Dog Stumbling And Falling

[Chipchopper]

I've noticed my dog, whose getting on a bit now, being a bit stiff in the limbs especially first thing in the morning or after he's been sleeping or resting.

After his morning walk, he seems to be a bit more supple and steadier on his feet.
He was particularly unsteady tonight and is off his food and drink too, which is unusual for him.

I felt his back legs, which felt hard and knobbly under the skin.

Any ideas, what the problem could be please ?

[tonyav]

Maybe arthritis, Chipchopper.

[Hopkirk]

Probably not relevant, as this is an observation about a cat.

Our elderly cat was noticed to have unsteady rear legs, and began to wobble or stagger from side to side.

It turned out to be a symptom of failing kidneys.

[boxtops]

I'd say arthritis too, but I too can only speak for cats. Our No. 1 Son started to get very stiff, particularly first thing, and limped going down stairs. Suitable injections and pain control liquid has soon sorted him out. See your vet, they do a couple of tests, then you can hopefully get treatment for him.

[woofgang]

please take your dog to the vet for a proper examination and treatment.

[Chipchopper]

Methyl, I think he's about 14 and is gsd+. I will be taking him to the vets.
Thank you all.

[Graham-W]

GSDs are well known for dodgy hips. It's a result of breeding to "Show Standard". As others have said, probably arthritis.

[naomi24]

One of my elderly dogs seemed to be suffering from very stiff joints and kept falling over. The vet has put him on Metacam - one chewable tablet a day - and he's much better now.

[Sqad]

I am with the "arthritis " camp.

[Sqad]

naomi///that is a NSAID for dogs...........the dog version of Ibuprofen......;-)

[lankeela]

Graham-W what a load of rubbish! The vast majority of GSDs bred for showing do not have 'dodgy' hips! It is the pet bred ones where the breeders don't bother hip score or take notice of poor results that produce dogs with dodgy hips! It was the showing fraternity that developed the hip scoring system which was then taken up by other breeds. In most cases GSDs with dodgy hips would not make old bones anyway, what they do suffer from is CDRM which is a degenerative condition of the rear end, and tests are now available to ascertain if a dog is at risk of this and so it can be avoided in carefully bred dogs. As for the OP, I suspect it is just old age as 14 is a very good age for a GSD. Your vet will be able to prescribe something like Metacam which will ease the poor old boy's joints, and you can get Yumove or anything containing Glucosamin & Chondroitin supplements. You could also get a Bioflow collar which works on magnetic impulses and helps the blood flow. All of these will help him but at his age you have to expect some stiffness.

[Chipchopper]

I have taken him to the vet and the suspect that it could be Vestibular syndrome or middle ear infection.
he has been treated for both and, since is showing a little improvement.

The lumps n' bumps in his hind legs is consistent with his old age.

[seekeerz]

Very glad to hear that he is improving, Chip....they can be a real worry.

[naomi24]

sqad, I know it's a painkiller. He's a big old boy and clearly he was falling over because his joints were so painful - and he struggled to get back on his feet again. Half the time he'd just lie there looking at me waiting for me to help him get up again. It's really helped him, so I thought it might be useful for others to know.

[harrylggy]

May be your dog gets pain in his legs, so you can go to doctor for the proper treatment of your dogs so that he can recover soon.