This has come on quite suddenly – One month ago she seemed fine. Now I feel so bad for her – I try to help her up, but she doesn’t know the “1-2-3 jump!” and so she struggles.
She went for her annual physical 2 weeks ago and the vet found nothing wrong – but she doesn’t see Maggie on a daily basis.
Is this just a function of age (she is 13) that we will have to adapt to, or is there something I can give her that will help with muscular strength?
I have stairs all over my house for the beds and couches. Can you try one and see if she will use it. I would also try a week of whatever pain meds your vet agrees to try to rule in or out pain.
I have ramps, because I don’t want my dog to jump any more, she is 9 and always had a bad hock.
The ramps help better than stairs, I have a bathroom rug over the ramps, so she doesn’t slip any.
I have one to her chair and one to the bed.
She used to jump on the bed up those same steps I added the ramp to:
sounds like back pain. my JRT had a really hard time the last year of her life. She could not jump up either. I got ramps and steps for the sofa. it is difficult to see them struggle. I would ask the vet about pain relief.
Forgot to add, be sure the ramp is light colored, or what you put on it is.
Dogs can see it better than a dark one.
If you google dog ramps, there are all kinds out there, in all prices.
Some can be made into steps or ramps, either one and of different lengths, so you can have a longer one for the taller places.
I think that dogs will quit using higher places on their own, so be sure to have a very comfortable bed at ground level, close to where they want to be.
it may not be a muscular strength issue as much as it might be a loss of function secondary to nerve impairment. Many if not most old dogs have arthritic changes in the spine and rear legs. This may also come with pain issues
also many older dogs have issue with muscle loss and strength due to aging kidneys
thirdly, vision acuity can also be an issue
I would hope your vet would have offer some suggestions. a simple back and hip X-ray may have pointed out aging changes.
mild aspirin or other inflammation fighting medicines. All the joint support concepts you hear about for horses… many of them are available for dogs
stairs or ramps to a favorite resting place
better lighting. perhaps a dark or light contrasting blanket on the resting spot to define margins.
weight loss if pudgy,
[QUOTE=hoopoe;7938075]
it may not be a muscular strength issue as much as it might be a loss of function secondary to nerve impairment. Many if not most old dogs have arthritic changes in the spine and rear legs. This may also come with pain issues. [/QUOTE]
Yes, I agree. I brought my dog to my chiro/acupuncture vet first to see if she could assess the source of lameness before bringing him to the regular vet and just getting arthritis meds…especially because he doesn’t seem to be in pain, but is nearly 14 and is not as strong as he used to be in the hind end.
Her evaluation suggested it was neurological, and he has had several rounds of chiro and acupuncture, which made a huge difference right away (he is still not 100%, but much better!) She also suggested concentrated fish oil to help nerve functioning, and some additional medication options remain if he needs more. (So far, so good).
However, we have a trunk at the end of the bed for him to use as a “step”, and we will probably switch to stairs or a ramp soon (probably stairs) because it’s just hard for him.
Our Bull Terrier is losing strength too, plus she has weakening kidneys. She is on a monthly shot of Cartrophen ($20.00) and low protein diet. For a while she was so much improved she was able to jump on the ottoman again, but in time she’s lost the ability. She does, however, put her front feet up and then looks at us with such an imploring gaze, we jump up and help her.
Adequan at the loading dose for a month can work wonders.
one of the only signs of my sunny’s congestive heart failure was no longer being willing/able to jump up on the couch. I thought she was getting arthritic in her old age- then she collapsed and died.
LordHelpus, are you near me at all? My friend got me this for Christmas-
but I already have one :lol: I didn’t have the heart to tell her. So, I have an extra. They only run about $20 so if you are far it’s kinda pointless to send it but if you are near, want it?
Thanks for all the input. I have a love seat at the end of the bed which all the dogs use as a springboard.
As far as steps go, I bought the kind that Too Tru Doc showed — but it was too wobbly and the dogs were scared of it, so I donated it (unused 
) Then I borrowed the sturdy kind (solid) stairs and Maggie, the old dog, went up them, but going down she was so used to leaping off the bed that she overjumped and fell off the stairs… So they went back.
