I hope its not the end

[88Nightmare]

For my oldest dog. He's not doing well today. Hopefully its just because of the extreme cold, but he's moving extremely slow. I've never seen him like this. He has a fair amount of tumors on his body, which never slowed him down before, so I don't know. In winter, if its really cold, it affects his paw pads a little bit causing him to have a limp, but now he is just moving like its slow motion, and I don't know why. He is still 110% interested in eating, as usual, which is always a good sign, and he still goes outside to do his business, its all just in slow motion. His walking, standing up, sitting down.... all slow. I gave him a childrens chewable aleve per vet orders for when he has pain, hopefully that helps, I just hope this isn't this guys final days. He is 13 and I've had him since I was a little kid, my first dog as a kid. :( He's a tough old top so I hope he pulls through this winter :crying

[GRAMPS SS]

hey i hope he pulls threw this.....

[88Nightmare]

I wish i could do somethin to ease his pain, everytime i tries to move around a lil i hear a little whine, but he lets me pet him where i imagine he would be having pain, and hes ok with that, so idk. no idea what is causing pain. hopefully it will pass, but thanks for the kind words. the thought of havin to put this old guy down is terrible, but if its in his best interest, then it will have to be done :(

[Prescott]

My brothers dog sounds just like your dog. Very sluggish and the colder the worse it gets. The vet said the same thing, baby aspirin. It's like night and day. He also has been given him some fish oil supplement from the pet store. His dog is about the same age as yours. The vet said its arthritis and just bad joints. The pills made all the difference in his dog and my bro.

[wikked]

shìt even I was moving in slow motion this morning, it was 3º out! :goof

sounds like joints/arthritis though, since the eating & pooping is normal, heh.

*e-scruffles his head*

[juicedimpss]

try giving him an ibuprophen

[88Nightmare]

oh yeah, dog eats as much as ever, just movin slow, yelps a lil if he moves the wrong way, stuff like that. I hope he is ok. He was fine for the longest time, all of a sudden this morning it was like someone flicked the switch on his pain to on. right now he is comfortably resting, maybe ill go run and get him some more baby aleve, I think he is running low. He sure does like to eat it though, I got him cherry flavor :D

[88Nightmare]

try giving him an ibuprophen

I dont wanna give him too much. I just gave him baby aleve not that long ago, so I will wait 4 hours and then administer something else, I don't wanna get my dog all drugged up, although maybe that will help him.... do vets prescribe medicinal marijuana for dogs with pain? :D

[juicedimpss]

or grab a vicoden from yoosof, lol

[88Nightmare]

lol, vicodin for a 40lb dog. talk about making him high like a motherfvcker.... jeez.

[Greg@GLD]

People that don't have or never had a dog have a hard time understanding just how much a part of a family a dog can become.

Hope everything works out Mike. If the dog is suffering, it can be hard to let go. I waited too long with our last dog before putting her down.

Good luck and here's hoping the old hound can recover.

[88Nightmare]

thanks greg. The pooch really his apart of this family in every aspect. He gets presents at christmas time, a nice hearty meal at thanksgiving with some gizzards and hard boiled eggs. The dog has been around since I was in grade school, it would be really sad to put him down, but if its for the best, then it must be done, don't want to make him suffer, it wouldn't be fair. :(

[Mssplayboybunie]

How old is your dog..and what breed? Im in a simialar situation had the dog as long as i could remember and he's only 9 but looking up his life expectanicy (sp) they only usually live till 10 im im expecting the worst if it does come down to it....either way its sad since you've had him forever i can relate...i noticed my dog doesnt do to well iin cold weather either just give it sometime though hopefully hell pull through :)

[hrsp]

thats the same way my alaskan malumute was...he would eat but had a very hard time moving and would yelp a bit if moved or touched wrong...we had to put him down....putting down a family dog is EXTREMLY hard...wish you the best.... also remember not to be selfish.. look at it like this are you keeping him around for your sake even if he's in a great deal of pain to keep yourself from feeling the pain of loosing ( basically) a family member?? thats what i had to do:( really hope all goes well foy ya

[RanJer]

damn Mike.. my golden retriever also did the same.. we had him for 13 years, from the time i was 4. He got the tumors, started walking slower, didnt want to to up or down stairs. did the whole pain killer thing and he was fine for about 6 months, then it got really bad so we did what was best for him. i still miss my pooch. hope everything goes well.

[Flight_740]

try giving him an ibuprophen


Do it, seriously. We got an extra 2 years out of my choclate lab with it. We also got Medicine for his aches form the Vet. You can get him on a perscription. I would recomend it.

[animal]

Yeah we do that too for our dog. He gets 1/2 a rimadyl every day, a whole one on "bad days". He's going on 14 and still a happy mental dog :)

[Flight_740]

Really, he is like an old man. When it gets cold out, everything tightens up. No matter if he is inside or not. Thats why people are on medication.

Now picture that old man having to go outside in 12 degree weather to take a dump. ( Ok, don't picture it:rolf )

Dogs are totally worth the money. Mine have always been like family.

[Yooformula]

hope the family friend feels better. another vote for the baby tklenol. my worse fear with my dog is how my kids will take it when she passes. they are too young for me to have to deal with death. they have known her their entire life gonna be a rough one. sucks when animals get old.

[animal]

sucks when animals get old.

Yeah, you guys are in for a REAL treat when I get old!

:devil

[Prince Valiant]

try giving him an ibuprophen
DON'T DO THIS!!!

Ibuprofen is different for dogs than it is humans...in dogs, it's far more likely to cause severe GI effects in dogs, including bleeding ulcerations which would likely result in death.

As in humans, not EVERY canine will suffer GI effects...but most will, unlike humans. Unwitting owners generally gave their dog ibprofen for ~ 1 month before serious complications resulted.

A good alternative is the very similar Carprofen (generic name), similar to ibuprofen, but with less side effects. Aspirin is also considered safe to try, but cases of severe GI side effects have been seen.

But as with humans, some medications will work more effectively for some individuals, and not others...so trial and error is warranted. Keep your vet appraised of the progress or lack-thereof, so that suggestions and alternatives can be sought.

good luck

[SouthSide1]

hope he feels better i have a dog to and i know what its like. i was always told to give ibeprofen to the to. there just like you and me got a head ache take some asprin got gut rot take pepto and so on

[88Nightmare]

The aleve seems to be working, we've used it during winters of previous years and we havent had any problems. Plus he loves the cherry flavor :D I went out for a little while, letting him rest, and I came home to find him ontop of the bed, which is a good 3ft jump at least, so he must be doing ok if he made it up there. He is also going up and down the basement steps too, and drinking water, so hopefully things will be ok. It would be a shame to put him down now, I'm sure once spring comes around he will be jogging around the block again like always, so I will wait things out for now. He doesn't seem to be suffering at the moment.

[Reverend Cooper]

hope you doggy is ok my brothers dog took tylenol and it worked well