My senior dog suddenly can't stand. Is it her hips or something else?

Question

My dog is having trouble standing. She is old and has bad hips, but this is the first time she has been unable to stand. Pet's info: Dog | Hovawart | Female | spayed | 14 years and 2 months old | 80 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

Sorry to hear that Harmony is having some problems. While her hips may certainly be a contributing factor in her sudden inability to rise, there may be other issues at play here that caused such an acute change in condition. Particularly in older dogs that present as you've described, possible conditions that can result in this mostly include spinal conditions that affect the disks, or bony tumors that destroy bone / compress the spinal cord. On the other hand, it might just be advancing hip problems. Ultimately you aren't going to know without some diagnostics, primarily x-rays of the spine and hips. This would be where I would start if I were in your shoes. In fact, I was in almost the identical position with my own 14 year old Pittie. It ended up being a spinal tumor but one that was very treatable. This is where diagnostic testing becomes so important. Depending on the cause of the sudden lameness, the prognosis ranges from extremely poor to good with appropriate optimal treatment. In terms of how you should proceed in the immediate, sudden lameness should be dealt with as soon as possible. Spinal conditions, as they progress, become exceedingly more difficult to treat. Things can go from good to bad very quickly. Hope this all makes sense. Let me know if you need any more consultation regarding this issue and your future decisions.

My senior dog suddenly can't stand. Is it her hips or something else?

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