stiff joints

we'llallhavetea_old

hi all, just wondering, do any of your pet dogs become stiff after sleeping? my pup struggles to get up on the couch after sleeping with his legs stretched back out behind him.

ISDW

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

hi all, just wondering, do any of your pet dogs become stiff after sleeping? my pup struggles to get up on the couch after sleeping with his legs stretched back out behind him.

How old is the dog.

I know that if a dog suffers from hip dysplacia, they apparently find it very, very uncomfortable to have their legs stretched out behind them.

Eibhin

I agree with ISDW. It's the first sign of a hip problem. What breed is he? Were his parents hip scored?
I would suggest a vet check before you take him on any more serious walks. Also a lot of people overwalk their pups. The rule of thumb is 5 minutes exercise per month of age (for the first year??..maybe ISDW or Andrea can clarify this?!)

Good luck with him
Eibhin

we'llallhavetea_old

hi,

he's a little terrier mix, his mammy was a cairn and his daddy was a lakeland. he's only eight months old. i have no idea about hip scoring tbh

i'll ring the vets tomorrow and make an appointment, feck it anyway, i thought it may be normal.

Eibhin

Unusual for a terrier cross breed. Breeds like labs and german shepherds are more prone to it.
Could be something else but just get it checked anyway. I'm no vet so ask the experts. But I would rest him till checked out.

ISDW

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

hi all, just wondering, do any of your pet dogs become stiff after sleeping? my pup struggles to get up on the couch after sleeping with his legs stretched back out behind him.

Does it only happen if he sleeps in that position?

we'llallhavetea_old

Yep, he always sleeps with his legs stretched back though!

ISDW

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

Yep, he always sleeps with his legs stretched back though!

I was told that if they could do that, they couldn't have hip dysplasia, cos one of my boys was hip scored and it was very, very high for a husky, but he always sleeps like that, so I don't worry. But, he isn't stiff when he gets up.

How much exercise are you giving him each day?

we'llallhavetea_old

ISDW wrote: »

I was told that if they could do that, they couldn't have hip dysplasia, cos one of my boys was hip scored and it was very, very high for a husky, but he always sleeps like that, so I don't worry. But, he isn't stiff when he gets up.

How much exercise are you giving him each day?

Probably not enough, we'd walk him for about a half an hour to forty minutes, slow enough pace as my daughter is only six and walks with us. on a saturday he doesn't get walked because he is going bonkers with my mams dog all day! Is that too little? He is exhausted after his walks though...

tk123

How much excercise is he getting? My guy started getting stiff like that when the problems with his legs started to surface but his prob is very rare. If he overdid it playing he'd get stiff so I had to cut his excercise back a little and find the right balance for him. I bet it's just the way your guy sleeps lol - if I slept kneeling down I'd be stiff getting up! :pac:

PS - I give my guy Flexicose and Luposan pellets for some extra help

ISDW

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

Probably not enough, we'd walk him for about a half an hour to forty minutes, slow enough pace as my daughter is only six and walks with us. on a saturday he doesn't get walked because he is going bonkers with my mams dog all day! Is that too little? He is exhausted after his walks though...

No, thats fine, I was concerned you were doing too much. General rule of thumb is 5 minutes for every month of their life, or you can damage their joints.

Just realise I may have misread your post, he struggles to get up on the couch, does that mean he's sleeping on the couch and can't stand, or he's sleeping on the floor or his bed, and can't climb up onto the couch?

we'llallhavetea_old

ISDW wrote: »

No, thats fine, I was concerned you were doing too much. General rule of thumb is 5 minutes for every month of their life, or you can damage their joints.

Just realise I may have misread your post, he struggles to get up on the couch, does that mean he's sleeping on the couch and can't stand, or he's sleeping on the floor or his bed, and can't climb up onto the couch?

well he sleeps on both, he'll move to the fire for heat and then back to the couch when he gets too hot. if he gets up off the couch and rambles for a minute he'll struggle to get back up on the couch.

andreac

I dont think a pup so young should be struggling with things like that so i would def get him checked out with the vet.
Pups are usually full of energy and can leap about the place with ease. Hopefully if there is something wrong it will be caught at the early stages and easily treated.