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I've got a mini American Eskimo dog named Misty that's in her golden years. I'm not sure of her exact age because I don't know how old she was when I found her (she was a stray I took home), but I've had her for 14 years, so I'd say she's at least 15 or 16.
She's having some health issues these last few months and I'm not sure if they're just due to her age or possible underlying health problems. I haven't been able to find much of anything looking for answers on my own.
Issue 1: Walking difficulties
She's been walking pretty delicately the last few months, and her feet constantly slide out from under her when she's walking around on linoleum. She's been walking on that same floor for years and never had any problems with it. She also has a heck of a time getting herself back up on her feet. Besides this, she sits kind of funny too, almost like a frog. She used to hop up on the couch to sleep, but she can't anymore. I've been giving her Glycoflex III biscuits for the last few months, but I haven't noticed a difference in her mobility.
Issue 2: Odd behavior when touched
I don't know why, but whenever I go to pet her, she has a fit and starts flailing like crazy. If I pet her head, she leans heavily into my hand and usually falls over. She can still see (she can follow my hand back and forth just fine). It's not like she doesn't know me, so I don't know why she throws a fit when anyone pets her now.
Issue 3: General odd behavior
I think Misty's body and mind are working on different wavelengths. For example, she'll walk into a wall and then start whimpering an hour later because she doesn't seem to have the sense to walk backwards or turn around. She's gotten stuck behind the couch, in the bathroom, and many other places because she can't seem to figure out how to move in any direction but forward.
Issue 4: Potty problems
Misty has always been good about pottying outside, but around when the other problems mentioned started, she began pooping in the house a lot more. She usually does it in the kitchen, but sometimes she does it on the carpet. She also seems to lose control of her back legs when she goes, resulting in her sitting, stepping or laying in the poop, which makes for a huge mess, especially with her white fur. She also will just fall asleep wherever; I often find her on the kitchen floor, which I can't imagine is comfortable, but she's always snoozing.
Issue 4.2: Peeing troubles
Misty can go anywhere from 6 to 24+ hours without peeing. Mind you, she does eat and drink normally. It's just odd because usually dogs her age are incontinent, but she has some kind of mutant super-continence. She was tested for a UTI and given antibiotics, but still no change.
Misty has been to the vet a few times for all these things and the vets who have examined her don't seem to think any of this behavior is out of the ordinary. Are all these things just Misty's age catching up with her, or could it be some kind of health problem? Has anyone here ever experienced these things with their dogs? It's just odd because I didn't see a gradual decline; she went from normal to this within the span of maybe a month, and while she hasn't gotten worse since these symptoms started, she also hasn't gotten better.
(As far as Misty's health history, she had Lyme disease about two years ago and she had surgery about a year ago to remove a mass of plastic from her stomach because she decided that grocery bags were a snack.)
She's having some health issues these last few months and I'm not sure if they're just due to her age or possible underlying health problems. I haven't been able to find much of anything looking for answers on my own.
Issue 1: Walking difficulties
She's been walking pretty delicately the last few months, and her feet constantly slide out from under her when she's walking around on linoleum. She's been walking on that same floor for years and never had any problems with it. She also has a heck of a time getting herself back up on her feet. Besides this, she sits kind of funny too, almost like a frog. She used to hop up on the couch to sleep, but she can't anymore. I've been giving her Glycoflex III biscuits for the last few months, but I haven't noticed a difference in her mobility.
Issue 2: Odd behavior when touched
I don't know why, but whenever I go to pet her, she has a fit and starts flailing like crazy. If I pet her head, she leans heavily into my hand and usually falls over. She can still see (she can follow my hand back and forth just fine). It's not like she doesn't know me, so I don't know why she throws a fit when anyone pets her now.
Issue 3: General odd behavior
I think Misty's body and mind are working on different wavelengths. For example, she'll walk into a wall and then start whimpering an hour later because she doesn't seem to have the sense to walk backwards or turn around. She's gotten stuck behind the couch, in the bathroom, and many other places because she can't seem to figure out how to move in any direction but forward.
Issue 4: Potty problems
Misty has always been good about pottying outside, but around when the other problems mentioned started, she began pooping in the house a lot more. She usually does it in the kitchen, but sometimes she does it on the carpet. She also seems to lose control of her back legs when she goes, resulting in her sitting, stepping or laying in the poop, which makes for a huge mess, especially with her white fur. She also will just fall asleep wherever; I often find her on the kitchen floor, which I can't imagine is comfortable, but she's always snoozing.
Issue 4.2: Peeing troubles
Misty can go anywhere from 6 to 24+ hours without peeing. Mind you, she does eat and drink normally. It's just odd because usually dogs her age are incontinent, but she has some kind of mutant super-continence. She was tested for a UTI and given antibiotics, but still no change.
Misty has been to the vet a few times for all these things and the vets who have examined her don't seem to think any of this behavior is out of the ordinary. Are all these things just Misty's age catching up with her, or could it be some kind of health problem? Has anyone here ever experienced these things with their dogs? It's just odd because I didn't see a gradual decline; she went from normal to this within the span of maybe a month, and while she hasn't gotten worse since these symptoms started, she also hasn't gotten better.
(As far as Misty's health history, she had Lyme disease about two years ago and she had surgery about a year ago to remove a mass of plastic from her stomach because she decided that grocery bags were a snack.)