Dog has difficulty getting up and is stiff!

[frugal-one]

Wondering if our dog had arthritis so decided to read about it. He is only 6. He has little appetite (TOTALLY UNLIKE HIM), been sleeping more, and generally not his normal self, as well as, having difficulty getting up from a prone position. Surprisingly, this turns out to be the symptoms for Lyme's disease. So I called the vet and took him in today. Sure enough, he has Lyme's. They tested his blood for this and a few other possible tick infections. He started on antibiotics today. Supposedly, he should be better in about 3 days and should be retested in 10 days. The vet said he thought this was caught early and he should be ok. Sure hope so!!! Just wanted to let you know some of the symptoms so you don't do what I did.... think it was arthritis.

[Tussiemussies]

So sorry to hear what you went through with your dog. So glad it isn't arthritis and is a short-term recovery. Good thing you were smart to bring him into the vet right away! Chris

[CathyA]

So sorry frugal-one! I was actually going to question him having lyme, before I read further that he does, indeed, have Lyme. The thing with Lyme in humans, is that unless you take the antibiotic immediately, it doesn't help. I hope your doggie will be okay.

I'm wondering..........when our dog was still alive (about 20 years ago), he had arthritis. (We didn't know to test for Lyme back then). We took him to a specialist and he gave us a shot to give to our dog about once a month. It worked great on the joints. I'm sorry I forget the name of it. But.........if your dog's arthritis doesn't improve with the antibiotics, you might look into this shot. Maybe it was something like glucosamine/chondroitin? I can't remember. But it made a definite difference. The local vet didn't know anything about it.
Good luck with your doggie!

[puglogic]

Thanks so much for sharing that, frugal-one. I sometimes totally forget about Lyme's.

[Tussiemussies]

We give our dog glucosamine and chondritin every day with vitamin c. She won't take the tablets so I crush them up a and mix them in with a jar of baby food. We started this when she was a pup. She does have some arthritis now but it doesn't greatly keep her from doing all that she has done, it might take a few tries. It might be good to get your dog on this now as preventative care...just a suggestion. Chris