Hi My 12 year old GSP has been troubled with stiffness on rising in her hind legs for the past 6 months. I have her on Dorwest glucosamine and ch tablets, also green lipped mussle. She has a fatty mass under her left hind leg which has not given her any trouble until today. She is now not putting the foot to ground and the leg is shivering! I am taking her to the vets tomorrow. (don't these things always happen on a Sunday!) I was wondering if anyone of you had any advise or has encountered this problem? Thanks.

It sounds like her leg is hurting her.  This could be arthritis progression, or possibly something else such as a slipped disc causing pain (which could also have caused the stiffness generally).  One of mine has this, and he would step with the affected leg (where the prolapse is putting pressure on the nerve roots on that side and causing pain).

But another one has very, very mild HD which causes her legs to tremble when she wees, so that might be another possibility.  Time for an x-ray or other imaging perhaps, and maybe a different approach with the supplements - there are so many options for this sort of thing, some dogs need 'proper' painkillers but others do very well with the right combo of supplements but it takes a bit of trial and error to get there.

Hi Nikita. Have just been to see vet- he well examined her and thinks she's tweaked an already arthritic leg! She has been prescribed Previcox tabs. He is going to see her again in a weeks time- check for improvement. If not X-rays will be needed to see if it is any sinister! So fingers crossed! Thanks for your reply...it did calm me down somewhat!

Just something that you might try: dogs (and cats) have very sensitive nerve endings all over their bodies. If your dog/cat is stiff when trying to get up, you can stimulate the nerves/muscles by gently rubbing the back of your hand over the area. Not the flat of your hand or your fingertips, it must be the back of your hand so that the nerves/muscles can differentiate between the 'touch'. I was sceptical when I learnt about this technique recently, but it does appear to work! We all tend to use the flat of our hands and/or finger tips when 'caressing/greeting' our dogs but apparently, they (and their nerves/muscles) can tell the difference between the touches and using the back of your hand stimulates the endings into 'work mode'.

Hi ...well that does sound rather strange but ...I shall give it a try! I do regularly give her a massage ( learnt from YouTube ) and she greatly benefits from this..it's also a good way of finding new lumps and bumps that they seem to grow when they are older! Is there a demo i.e YouTube on this technique? Does it have a name? Thanks very much for your help in this matter.

Admin that is very interesting have you got any reference material about that ?

I have contacted Barbara Houlding, the Vet whom gave the talk and will see if she is willing to write an article for us (or can point us in the direction of more information). I know she is a very busy lady but it would be great if she could put something together for us. I know the people whom attended the evening found her talk in particular, very interesting and informative and I am sure we have all passed her suggestions on to other dog/cat owners to give it a try.

That would be really useful thanks

I too send thanks for the information. An article on this subject would prove very interesting reading!

Hi again! Update on Rio. We have had 3 bad days and nights now ...so off to the vets we go again..she still appears to be in pain..doesn't sleep..is groaning and crying most of the time.. The vet has examined her again and can't find anything really wrong..so has now prescribed Tramadol as well as Previsox..He is reluctant to x-ray because of her 12+ years and the affects of the GA! So tonight I am going to dose her up! Maybe I'll take one myself ! Lol Again thanks for your input!

Poor dog and poor you. Let's hope the medicine helps her. Just out of interest, what type of bed does she have and does she sleep scrunched up or out flat on her side?

Rio sleeps at night on her own futon- she always stretches out- typical Gsp fashion with her legs stretched out high above her! Her daytime bed is a Danish design "doughnut" comfy bed but even on that she spills out over the sides!

>typical Gsp fashion with her legs stretched out high above her

They prefer to view the world from that angle :) Upside down is far more interesting! How is she today?

Barbara has very kindly agreed to write a piece for us after Christmas :)

Thankyou for asking ..but Rio is not at all well! Had a bad reaction to the combination of Previsox and Tramadol ...rushed her to animal hospital at 11pm last night! Vet there thinks she's had a series of "strokes" . She injected her with buprenorphine which made her sleep for 7 hrs! Have a vets appt on Monday 9am. Will try and wait until then but quite honestly I am in a real quandary as to what to do! She is no longer the girl I have known for 12 years! I'm so sad......

I am so very sorry to hear that. Sometimes we have to make a decision on their behalf and although it breaks our hearts to do so, the dogs must always come first. I really feel for you and her. It is so hard to know what to do for the best isn't it.

Thankyou for your kind words .

Hugs for you both x

Thankyou..I have been looking at your website....oh to owned by a GSP! X

Sorry to hear this I do hope she improves x

Thankyou... Dogs are very unpredictable..so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed! Seems a little more settled today! Or maybe it's me that's calmed down!

