A little worried..

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been around much, life has been getting kind of stressful and I've been pretty busy with school.

Tonight Daisy and I had agility class. She's been doing pretty well up until today, and after tonight, I'm a little worried. She looked completely miserable throughout the entire class and wouldn't do very many of the obstacles. I rarely ever see this side of her unless something is wrong. She's never really liked going over the jumps, but this is the first time that she's refused to do any of them. Food wouldn't even work! I thought that she may just be having an off day, until the trainers mentioned her having elbow/hip dysplasia. She will be four years old in a few months, and I've always known that Goldens were prone to hip/elbow dysplasia, but it has never occured to me to get her checked out because I've never noticed her having any problems up until tonight. She is still able to jump in and out of the car, jump onto the furniture, bed, play with Molly, etc. One of the trainers kept going on and on about all of the "horrors" she's seen with dogs having hip dysplasia and participating in agility, and it really made me feel horrible and extremly worried.

I would like to get her checked out just to be on the safe side and for her health and safety, but my mom doesn't think it is necessary yet and also thinks that she was just having an off day.

Does anyone have any advice, reassurance, or something else that may explain any of this? A good portion of me feels that this probably was just not her day, and although I love doing agility with her, the well-being of my dog comes first, above all else..

Thanks.

Julie

[lv4dogs]

Poor Daisy.
I could be elbow/hip dysplasia or she may just be having an off day, it happens to the best of us. Maybe she felt a little sick or sad for some reason. Maybe she had a bad experience with something that relates to agility or someone that was there? It could be just about anything.

But it is strongly reccomended before you start agility (or any other vigorous sport) to have your dog x-rayed & a full exam, to check for elbow/hip dysplasia or any other problems that may affect the dogs mobility. As well as a full blood panel to rule out any other medical problems.

Is this the first time she's acted like that?
If so I'd bring her to one more class, if she's still acting the same I'd get her to the vet for a check up.
Does she have any symptoms? If so I'd bring her to the vet before you go to another class.

[Logan]

Julie, if she's acting normal, otherwise, I wouldn't worry. Has she limped at all? I have to tell you that I tried taking Honey, my Mexican Jumping Bean, through agility and she just hated it. She refused most obstacles, and she wasn't happy. I wanted it to be a confidence builder for her, but it was definitely not! Maybe it just isn't Daisy's thing, either.

Try not to worry too much. Give her love and hugs from us, please.

Logan, Honey, Lilly, Zipper and Murphy

[Dixieland Dancer]

If you are worried she may have hip or elbow dysplasia, then I strongly suggest you have her checked. If you think it's more of a down day sort of thing then wait until her next appointment to talk to the vet.

Like Logan's Honey, my Dixie hated agility. She acted like the most depressed thing on earth. It ended up not being any fun for either of us. I searched for something she would love and it ended up being hunting. I introduced her to duck and pheasant retrieving and she just lit up! I started taking her to field training days with our local Golden club and she loved it so much I started competing with her in hunt tests. She is working on her Senior Hunter now.

Dusty on the other hand hates hunting but loves agility. They each have a distinct personality and you need to find out what it is that turns them on. If she doesn't like agility, I wouldn't force it on her. They are with us for such a short period of time, I wouldn't force her to do anything she doesn't like.

Hope Daisy is back to her cheerful self soon!

[GoldenRetrLuver]

My mother called the head agility trainer today while I was at school, and she said that she would like to take a look at her (she wasn't there last night) and she does not want us to drop the class based on this, yet. We are going to go to next week's session and if she still acts the same as she did last night, we are going to take her in to be checked and we'll go from there.

I do think that she likes doing agility. If I didn't think she did, I would've dropped the class a long time ago. If that does change and I find that she doesn't seem to be enjoying it anymore, we will try to find something else to try out. Like I said, she has never acted so lethargic and depressed in class like she did last night. She did do *some* of the obstacles, like the tunnel and tire. The jumps have never really been her favorite 'thing' to do. She'll do them because she's eager to please (and wants the treat, of course), and last night was the first time when she really refused to do just about any of them, which is why I think something must have been bothering her. It was pretty dark out last night and one of her best buddies, Stanley, a Greyhound, wasn't in class.. maybe this could've made her feel a little insecure? She's been acting completely normal otherwise. She's eating and drinking fine, playing with Molly, jumping on the furniture, going after the tennis ball, etc.

