# Advice needed for 9-year old Golden, thank you.



## otomops (May 13, 2020)

We have a small 9-year old (next month) who has gone from very active to quite sedentary in a short-space of time (last few months). Stiff-jointed, doesn't want to slow jog with me anymore, reluctant to go up and downstairs even. She is on Previcox & Movoflex for a year, though vet does not think it's arthritis.

She has always jogged with me and my wife thinks I possibly ran her too early. If this is normal for pure breed (and was the smallest of the puppies) then fine, we just want to know as she is our first Golden.

With thanks


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Something medically may be going on as there is no reason for a nine year old to suddenly lose mobility and vitality. I am curious as to why the vet prescribed a medication for arthritis if he/she does not think that’s the issue. What does he/she think it is then? The joint supplements make sense as would something to support ligament strength. But really it would seem to me that more diagnostics are warranted. 

How is her weight? Have you considered Lyme disease? Has thyroid function been tested? I would revisit all of this with your vet soon.


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## otomops (May 13, 2020)

Thank you for your helpful reply. Her weight is good, though I am concerned that we may not have been using the best food for her, so any recommendation would be gratefully received. She has had no thryroid test but is Lyme free (I will order tests for both though). She certainly still gets lots of exercise (3 different woods walkers throughout the day) so I'm wondering if we should just ease up. Thank you again.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

If she is dragging on the walks then ease up. Perhaps the tests will be helpful in revealing an issue. This is what we feed Oscar. 16 ounces of raw ground up chicken backs with an occasional serving of same, with heart meats added. Raw vegetables (carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers), all finely chopped before PM meal. 1/2 a hard boiled egg with PM meal. His chicken/heart meat is split into an AM and PM feeding. He also gets glucosamine with AM meal, Ligaplex with the AM and PM feedings, and Schrooms also with the AM and PM feedings. Kelp is added for PM meal. only. We had this diet approved by our vet and Oskie seems to thrive on it. Weight and a pokey metabolism is an issue for Oskie, hence the small overall quantities which you could certainly adjust. I would check all of this with your vet, as well.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

How much a dog slows down as she ages can vary. My first dog was arthritic at 6 (we played a LOT of fetch with her), my last two were still doing agility with only the most mild indications of slowing down at 11. If your vet doesn't think it's arthritis, then I'd want an opinion on what he DOES think it is...

It may be tough to do during the pandemic, but if it were my dog I'd be looking for a second opinion from a holistic vet. Or at the least, from a vet that does chiropractic and acupuncture. I have a 9 year old too... usually very active, but she's been pokey lately too (I think she's mostly bored... but probably a bit sore too). Because of the pandemic, she's way overdue for an adjustment (she was a competition agility dog until very recently, so I used to get her an adjustment every few months, just to make sure she was staying in alignment). Usually trained chiro vets have very sensitive hands and can identify ortho issues before you ever see the physical manifestations. You can use this site to find a holistic vet near you: VetFinder – Find a Holistic Veterinarian – American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association

If you are not already giving her joint supplements, you may want to start. Certainly I'd be giving Omega 3s (most people use fish oil; I prefer phytoplankton). I also give my girl a product called Longevity (from Springtime, Inc.), and recently started her on Cosequin. The DogAware site has a lot of other suggestions for dealing with arthritis, assuming that's what she has.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

pawsnpaca said:


> How much a dog slows down as she ages can very. My first dog was arthritic at 6 (we played a LOT of fetch with her), my last two were still doing agility with only the most mild indications of slowing down at 11. If your vet doesn't think it's arthritis, then I'd want an opinion on what he DOES think it is...
> 
> It may be tough to do during the pandemic, but if it were my dog I'd be looking for a second opinion from a holistic vet. Or at the least, from a vet that does chiropractic and acupuncture. I have a 9 year old too... usually very active, but she's been pokey lately too (I think she's mostly bored... but probably a bit sore too). Because of the pandemic, she's way overdue for an adjustment (she was a competition agility dog until very recently, so I used to get her an adjustment every few months, just to make sure she was staying in alignment). Usually trained chiro vets have very sensitive hands and can identify ortho issues before you ever see the physical manifestations. You can use this site to find a holistic vet near you: VetFinder – Find a Holistic Veterinarian – American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association
> 
> If you are not already giving her joint supplements, you may want to start. Certainly I'd be giving Omega 3s (most people use fish oil; I prefer phytoplankton). I also give my girl a product called Longevity (from Springtime, Inc.), and recently started her on Cosequin. The DogAware site has a lot of other suggestions for dealing with arthritis, assuming that's what she has.


Excellent recommendation for chiropractic. That has been really helpful for Oskie who has a disk issue.


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## otomops (May 13, 2020)

This is a huge help. Thank you both!


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

otomops said:


> Thank you for your helpful reply. Her weight is good, though I am concerned that we may not have been using the best food for her, so any recommendation would be gratefully received. She has had no thryroid test but is Lyme free (I will order tests for both though). She certainly still gets lots of exercise (3 different woods walkers throughout the day) so I'm wondering if we should just ease up. Thank you again.


What makes you concerned you weren't feeding a quality food? If you were feeding a grain free or even a regular food with a good about of legumes, you should consider DCM as well. The sudden sedentary activeness is what's concerning.


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