>Dogs are very unpredictable

Very true .. especially GSP's! We all have everything crossed for you and Rio :)

with much sadness I have to report that my darling Rio was pts this morning. We wrongly assumed that she was in pain but had the same symptoms as senile dementia . Every night for 6 nights she has been inconsolable, pacing up and down not sleeping and panting. After seeing and having 3 different vets opinions we,with much regret, decided  to put her out of her misery this morning. It's been the saddest day of my life. My house has had it's heart torn out! She has been the focus of my life for the last 12 and a bit years! I don't quite know how to find another interest now I've lost her. But I'm sure, as many of you have experienced- time is a great healer.
Thanks to you all for your input, Take care and hug your dogs especially tight tonight! x

So very sorry for your loss. The hardest part of owning them is knowing when is the right time to say goodbye. Run free and happy hunting at the bridge Rio x

There is not a single person here who does not feel for you at this time Saga. We love our dogs so completely and when we must say goodbye, our hearts break. You did everything you could for her, including love her to bits and she will know that. Run free Rio.

Sorry for your loss, but the best tribute to your love for her is to eventually share your heart with another canine companion.

So sorry Saga, know how you feel. we too are loved by GSPs and lost 3 in 9  months. One was old age/cancer, who was 13 and a half, the 2nd was 16 and old age/senility and our last girl was just 6 and involved in an RTA.
Sending big hugs to you x

Thank you all for your words of comfort...it does help a lot...I don't really know where to go from here Rio filled such a big place in my heart... Everything I touch reminds me of her...hopefully time will heal but at the moment my husband and I are in such a dark place!

I am so sorry to hear this very sad news.

You will go through some very extreme emotions so just try and be there for each other and it s so important to talk as that is often a great way of letting grief come out.

The one thing you will start to focus on with time a how much she gave to your lives and the fun a laughter to had with her.

If she was anything like the 10 month old boy my lot was playing with last week I can see what characters they are and how much fun they can be.

With time you will be able to accept she is gone still shed a tear but it will also be followed by a smile as you remember her.

Take care x

LJS--thank you for those words.you sound like you have been in this dark place and have come out through to the light! We are constantly talking and trying to find some way forward. Each day we are crying less but things like not keeping to routine and going for walks..even not having to sweep the remains of biscuits up off the floor just cracks us up! We are in our 60's but very active and feel like now we might end up as two old farts if we don't pull ourselves together! Thanks once again x

Oh gosh yes three times now and it never gets easier :-(

Just a thought and know this maybe too earlier bit have you thought about contacting GSP rescue as they sometimes have short term needs for fostering and we have found with Lab rescue is sometimes helps put a plaster on rather than heal in the short term.

It especially helps getting out and about back on walks and bridging the big gaping hole they leave rather than filling the gap x

Yes we have actually discussed getting another dog...would have to be a gsp though! It's much too soon yet and we feel we must get over the festive season and into the spring before deciding-perhaps not a puppy but as you say an older rescue dog! We love walking on our local Dartmoor but it's too heart-renching to go alone as yet. Thanks once again for your input. X

When our last dog died, we had a break of six months so we could do a few things that are less then dog friendly. We were going to have a year out, but as we drove back from the vets in deep silence, my husband suddenly said 'I can't leave it a year', so we had a six month break and had a month away in Canada as a treat before getting our latest dog. Decided to get a pup as this will probably be our last dog given our ages. It's been lovely to go on those old familiar walks again and watch the countryside change with the seasons. I had quite missed it, but it seemed so odd to go there and not have a dog with us.

I hope you find a lovely furry companion to spend your lives with.

Hi Jodi...your comments sound just like I'm thinking! Hope that makes sense! It's statisfying to hear that folks can move on! I've had grief in the past but can honestly say I've never felt as deeply as I do with Rio passing. I shall put my dog walking gear into storage and see what next year will bring! Thank you for putting my mind straight! X

Your more then welcome. I hope you will find your heart healing soon and start to look forward to a new dog, that planning really does help. It took me a month or two before I started looking at retriever puppies on Champdogs, then I moved on to YouTube to get my puppy fix. Wasn't long before I was sold. :-)

I am so sorry to read this saga.  Time will help, you will never forget her and you will probably still find yourself having teary moments years later but it does get better and yes, you can move on and find a new companion.

I lost three dogs over 12 months with the last going last September, it's never easy but your heart will heal and often, fate will intervene with a new soul to help you in that process.  The first of those three dogs was my soul mate, my 10yr old grumpy dobergirl Soli - she had a heart attack and was just gone in my arms in a second.  I was absolutely devastated but three months later, fate intervened and now I have Linc (I won't go into the whole story but there were too many coincidences for my getting him to just be luck).

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that you never know what will turn up and dogs have a way of turning up just when they are needed, and I firmly believe that the souls we have lost send us newbies to help us grieve.

Thank you Nikita. What a heart rending story. I like you have a strong belief in destiny. If Rio had anything to do with sending me a new furry friend I am sure she would ...She was such a sweetheart. x

So sorry to hear of your news. I went through a similar things with my 12 year old jennaline Gsp. We miss him lots. X

Thank you. X