Worried about my collie.

Alfasudcrazy

Collie cross actually. Found her as a stray in May 2007 and took her in. She has been and still is a wonderful dog and since I cured all her ailments after getting her she has been the picture of good health and happiness. I reckon she is now about 5 years old.

However I have noticed of late that she seems to have trouble jumping. It is especially noticeable after I have returned from a walk with her. Even small jumps like into the car. I never noticed this before as she could jump into the back of the Landcruiser without any difficulty after spending an hour or more chasing seagulls and swimming.

At first I thought she was just being lazy as I would lift her in but this evening for the first time I realised that she is simply not able to.

What is strange about it is that she has no limping whatever and in the mornings runs around the place as mad as ever with the other dogs.

I do notice that when she is being taken for walks she lags behind me most of the time. Perhaps she is a bit lazy and is just tired?

anniehoo

Alfasudcrazy wrote: »

Perhaps she is a bit lazy and is just tired?

I think ya know yourself that a Collie/Collie cross isnt and shouldnt be either of what you said- especially at 5 years old. They're energiser bunnies normally even if she's a "cross".

Collie owners know these dogs dont need encouragement or help for "simple" tasks like you're asking at that age.She's not even borderline middleaged yet. You know she needs an oul vet check

DBB

Definitely a vet check, and a real proper, thorough vet check at that!
Not wanting to climb in and out of things like she used to, lagging behind on walks, altered energy levels... all suggests something musculoskeletal. I'd be thinking along the lines of arthritis perhaps, but obviously this must be tempered against the fact that this is an online discussion!
The apparent normal behaviour of bounding around after other dogs, or after a ball or a cat or whatever, is well known in dogs even if they're in discomfort/pain, as their pain perception can be somewhat overruled by something terribly exciting happening!
Dogs can be exceptionally stoical about pain, and may not appear to be in pain under normal circumstances, but when they go beyond their capabilities by going on walks etc, it can show there's a problem you mightn't have noticed otherwise.

boomerang

Aw, sorry to hear your collie x is not herself.

I have a collie cross myself, it's her birthday today - she's 9. Last summer I noticed she had difficulty jumping up on the bed or into the front seat of the car. She'd go to jump and then fall back on her bum. I was really worried that it might be some kind of degenerative nerve disease that leads to rear-end paralysis. She wasn't lame in any way otherwise. So I took her to the vet for a full work up - x-rays, bloods and urine. Turns out she has arthritis in the sacral region of her spine - it's called spondylosis. She was just faltering because she'd get a shooting pain.

I put her on salmon oil capsules and glucosamine, and a year later, she's doing really well! She very rarely needs Metacam for pain relief. I found putting a non-slip mat at the side of the bed improved her confidence no end. I also got her a ramp for getting in and out of the car, but it's gathering dust in the shed as she's doing so much better than expected.

I would definitely take your dog for a full work-up at the vets. It is expensive but so worthwhile - in my own case the vet also detected early-stage kidney trouble, so I've been able to be proactive about that as well.

Please let us know how you get on with your lovely pooch!

belongtojazz

I have a Jrt cross and we had exactly the same symptoms you are describing, except the lagging behind (she thinks EVERYTHING has to be done at top speed) within a month or so of the symptoms starting she added a limp to it, my dad wondered the same as you, is she just getting a bit lazy, but i wasn't convinced of that so off to the vet we went.
Turns out our poor girl has quite severe hip dysplasia, which our vet had never come across in a dog as small as her.
The point i'm trying to make in a very long way is to please get your dog checked over. Dogs don't react to pain and discomfort like us. It may well be nothing serious but you need to know. For your own peace of mind and the dogs comfort.
Our lady is doing brilliantly now after trying a few different drugs she's back to a great quality of life ( just no jumping and limited running time)
Best of luck to you

magentas

Please let us know how you get on at the vets OP, hope your girl is back to herself soon.