Gets Up Off Pillow Slowly And Sometime Falls Down While Walking Outsid

[Guest supermanny]

Just added an ex-racer (not very good, but was why I had to have her) to our family. I have always raised all my pets from puppies, so this is my first time handling the challenges of 3yrs of past experiences affecting what I know/don't know.

 

To get to the point; She is amazing, she is gentle, so well behaved, and has 0 seperation anxiety! Whoo Hoo!!!!

 

But when she gets up off her pillow she gets up very slow and is a bit rocky and moves with extream caution. The back legs woble a bit (I can tell only because I touch them to see if they are shakey. For only 3yrs old that seems odd that she could be having back end issues. This morning I was letting her out and after about 5 min. she just ploped over and stayed down till I ran towards her, she looked so embarsed and hopped up and headded towards me before I reached her.

 

Any insight?

 

Good Data:

* This is only her 2nd morning with us

* She reached the shelter Tuesday of last week

* She was spayed on Thursday of last week

* Her Stiched come out in 8 days

She was adopted by us on Saturday (2 days after surgery and 4 days after her arrival)

 

Thoughts?

[Charlies_Dad]

A vet visit IMHO is in order. This just does not sound right for a 3yr old girl. Could be neurological, could be something else. What colour are her gums?

[TINMANPDX]

She just had her spay surgery a few days ago - she may just be a little sore from it still. Is she having labored breathing, a fever - eating ok?

[greyhead]

Agree with Charlie's Dad. Also, what was her racing name? If she's listed on www.greyhound-data.com, we could look up her races and see if she had any hard knocks that might have led to nerve or disk problems. The good news is that those are treatable.

[Guest supermanny]

Her gums look pinkish but I will check in a bit to be more difinitive.

She is eating very well but is a bit underweight.

She did have fleas that we noticed once we stared to comb her. (lots of flea dirt)

She seems like her breathing is good, but does pant a lot even in a house where the heat is not set exceptionally hot.

 

I will look her up now on greyhound-data.com

 

Thanks, I really appreciate this!

[JAJ2010]

Could she possibly still be a bit woozy from the surgery? How long does it take for all the drugs to leave their system? Is she on any pain meds?

[silverfish]

It's difficult to tell without seeing her, but if you are very unused to greyhounds, some of what you're seeing could possibly be normal. I would certainly take her to see a vet though, to get her checked out and get a 'baseline' for her health if nothing else, because her history is unknown.

 

If she truly is unsteady when getting up, and falls for no reason, then Charlie's Dad is absolutely right and she needs to see a vet, and soon.

 

However .. I'm just getting a picture of an anxious and uncertain dog. Certainly the panting is very common in a newly adopted greyhound and is usually down to the stress of the lifestyle change, and she will be feeling sore from her spay surgery, for sure.

 

I'm just wondering if you're used to seeing greyhounds get up after a rest? Often they'll be very slow, and really stretch out, stiffening their hind legs and making them shake. Then they should walk off normally. Likewise, her flopping over on to her side and staying there after being out in the yeard for five minutes. What exactly happened? Did she appear to stagger, and collapse without warning, or did she run around a lot, slow down, and then sink to the ground and stretch out flat? Because - again assuming you know nothing about retired racers - it is absolutely normal for an unfit or sore dog to go mad for five minutes and then be exhausted, and it's quite normal for a greyhound to lie flat out on their side to rest. It sounds wrong that a three-year old should be so easily tired, but actually, it can be quite normal for a greyhound of any age to run for five minutes and then need to rest, because these dogs are sprinters. They're bred to run very very fast, but only for a very short time.

 

Personally, I would not let a recently spayed greyhound run, at least until the stitches come out.

[tbhounds]

A vet visit IMHO is in order. This just does not sound right for a 3yr old girl. Could be neurological, could be something else. What colour are her gums?

Yup vet visit needed. There are way too many factors here ---surgical complications, anemia (from the fleas), neurological.....

Congrats on your new edition--hope your girl will be ok--please, update after your vet visit.

[Sambuca]

I agree with a vet visit. Where do you live and where did the pup come from? If the pup came up on a hauler, that could be part of the problem. I've noticed that fosters that have just spent 24+ hours on a hauler can be sore and shaky for a couple days, especially if you add her spay onto that.

[GeorgeofNE]

Take her to the vet.

 

That is NOT normal for a 3 year old.

[KF_in_Georgia]

When she gets off her pillow, is she stepping onto carpet? Or onto hardwood or tile or something else that's slick? If she's just out of racing, slick floors will bother her for a while. You can put a rubber-backed bathmat around the edges of her pillow to give her better traction. (And make sure her nails aren't too long.)

 

The flopping over in the yard after playing isn't too alarming: greyhounds seem to have instant-on/instant-off modes, and flopping on the ground is usually an announcment of, "Okay. I'm done now." And the panting--perhaps partly from being out of shape and partly (largely) from being in a new place.

 

That said--I'd be hauling her off to my vet right away. I'd be calling it a "well-dog/new-dog visit," but I'd have a list of questions for him about what's normal and what isn't, and why is she doing this. I just wanted to note that there are legit and not-alarming reasons for much of her behavior, so if your vet doesn't find anything wrong, she really might just be a normal greyhound.

[carronstar]

I would be taking her to the vet. She will need a wellnes, first visit in any case. There have definitely been times that my vet has known that the visit was for my peace of mind as much as it was for the regular check up.

[TheFullHouse]

My thoughts are she's probably sore. What kind of floors do you have? If they are wood or tile she may be afraid of the floor. If this is only her second morning in your home she's still very stressed which could account for the panting.

Edited December 4, 2012 by JillysFullHouse

[Hubcitypam]

My thoughts are she's probably sore. What kind of floors do you have? If they are wood or tile she may be afraid of the floor. If this is only her second morning in your home she's still very stressed which could account for the panting.

Agree. However My Harley had trouble getting up and was creaky and wobbly shortly after he came to me at 5. It turned out he had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Rex had Lumbarscral Stenosis and had back end problems when he came to me at 4, but LS is more common in the bigger boys.

 

A vet visit is certainly in order. Keep us posted on your girl.

[scullysmum]

I agree with other post....could be something quite innocent....but a vet check would not go amiss. What you describe sounds just like my girl Sadi, but she is nearly 14 and has spinal arthiritis.

[greyhoundlov]

Any pupdates?

[Guest OurLacyandJax]

Hope your sweet girl is doing well this morning. Please update when you can.