Not herself at agility....

[Wicket]

At last night's agility class, my chi-poo wasn't herself. It was humid and hot. Before class, she seemed fine running on the A-frame and doing the dog walk, but when it came class time, she wasn't acting like herself after the first obstacle. She was sniffing the ground, very distractable and not interested in doing much else. Her reliability was about 50% or less. I had to coax to do her favorite obstacle, the dog walk, which she normally zips through. Many people in my class (and my dad as well) thought she was getting me back for being on vacation. I knew something was up but not what...

When we got home, I examined her. She tongue flicked and looked uncomfortable with her back hips, especially the right one. It felt slightly swollen. When she walked, she seemed to favor one leg over the other, putting the least amount of weight as possible. My chi-poo wanted to stay her in her crate a lot, which is usually her universal sign of "I'm not feeling good." I iced her hips for a little bit and gave her a TTouch massage all over before she went to bed.

Today, we've been relaxing. I'd pick her up instead of letting her climb the stairs or jump on the furniture. She wants to sleep a lot. Her kibble has glousamine and chorditin in too. We went on one short walk today. She still puts little weight on her back leg but seems to be more of herself, trotting and trying to jump on/off furniture.

Is there anything else you'd recommend me to do?

[DogzRule1996]

Maybe you should get her hip checked out. I think while you were on vacation (or if you didn't, at some time), she might have hurt herself. The pain in her hip might be causing problems with her agility. Even if you think it might be getting better I'd still check to make sure just in case it gets worse during an agility lesson.

[wvvdiup1]

Get her checked by a vet and stay away from agility classes/courses for a while until she is better.

[Wicket]

She's putting on a bit more weight on it today than yesterday. She's improving and becoming more active but still wanting to sleep more. Whenever she tries to jump or when I pick her up, I'm noticed in a snapping (not a pop) sound like a rubber band so I'm wondering if she pulled a ligament.

Since I'm unemployed (but looking) and living at home, my parents pay the vet and food bills. I mentioned to my dad about her hip not being right but he dismissed it, blaming it the vacation again. I think part of the problem is that my chi-poo is stoic and subtle when it comes to pain. I'm not sure what to do....

[DogzRule1996]

Who took care of her while you were away on vacation, or did you bring her along with you?

[Wicket]

My boyfriend and I went international and didn't bring either dog so my family took care of the dogs. I should also mentioned that I had forgotten about agility class and took the dogs on a long walk the day before but she kept up and wasn't displaying any noticeable signs of pain or limping then. Also, on her first run though at normal jumping height, her feet hit a bar jump, knocking off one of the bars. I don't know the exact cause of why her hip isn't right.

[DogzRule1996]

Maybe all this exercise is stressing her legs out. I would still say go to a vet, but if your parents won't allow it then wait a few weeks before going back, and when you do go back take it step by step, one jump at a time, and observe her body language and any signs that she might be in pain or she's tired or anything.

[Fundog]

Sometimes, after my Annie has had a lot of physical activity, especially running (she does this to herself; I don't force her), she will start limping a bit. We've concluded that her hip is starting to bother her a bit. Of course, she is just a wee bit over-weight, (we are working on that), and she is seven years old. So when her hip is bothering her, I will crush up a half of an adult aspirin in her food, and that helps her a lot. Your little dog is much, much smaller, so you might want to only give her one half of a baby aspirin-- even better, check with your vet, to find out what the best pain remedy/dose is for your little dog.

[Wicket]

Update:

My chi-poo had been constipated for two days and finally she went. While I was gone, my Mom added left over Science Diet to her food since my chi-poo's stools were softer but didn't tell me about it until I got back. She could've had stress tummy troubles while I was gone. Upon further examination, the problem is with the knee. She's putting more weight on it but still flicks her tongue around that area and can't handle much physical activity. My chi-poo is due for her annual vet appointment soon so I might just have to get her checked out then....*sigh*

[Sarah83]

Might not be something you want to hear but luxating patella springs to mind given the type of dog she is and that it's her knee that appears to be the problem. If it is then you may be looking at surgery to fix it, depends on the severity. How old is she and has she had any incidents where she's favoured one leg before? I assume from what you've posted that it's your parents who make the decision on whether or not she goes to the vet?

