[BeagsMom]

Meggie will be 6 years old next month, so she's a youngster still. Highly active, a bit on the "fluffy" side but we try to work on that. *sigh*

A month or two ago she began occasional limping on a back leg. At first it was her back left. I thought one of the labs may have stepped on her while roughhousing outside. No tenderness on palpation, paw in good shape. The limp subsided in a few days then went away entirely.

Then it appeared in the back right leg. Same thing, lasting a few days then gone. Now it is her left leg again and the limping has gone on for about two weeks now.

Stiff upon rising from sleep, difficulty jumping up on the couches or futon (I had to lift her up for the first week). She manages to get up on her own now, it's not pretty, but she manages.

Again, no tenderness upon palpation in her hips, her legs, her paws, her spine, her abdomen. But she's VERY gingerly placing weight on that left leg and has adopted the "bunny hop" style of running.

Activity levels remain just about normal, good appetite (duh!), water intake normal, temperature normal, eyes bright, nose cold and wet, she even enjoyed a full pedicure last weekend (she loves that).

Arthritis? Too young for arthritis? Thoughts? I can't afford x-rays at the present time or I'd whisk her in to the vet.

 

[angelaH]

Cant give you any real help but it sounds a bit like 'old age' coming through. 6 isnt that young for some beagles. Keep an eye on her for a while and then get her to the vet. Sounds like there might be spinal problems. For the time being try to stop her jumping either up or down from anything. I fear you have to go to a vet though.

 

[Virginia's Mom]

My first thought is to have Meggie checked for Lyme Disease. If that's what's bothering her, it's important to catch it early and it's inexpensive to diagnose and treat (just a month's worth of Doxycycline).

My Virginia showed similar symptoms last January, and I was surprised to discover that she was positive for Lyme. Once Doxycycline was started, she showed improvement within 2 days.

Granted, we live in the northeast where Lyme runs rampant, but it's possible to get it even in Oklahoma. Take a look: Lyme Disease in OK

 

[Murphys Dad]

It could be arthritis, it could also be a problem with the ACL. Your vet can give you a better diagnosis.

 

[Genie]

Oh, poor Meg--I hate to hear of our royal lady in pain!! It could be arthritis; Shiloh began showing signs of arthritis at a relatively young age. I give her a supplement called GlycoFlex. It's made of ground mussels, so doesn't smell real great--we call it the Stinky Fish Pill!! But it has glucosamine. The vet suggested it for arthritis, but it's an OTC that you can get at the pet store. Because it's not a prescription med, it takes longer to get into her bloodstream and take effect, but it does seem to help.

 

[debannib]

I hope you feel better soon Meg. I don't have any good advice, but I know you're in good hands. :heart:

 

[Mom of 2 Beagles]

Could be some arthritis. Sadie is 7 and has arthritis in her back around her herniated disk already. She may just need an anti-inflammatory medication. I would get her check out by the vet.

 

[Murphys Dad]

It could be arthritis but I would take a trip to the vets to be sure. Better safe than sorry!

 

[russjor]

Quote:Originally posted by BeagsMom:
Meggie will be 6 years old next month, so she's a youngster still. Highly active, a bit on the "fluffy" side but we try to work on that. *sigh*

A month or two ago she began occasional limping on a back leg. At first it was her back left. I thought one of the labs may have stepped on her while roughhousing outside. No tenderness on palpation, paw in good shape. The limp subsided in a few days then went away entirely.

Then it appeared in the back right leg. Same thing, lasting a few days then gone. Now it is her left leg again and the limping has gone on for about two weeks now.

Stiff upon rising from sleep, difficulty jumping up on the couches or futon (I had to lift her up for the first week). She manages to get up on her own now, it's not pretty, but she manages.

Again, no tenderness upon palpation in her hips, her legs, her paws, her spine, her abdomen. But she's VERY gingerly placing weight on that left leg and has adopted the "bunny hop" style of running.

Activity levels remain just about normal, good appetite (duh!), water intake normal, temperature normal, eyes bright, nose cold and wet, she even enjoyed a full pedicure last weekend (she loves that).

Arthritis? Too young for arthritis? Thoughts? I can't afford x-rays at the present time or I'd whisk her in to the vet.

While some some breeders agree that Hip Dysplasia
only appears in larger breed of dogs others have found cases in the Beagle line also. This may or may not be you problem but if it continues I would suggest taking him to a vet. My neighbor has a Rott that has this and what you describe sounds the same as what the Rott has. This is a link for an article on web page

 

[BeagsMom]

Thank you all very, very much.
I'll let you know what we discover in the coming days.

God bless.

 

[threedognight]

If the vet visit yields a diagnosis of arthritis, you may want to try Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements. My Ginger is 7 and has arthritis in her left front leg. The Rimadyl that my vet prescribed worked for a few days, then she went back to being very lethargic, hardly getting out of bed. After two weeks of the Glucosamine tablets, Ginger was back to her old self!