Hi, When I take our 6-year-old chocolate lab out for a walk, every now and then he will slow down and walk at a really slow pace. When he does this it can last for 5 minutes or so, and then he will be back to his normal walking pace. He's been doing this for a while now and his recent one looked quite bad. He slowed down for almost 10 minutes and anyone else would think he was 12-years-old with hip dysplasia or something. Has anyone else experienced this behaviour before? Should I be worried? Thanks!
Hi Mark My dog is now 9 3/4. She has had the same issue for a few years now. The first part of the walk she is fine and then getting towards the end I found her slowing down. She frequently stops and looks at me. Initially I couldn’t understand why she was behaving in such a random way. Now I have realised that it could be her hips as she has hip dysplasia. One way I help her is I have some treats in my pocket. I find these help her on her way. Naturally I still watch her weight. I try to do shorter walks nowadays and I find she does the same. Has your dog a history of hip issues? Good luck.
Hi Karen, thanks for your response. We've never had him checked out before for any issues with his hips or joints. We've got free vet video consultations via our insurance I'm going to get him booked on to that. Most of the time he's quite energetic and shows no signs of issues, but as soon as we're out walking, at some point during the walk he will slow down and walk like an old man. Only a month or so ago he did a 7-mile walk without any issues.
Hi, I would be taking my dog to the vet for xrays. My 7 yr old has just been diagnosed with arthritis in her right hip, but was limping on her fron left. Without xrays we would not have known where the problem was as she was compensating on the front leg.
