Senior dog's arthritic leg gives out. Should I get an X-ray or wait?

Oh my. Poor guy. : ( Arthritis can progress fairly quickly in pets, even when they are on the proper medication. The only thing you really can do at this point is to have Roscoe re-examined by your vet for a full evaluation. Repeat or initial radiographs of his back legs and hips should be considered and then if arthritis is indeed the only problem here, your vet can prescribe additional medication to hopefully help stabilize Roscoe and properly manage his pain. However, I suspect that he may have a back injury if he is crying out in pain, which may not be so easily treated. I do hope that there is something that can be done here. Some additional medications to consider are Gabapentin (for pain) and an injectable osteoarthritis medication called Adequan. Best of luck moving forward with your pet Roscoe and I hope that he regains his mobility soon. Take care.

Carson is adorable! Thanks for including a picture. The answer as to whether or not x-rays are recommended really depend on your veterinarian's examination. If they find something concerning on exam, then they may recommend taking x-rays. But I would definitely start with having them examine Carson to see what they can find on examination. As far as pain medications, there are a number of good pain medications, but they are all prescription. I am attaching a handout below with more information on pain medications for dogs. (It is discussing arthritis pain, but is a good source of information for pain medications in dogs). I would not recommend giving anything at home until your vet can examine Carson because it may interact with any pain medications that your veterinarian will want to give Carson. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951467 Good luck! I hope Carson feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello! It sounds as if Carter's back legs are getting worse, which can happen with time, when a dog has arthritic hips. Hopefully he is back on his feet and more comfortable now! You can use a joint supplement such as Cosequin (ask your vet about this!), and help him by having good surfaces to stand on (ie avoiding slippery floors). If he is quite uncomfortable, you could ask your vet about some pain killers, or anti-inflammatories. Hope this helps!

Yes, I agree with your vet, x-rays are a good idea. Glucosamine is fine to give but it is not likely to significantly impact her at this stage. It will not hurt anything but it probably won't help much. If she has arthritis in her hips or spine then she likely needs long term therapy with NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Rimadyl) and pain medication (like Tramadol or Gabapentin). The combination of these two types of medications works wonders for arthritis. She will need to be on them for the rest of her life. If there is no arthritis then this could be a neurological issue which would need another type of therapy (mainly steroids like Prednisone). The x-rays will help to narrow this down. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Poor Jax. He may have tweak his hips or back. As long as he is eating and drinking you could try to rest him for a few days to see if he improves. If he worsens or not improving, I would see your vet for an exam and possible X-rays. Your vet may want to make sure there is nothing broken and make sure his spine looks ok. Also your vet will be able to give him some pain meds to keep him comfortable. I would not give any human pain meds as most are toxic to dogs. I hope this helps.

The x-rays are a bit difficult to interpret because they are a little fuzzy, but I can see that Maicah has some minor changes on the bottoms of her vertebrae - called spondylosis. This can definitely cause discomfort in the back. I would talk to her vet about treatments that can help with this kind of pain. I am not able to evaluate her hind limbs because the assistant's hands are covering them up. Another possible cause of her stiffness is joint pain caused by the ehrlichia infection. This should improve with appropriate treatment.

Your dog may just be feeling worse after having to get out and about at the vet. Trips like these can be very stressful and hard on older dogs. Your vet probably also did an orthopedic exam, flexing and extending his joints, which could make him more sore. It is possible, although less likely, that your dog is dragging his legs because of spinal damage. If you pinch his toes and he can feel it then this is probably not the issue. Let you dog rest comfortably for now and continue giving the medication as prescribed. If he is not improving within about 24 hours you may want to consider going in for a recheck or asking your vet for additional pain medication. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.