Thanks for all of your input, I appreciate it. I'll keep you updated.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Oh, Julie, pleeease don't worry! I'm sure it's nothing serious. I will keep your sweet Daisy in my prayers. Please don't worry, Julie, I'm sure everything will be just fine!


Love, sarah & sadie

[RobiLee]

I hope every thing is ok and that it was just a down day for your girl. Please give her a hug from me.

[LuvGold00]

Hopefully it was just an off day, my girl Emmie hated agility, but my boy Nova LOVES it, and even though he loves every bit of it, he's had a few off days where he wouldn't do anything.

But, I'd say if you are worried, I would have her hips & elbows x-rayed so even if that's not it, you won't have to worry anymore. They really should have that done before they do any jumping anyway, my training facility requires hip xrays and a note from the vet before they can join agility.

Feel better soon Dasiy!

[Giselle]

I agree. I'd have her hips and elbows checked to be better safe than sorry. With an increasingly aging dog, however, I know there are gradual symptoms to dip dysplasia/arthritis.

How do you usually exercise Daisy and for how long? If you've noticed her slowing down or sitting more often of her usual walks, she could be having some hip/elbow problems. Arthritic/dysplastic dogs also display a noticeable decrease in jumping onto familiar objects like the furniture and car. They will also try to avoid stairs or go on them either more slowly or timidly. You'll see that many arthritic dogs go on the stairs with two feet on each step before proceeding to the next level. They can also show discomfort by preferring to lie down or sit down on their "thighs" rather than a pretty, tight sit. You'll especially notice this when you command a Sit and Daisy hesitates or sits on her thighs. If Daisy shows any of these symptoms, I'd call the vet to have her hips and elbows checked out. So sorry to hear about Daisy's bad day, and I hope that that's all it is!

[K9soul]

Hi Julie, I can't really add anything to the good advice you've already gotten, but I wanted you to know I'm thinking of you and Daisy and praying it was just an off day. I know you really enjoy doing agility with her and that it would break your heart for anything to be wrong with her, but hopefully there was some other reason for her behavior that night and the next time she'll be back to normal. Give her hugs and kisses from me ok?

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Hi guys!

We had class again tonight, and Daisy did SO much better! She was my little happy girl again. It was such a huge improvement from last week. Cara (the lead trainer) does not think she has hip dysplasia, and doesn't think it would be necessary to get her elbows/hips checked. However, she does think that Daisy is a little bit on the pudgy side and thinks she could stand to lose about five pounds. I was SO surprised, because she's never seemed overweight to me or our vet, but then again, they do like to keep them slim and trim for agility. So, she'll be going on a 'diet'. We are going to try to take her to the vet tomorrow to see exactly how much she does weigh.

It's totally my fault, I haven't been able to walk her as much because I've been super busy with school. But, I'm going to have to make time to walk her at least a couple of times a week now.

Anyway, it was a big relief off of my shoulders tonight. Thank you all so much for the get well thoughts and prayers, I really appreciate it.

[LuvGold00]

Glad she's feeling better!

[K9soul]

What a relief Julie!! I'm so happy to see this update, I can't even tell you how much. I've been so worried about Daisy and of course you too. Well I think you are right, by "normal dog" standards she's probably just fine, but an athlete needs to be a bit trimmer and more conditioned I'd suppose. So probably if you do the diet and get out for more walks she'll improve too. I've lately been walking the pups after dark for about 15 minutes every day. I'm sure that may change and I also may lose resolve by the time it gets cold out, but I feel it's good for all of us. Sometimes it's hard to get myself up and going but once I'm out there I'm always glad I did!

Keep us updated

[shais_mom]

Sorry I missed this Jules. I am glad she's feeling better.
On a side note. While I never thought Keegan was overweight - my vet did they just didn't say anything until her annual checkup and when I brought it up. She has now lost 15 pounds!
You would know if she is uncomfortable, Keegan when she started showing signs of dysplasia she was slow to get up in the back end. If she wants pets from and people are close enough to do this or to just watch people she spins on her butt. My vet had never seen a dog do that before until our last visit. But I am so used to her doing it I didn't think anything about it. It is just a way she has compensated herself.
Good luck to sweet Daisy.

[lv4dogs]

Glad to hear that it's nothing major & she's back to loving agility!