[Horace's Mum]

You really do need to get it properly checked out, especially if you want to continue doing agility with her in the future. For now, definitely no agility for several weeks, and build her up very slowly again when you do go back.

Horus used to do agility, he gradually got harder and harder to get into the weaves although he was fine when doing them, and every so often would refuse to jump, but most of the time he would fly round. I had him x-rayed last year and found both hips have hip dysplasia and arthritis, once we got him on meds he was a totally different dog. I haven't done agility again with him yet, because I have been working to get him fit and happy again, but please do take this seriously. Dogs are very very good at covering up pain, and will often ignore pain to do something they enjoy like running or playing, but if she is showing definite signs of pain then you really need to get it checked somehow. Please don't give human meds to her without confirming with a vet that it is safe, especially with such a little dog.

I hope she picks up soon, keep us updated.

[Wicket]

Sarah: My chi-poo is two years old and never had incidents like this before. Before this injury, she loved to go on 2 mile walks and had a ton of energy. Now after ten minutes of play, she wants to lay down. At her last vet appointment, the vet did say in one knee cap she did have a luxating patella but said it was okay to do agility. My parents have the $ and ergo, make the decisions about when to go to the vet.

Having worked as a kennel worker (and sometimes vet assistant) in an animal hospital, I know what to look for with bodily changes and have some experience taking care of lame dogs, but my family doesn't and frankly, doesn't pick up on the subtle body language. Usually, it's me that notices something wrong with our dogs and makes the case but they decide when to them to the vet. We go to the usual vaccinations and annual appointment but when it comes to unexpected emergencies, the policy is to wait it out.

Horace's Mum:

I do know she needs to get it checked out. It's just a matter of convincing someone else but when my chi-poo is still jumping on furniture, walking up/down stairs and playing with our other dog, she still *seems* normal. I've emailed the agility trainer and described her symptoms, saying that we'd be canceling this semester. I can tell her gait off and when she runs, her speed is down. Right now, I'm putting her on bed rest and attempting to stop her running and jumping until she recovers.

My biggest fear is that she's gonna have to get worse until she can go see a vet to get better. My parents are out of town now but Mom and my sister are theoretically coming back tomorrow.

[Horace's Mum]

I really feel for you, I know you are trying to do your best. As you said, she is going for her booster soon isn't she? So you can easily ask the vet to check then, and do your best to keep her quiet until then. Don't forget lots of mental work to keep her busy while she can't walk. It is so frustrating when you try to do your best but have to rely on others for the help or finance. Could you maybe remind them that the vet has already picked up on a problem and maybe that has got worse so should be checked out again?

[Sarah83]

It's difficult when you've got to persuade someone else that a pet really does need to see the vet. My ex was the sort to want to wait for things to get better by themselves and it was a real fight to get Shadow to the vet if I thought he needed it.

Do you know whether the vet diagnosed a luxating patella in the leg she's having problems with? I agree with Horace's Mum, remind your parents that the vet did diagnose a problem and that the problem seems to have gotten worse. There's really not much more you can do if you're not the one financially responsible for her Keep us updated and I hope she feels better soon.

[Wicket]

Mom and my sister returned tonight. Mom asked about the dogs and I answered honestly about my chi-poo's knee, asking if I could make an appointment. Mom agreed it to until my sister intervened. My sister argued that it was just a bruise, no need to worry, that my chi-poo wasn't completely limping on it and that greedy vets would treat a condition that wasn't there. I demonstrated my chi-poo's uncomfortableness touching her knee and mentioned that the vet said she had problems with her knee before, explaining that her gait is off and I have worked at a vet's office. Mom, in the end, decided to observe my chi-poo for a couple days, but honestly, I'm not sure she knows what to look for. I'm planning on scheduling my chi-poo's annual appointment as well.

Sarah: I can't remember which knee it was, but the symptoms kinda fit. My Poodle, also, has luxating patellas in both her knees and when she runs, she'll do a little kick to put it back in place. When my chi-poo runs, her hip/knee will overextend and she will do a little kick too but, then again, that could be anecdotal evidence . It could explain why she seems to be okay and then horrible in the next.

Horace's Mum: What kind of mental work do you recommend?