Dragging a foot

[D'Elle]

As of yesterday, Jester has started dragging one of his hind feet. Not a whole lot, just the tips of the paw, rather than picking it up. Mostly it happens when he is trotting, only occasionally when he is walking.

 

for several months now he has frequently had an uneven gait, with both back and front paws sometimes crossing over each other. It looks as though he does it to maintain a rather unsteady balance. He maneuvers better sometimes at speed than when moving slowly; he sometimes stumbles moving around the house.

 

He still wants just as badly to chase the throw toy, and I throw for him every morning and sometimes in the evening if he doesn't seem to gimpy. He has so much heart, that dog.

 

What do you folks think: Should I be specifically worried about the dragging paw and take him to the vet, or just chalk it up to the fact that he is 15? He never seems to be in pain (unlike Kit, who has arthritis), but then again he is a very stoic dog and Kit is not.

I know that having neurological problems with hind legs is not uncommon in aging dogs; I also know that usually in those cases pain is not associated with it.

 

 

[LauraV]

That sounds like degenerative myelopathy. I could be wrong, but I would get it checked out.

[gcv-border]

I think you are right about aging and neurological issues (without pain), but I would still want to get the opinion of a vet - if only to get a baseline for future tracking.

[Love my BCs]

I've been dealing with the same issue with my 15 year old, although he does have arthritis as well. His vets didn't offer up much in the way of a fix so I ended up taking him to a chiropractor who did some light adjusting and used Infra Red pads on his hips. I was skeptical about the Infa Red part, but it worked in this case. My old man isn't scraping his rear legs as he walks. It took about 6 visits and I'll do the same if the issue comes back.

Laura

[D'Elle]

I am going to have him checked out by my vet.

But I have looked some things up on the web, and asked my doggish friends, and it sounds as though probably there won't be much that I can actually do for him; it won't be curable.

 

I would like to take him to a chiropractor/accupuncturist. I took Kit one time and it really helped her greatly. But I simply could not afford to keep taking her in every week at $75 a visit. Same would be true now.

 

Jester is a happy dog and far more active than many dogs I have known who are or were younger than he is. As long as he stays happy and wants to eat and play and is not in pain (or not very much, anyway), I am not going to make heroic efforts in treatments that may not change things much.

Mostly I am just watching him for signs of pain or unhappiness and so far I don't see any of that.

But I will do what my vet recommends, in any case. I can trust her.

[Sue R]

Would cold laser be a financially-doable option for you? That might be helpful in terms of reducing any inflammation. I know that when my two older dogs (both 13 1/2 now) get a lasering, they act like youngsters afterwards.

 

Very best wishes!

[juliepoudrier]

If it's dragging severely enough, Jester could damage (e.g., develop sores) on the part of his foot that he's dragging. I had to put a boot on Kat to prevent damage to the top of her foot; the speed at which she wore through the canvas/leather was rather astounding. So keep an eye on his foot/toes to make sure he's not getting raw places.

 

J.

[D'Elle]

Thanks, all.

Sue R, I have not heard of cold laser.

 

You are right, Julie, and I am keeping an eye on the foot. So far, no damage seems to be happening to it. but I now notice that he is sometimes dragging the other back foot as well. both of them, just the tips of the toes and lightly. But I suppose it will only get worse, and I feel sad about this, to say the least.

 

I know that it is inevitable I will lose Jester, but I have a hard time wrapping my mind around it because he is so vital and lively and just alive, and seemingly unaware of the fact that he is an elder now. Despite being most likely more than 50% blind and pretty deaf, he looks good, has a good coat and a great appetite, and in most ways is doing very well.

 

I have to be very careful now where I stand to throw the toy for him because he simply whirls around at great speed and starts running, heedless of water catchment basins, cacti, rock berms, piles of brush, and other things, which he simply runs into, sometimes bringing himself down in the process. For some time now I have had to make sure I am standing in as clear an area as possible to throw for him, with nothing on which he can hurt himself.

He's still such a maniac.

[jvw]

How has his mouth recovered?

[D'Elle]

I did do the test of putting one, and then the other, of his hind feet upside down while he was standing up.

He instantly righted it, time and again.

So, this is a good sign, yes?

 

 

jvw....not sure what you refer to. He did have a bad sore in his mouth a few months ago and it is healed. I think it was an injury from one of the times he whirled around and hit his head on something behind him, before I started making sure that I only throw for him in wide open areas.

 

He also had an abscess under his chin. the vet drained it and he was on antibiotics for a month but it kept coming back. I would drain it every day, but it never got better. Then a neighbor gave me some medicinal clay and I made a paste of it and water and put it right on the opening to the abscess area. Within 2 days the abscess had dried up and started to heal, and now the fur is all grown back and all is well.

[CSW]

Yes the hind foot test was what my vet did and Choco had DM. He did not right the foot.

[CSW]

Did you take him to the vet?