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He is a boxer almost 10. We are bringing him to the vet this weekend.
He seems to sort of tilt his head and has trouble leaning down to grab something from the floor. He yelps sometime when trying to. Also sometimes yelps before we even pet him. When I go over to kiss him he seems a bit shake like it hurts him. He seems a bit lethargic also. No loss of appetite though.
Possibly arthritis?
Several of my dogs (dobermans) have had CVI -- cervical vertical instability -- also known as wobblers. It's not uncommon in Boxers. Google boxer wobblers syndrome.
My last older doberman had it and her symptoms were just like your dog's in the beginning. As the condition worsened over time, her symptoms got much worse. My vet gave me several painkillers and anti-inflammatories to give her and also gave me injections of a prednisone-and-painkiller combination to give her at home when the condition flared up.
Good luck. I hope it's just a sprained neck muscle or something temporary like that and not wobblers.
Edited to add that, if any vet suggests an myelogram to diagnose wobblers, please dont do it. One my my most beloved dogs had an myelogram and the experience was enough to throw him into seizures from which he never recovered. I will always regret having that myelogram done.
Had I know then what I know now, I'd have just treated the pain and not let him jump out of the car or do any activities that would stress his neck. That's how I treated my last dog and she was able to live comfortably for years with the condition.
I also notice he is laying down in strange places. On the floor behind a chair or table and he never does that. He will jump up on the couch or bed but then gets down and goes to those places when normally he would just stay on the bed or couch.
He is in pain - from what, we don't know. But that much seems pretty straightforward. Sleeping or lying down in different places in an attempt to avoid the pain.
You need to figure out what is causing the pain. It could be a bad ear infections, sinus infection, a rotten or abcessed tooth, a muscle sprain, or maybe those "wobblers" referred to by TFW46. It could even be a tick having latched on near the spine - which can cause strange pain and partial temporary paralysis.
If you can't tell what is causing the pain, the vet should be able to help.
Take him to the vet now. He's in pain. IMO no need to make him suffer until the weekend. The hiding is due to the pain as is the laying down in odd places.
Several of my dogs (dobermans) have had CVI -- cervical vertical instability -- also known as wobblers. It's not uncommon in Boxers. Google boxer wobblers syndrome.
My last older doberman had it and her symptoms were just like your dog's in the beginning. As the condition worsened over time, her symptoms got much worse. My vet gave me several painkillers and anti-inflammatories to give her and also gave me injections of a prednisone-and-painkiller combination to give her at home when the condition flared up.
Good luck. I hope it's just a sprained neck muscle or something temporary like that and not wobblers.
Edited to add that, if any vet suggests an myelogram to diagnose wobblers, please dont do it. One my my most beloved dogs had an myelogram and the experience was enough to throw him into seizures from which he never recovered. I will always regret having that myelogram done.
Had I know then what I know now, I'd have just treated the pain and not let him jump out of the car or do any activities that would stress his neck. That's how I treated my last dog and she was able to live comfortably for years with the condition.
Two of my Dobies have gone down from Wobblers as well. Really need an MRI to see the spine correctly. Had my done at Penn.
Two of my Dobies have gone down from Wobblers as well. Really need an MRI to see the spine correctly. Had my done at Penn.
Thanks for your post. I'm sorry about your dobes. I know that MRIs are currently the best imaging program for diagnosis, but I've been told that some places are still using terrible, horrible, not-so-good myelograms.
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