Why is my senior dog stiff, slipping on stairs, and avoiding pooping?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Plott | Female | spayed | 11 years and 7 months old | 180 lbs
My dog is suddenly slipping going up stairs. It's not just stiff back legs like with Lyme disease. Seems to be overall stiffness and she is refuses to go poop in her usual spot. She's ten years old and I'm having trouble finding a vet to take her to with good reviews in our area of Waterbury CT.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 7th, 2018
I’m very suspicious of an arthritis flare up of the back or another type of back injury (disk disease, FCE, other). I’d recommend taking her in to a vet as soon as possible for a good exam to determine if it is neurological or orthopedic and to get on some safe long-term pain medication. Best wishes to you and June Bug!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on March 18th, 2017
It sounds like he may have pain and discomfort,, either from arthritis ir spinal disks. A full physical exam is recommended and your vet can prescribe antiinflammatory medications and supportive treatment such as mobility diets depending on the underlying nature of the condition
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
about a week ago she stated dragging her back legs and wouldn't walk well now she is walking but UN steady now she is eating only wet food and shows no interest in water and i haven't seen her poop and her belly isn't getting fat when she eats like i
This presentation could commonly be caused either by a neurological damage of the nerves of the back legs (usually from spinal cord), caused by a stroke or a intervertebral disc extrusion/protrusion,or potentially by severe arthritis and osteo-arthrosis. A check up and appropriate medications (anti-inflammatories) would be ideal and essential to understand the underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my dog woke up this morning and all was normal she got off the bed and couldnt get back up had ok down the stairs but up she quit half way could not again the bed without help she went out normally pee and poop and ate ok other than weak legs she ap
As a 16 year old dog it is almost a given that Nokie has some serious arthritis and that while she probably has been having pain for a few years now but did not show it, the pain now is so bad that she is afraid to jump up on the bed or climb stairs. In severe arthritis cases like that the quality of life can be significantly improved by giving NSAIDs which take inflammation away and therefore pain. Make an appointment with your vet for an exam and a blood test to verify that her kidneys and liver are working properly and then your vet can prescribe NSAIDs or pain medicine for Nokie. At the same time the vet can rule out other causes of weakness.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My female Shiba Inu who is turning 11 in August has been mopey and sleeping under the bed for the last few days. She seems stiff and slow. Could this be arthritis? or possibly an emotional reaction to something? She is eating/drinking and pottying no
Poor Sugar! She could have arthritis, a problem with an inter-vertebral disc in her neck or back causing her some pain, an infection, etc. If she is reluctant to jump on things and/or go up steps then it is probably a disc problem and she is experiencing some discomfort. The best thing would be to have your vet take a look at her to determine the cause and treat, She may need an anti-inflammatory and pain medications to help. Hope she feels better soon!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is acting weird today. I'm not the one how is taking care of her but my parents do. So, my dog she usually takes her like 7 sec for her to get downstairs, but today her steps looked like were unsure or painful and I needed to make her to get d
Poor Luna! Because she is 8 or 9, my first thought is that she may be suffering from arthritis. That would cause her pain, and from your description, it sounds like she is painful. It could also be that she injured herself. Arthritis is common in older dogs. I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose if she is suffering from arthritis, and can give her some pain meds for it. Rimadyl (an NSAID) is a good drug to give to help with the symptoms of arthritis. I also recommend giving her glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate supplements. They provide the necessary nutrients for cartilage repair and function. Use of them helps relieve some of the symptoms of arthritis, and you can use it in conjunction with Rimadyl to help maximize relief from her symptoms. Give her vet a call today to make an appointment. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 12 year old dog has arthritis but I have noticed that for the last couple of months her back legs have become weak and a little unsteady and her back legs go out from underneath her a few times a day and she falls down. Is this arthritis related o
Poor Shep! It could be related to severe arthritis but a neurologic condition is also possible. Shep needs to see her veterinarian who can prescribe medications for arthritis that will increase her quality of life. The doctor can also determine if a neurologic component is present. Physical therapy can often help these pets maintain more balance and also maintain a higher quality of life as well. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi I have dog named Rose for the paday she has not been wanting to do that much and she is walking in a crouched position and has trouble getting up the steps to the porch.
It sounds like Rose is in pain, and I see she is a senior dog. It could be arthritis causing her pain, or she may have injured herself. I also see she isn't spayed, and a pyometra (an infection of the uterus) could cause these symptoms as well. I would take her into a vet immediately to get checked out. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 14 yr old collie has had two episodes of her legs splayed and stuck. I’ve lifted her back to her feet and she has carried on walking. She is correct weight. Any advice?
She could be suffering from a hip problem, i would recommend taking her to your vet to get her checked, possibly have an xray done, if she has a bad hips she needs pain killers/anti inflammatories at the very least .
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I'd love a 2nd opinion on my dog's symptoms, test results, and meds. She is 10-12yo (adopted), shipoo mix, has a history of ehrlichia, seizure like eps 1-2x a year (vet said it might be anxiety attacks), sometimes has coughs every few months. She res
Hello, sorry to hear about Maicah. It sounds like she may be dealing less likely with an infectious disease and more likely with an inflammatory disease. On her bloodwork her white blood cells, which are the first responders to an infection are in the normal range, hence why I would be less suspicious of something infectious. Her red blood cells are decreased, which could occur from a chronic inflammation, loss of red blood cells, and potentially destruction of red blood cells. On the other hand, if she has erlichia this could cause joint pain and anemia. However, you tend to see other changes in the bloodwork which are not shown in the pictures you posted. Doxycycline for 3 weeks should treat an erlichia that could be present. A snap test or a PCR for erlichia could confirm this diagnosis. The weakness in her hind end could be associated with a primary orthopedic disease or neurologic disease. Some neurologic diseases in poodles can arise from degenerative inflammatory diseases. A
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is having problems walking especially with her back legs along with diarrhea, any clue to what could be wrong?
Shasta is experiencing two very different issues that may not have anything to do with one another unfortunately. In terms of hind end lameness, the most common causes of this are traumatic injuries, inflammatory conditions (arthritis / tendinitis), infectious diseases, tick borne diseases, nutritional deficiencies, clotting disorders, and certain cancers. As for diarrhea, the common causes of this include dietary indiscretion, inflammatory conditions of the GI tract, pancreatitis, parasites, infectious diseases, immune-mediated conditions, and certain types of cancers. To address either of these issues if they have been occurring for a significant period of time, both blood work and imaging modalities would be needed. This doesn't sound like an emergency or anything, but if either of these problems has been persistent I would consider making an appointment to have Shasta seen sometime soon for a work-up. Hope this helps and that Shasta gets well soon!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is 16 years old and partially blind due to cataracts. Appetite and energy are normal. He has a new behavior - when he defecates, he keeps walking quickly backwards almost looking like he's in a panic. Feces seem normal. He's not on any medi
Hello, my name is Dr. Elizabeth and I certainly understand your concern. If the stool looks normal, than I suspect Opus may have some pain while defecating. This could be coming from the intestines BUT with his age, I'm also very suspicious he may have some arthritis in his back that is starting to both him. I recommend to make an appointment this week to have Opus examined by the veterinarian. It may be time to start some pain medication to keep him comfortable. While not as good as pain medication, starting a joint supplement like Cosequin or Dasuquin and a fatty acid like Welactin will be beneficial to the joints in general. I recommend to get Opus started on these as well. I hope this helps and that things get figured out quickly for Opus.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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