I had not thought if a ramp though. I will make one of those (I have a woodworking shop and a ramp will be easy to make). Off to Google the rise v. the run ratio.
I wish that Maggie would put her front feet up and ask for help, but she won’t. She tries to jump, falls backward and gets scared.
I will ask the vet about a trial of pain pills and also about Adequan.
My dog also was unable to jump up into the truck, I attributed it to a sore shoulder which she damaged when she slipped once. Ultimately it was a mass on her spleen which ruptured and she had to be euthanized. Take her in for a bit of a workup, an ultrasound of the body and as another poster noted, possibly an xray of the heart. It may be arthritis, but it may also not be. I will do this for all of my dogs now as they age. If I had found the mass sooner, I would have operated.
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;7938623]
Thanks for all the input. I have a love seat at the end of the bed which all the dogs use as a springboard.
As far as steps go, I bought the kind that Too Tru Doc showed — but it was too wobbly and the dogs were scared of it, so I donated it (unused ) Then I borrowed the sturdy kind (solid) stairs and Maggie, the old dog, went up them, but going down she was so used to leaping off the bed that she overjumped and fell off the stairs… So they went back.
I had not thought if a ramp though. I will make one of those (I have a woodworking shop and a ramp will be easy to make). Off to Google the rise v. the run ratio.
I wish that Maggie would put her front feet up and ask for help, but she won’t. She tries to jump, falls backward and gets scared.
I will ask the vet about a trial of pain pills and also about Adequan.[/QUOTE]
A piece of 3/4" plywood covered on some carpet remnant would be cheap and easy to make and would work well.
May want to add some 1"x’s to the sides, so an older dog can feel the edge and not slip off it.
Mine are commercial plastic ones, but I added a rubber backed plain bathroom rug for ease of grip, carpet on them was still too slick.
To the chair height of 20", I have a “Pet Gear” that runs some 42" and 18" wide.
To over the trunk on the end of the bed, in my previous picture, 18" high, the ramp is a plastic telescoping ramp, so the length is adjustable for any height, that is set at 46", also a 18" width.
Name is Smart Ramp, of course.
If you buy one, stay away from those aluminum, telescopic ones with rolled edges, as there are reports dogs have slipped into the sides and cut themselves there.
Both of mine are plastic and have a small lips on the sides.
Those slopes seem fine for any dog, easy for them to walk up and down and don’t stick too much in front of where you put them.
Hope that helps.
Timely that Zulily has steps and ramps on sale today. I’ve been looking for something for my senior foster who can’t quite make the jump up on the couch.
I’m going to try to direct link the product page, but if it doesn’t give you access, someone let me know and I will fix the link. I don’t know if you have to sign up to be able to view the products that are listed.
You can kind of see them in the background. Zulily’s whole schtick is that you have to sign up to see what they have for sale.
I think that pet steps are a human idea.
If you are a dog, a ramp makes much more sense, especially if the dog is handicapped in any way.
Here is the first google hit on dog steps/ramps, all kinds of them:
http://www.walmart.com/browse/pets/steps-ramps/5440_202072_1086272?cat_id=5440_202072_1086272
You might try buying a cheap baby crib mattress and putting it next to the couch. It offers a larger base for stepping up than those little stairs, or she might just enjoy using it as a bed if it’s right next to you on the couch. You can get one on Craigslist for $30 or so. A package of two crib sheets is less than $10.00 at walmart. I used a crib mattress for a dog bed for several years, until I bought a new twin bed mattress and then used the old twin one as a dog bed instead. (My old dog was tall and very long - he stretched out to sleep and took up the entire length of the twin mattress! )
My dog is 15 and just went through not being able to go up the stairs well, not being able to jump up. He had a tiny little limp. We rested him for a bit (carrying him up and down the stairs as much as possible) and he’s back to being pretty much fine (takes some stairs a little slower, but probably still recovering from whatever he did just a hair)
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