walk, we don't even get around the block once and he is lagging behind. He still wants to go, but he just doesn't get as excited as he usually does. I'm going to call the vet on Mon., but does anyone have any ideas of what might be causing this or something I can do to make him feel better until he sees the vet? The only other symptom he has had that could be related is a few months ago he started limping after playing hard with the neighbors dog. They love to chase each other around the yard and Sam tends to make sharp turns at an all out run. This happened twice. The first time he limped a little but was fine by morning so we didn't think much of it, the second time he limped for 3 days, we figured he must have pulled a muscle. He favored his front leg though and now it seems like he is favoring his back legs or hips. The only things I can think of are Hip displasia(sp?) and arthritis, but would the symptoms of these things come on so quickly?

T o d d

Do you have air conditioning and is it hot where you live?

I know you said it looks like favoring... but it could be due to heat.

We don't have AC and when it gets 88+ in the house moose is in 'relax' mode on our cold wood floor to cool down. He gets up and moves for ice cubes and water and to go outside and that's about it. He will follow me but not nearly as much as he used too. Luckily it's only that hot here a few times so far and only a couple hours.

Sam I Am

The weather has been very mild, and when it does get a little warm, the air is on. The house stays under 80 usually around 78. When it's warm he tends to sleep on the hardwood floor, when cooler he sleeps on a rug. Last night our bedroom was pretty chilly and I thought maybe that was bothering him so I covered him with a blanket and he left it on all night. This morning he seems to be getting up and down a little easier but he is still really careful on the stairs.

Jehn

Aww... Well I hope it's just aches and pains and not hip dysplasia or arthritis... but it is possible. My family dog, a giant schnauzer got arthritis around 7 years old but she did ok and lived a healthy active life until almost 14... Poodles are definitely prone to hip dysplasia so you'll probably want to get that checked out.

Good luck!!

Jako

Do you have ticks? Dogs can get lyme disease. Some of the main symptoms are joint pain and exhaustion.

Sam I Am

I didn't think about ticks. I haven't found any on him. Once one gets on would it leave on its own if it wasn't noticed? He was really fluffy there for awhile and I suppose a tick could have gone unnoticed. He certainly doesn't have any now. I took him to the groomer today and apparently there was some miscommunication and they shaved him ALL the way down, top knot, ears, and all. The only thing they left was his tail. I couldn't believe it. I was fuming, but I suppose it's just hair and it will grow back. He looks so pathetic. He sees the vet on Wed.

Jako

That's too bad about the haircut!

Yes, after a few days of feeding ticks will drop off. And the kind that carries lymes disease, the deer tick, is so small it would be easy not to notice it.
I hope the vet finds out what is wrong!

MarleysMom

I totally feel your pain about the groomer! I took Marley to the groomer for his first visit since I've adopted him--and he was TOTALLY SHAVED!! He used to look like a little lion (his face all fluffy and sweet...) now he has a 'poodle face' which is still adorable...but I miss his little lion face! Groomers never listen! :(

Sam I Am

Just got back from the vet and shows what I know, she doesn't think it his hips or legs at all. She suspects he has a neck injury. She put him on muscle relaxers and he goes back next week to see if there has been any improvement. Last night he was barely getting around and seemed to be favoring both front legs, when we fed him he was really struggling, I put his bowls up on a box and he had no more trouble and ate all his dinner, he had been eating sporadically. It has been about 2 hours since he took the muscle relaxers and he is getting around wonderfully! I don't know what happened to hurt his neck, but hopefully with a little rest he will be back to normal soon. The little rest might be a little hard to enforce, he seems so perky compared to the last week. I thought the pills would make him sleepy. AAAWWWW!!!! He just walked in here with his ball I'm so happy it wasn't something more serious! I have my Sam back!

Jako

That's great! I'm glad you found out what was wrong, and that he feels better.