Our dane Shylah is 2.5 years old and 130 lbs. She seems to be in perfect health, and two recent vet visits came back with a clean bill of health.
Yet, she is experiencing a problem for the second time and I am confused over the problem.
First instance was about 4 months ago. She was playing with my wife who tossed her toy across the room. Shylah jumped forward and pounced on the toy (as she had done hundreds of times. However, this time she let out a yelp and quickly came and sat down next to my wife. She took her weight off her front right leg / paw. She seemed a bit freaked out. Within 5 minutes or so she was putting full wieght on the leg again, but still seemed freaked out.
She spent the next 48 hours standing and pacing. She would not lay down. She would just pace and stand in odd places of the house. I gave her limbs and joints a feel / squeeze and she let out no yelp and showed no signs of pain.
She got so tired that she was falling asleep while standing. My wife had her sit on her lap and then Shylah rested her head on the table and sort of slept for 30 minutes or so. She tried to lay down but seemed like she could not get comfortable. A few times she managed to lay down and rest for a brief period but then would give a wimper and get up again.
We took her to the vet and they checked everything but found nothing. Squeezed joints, felt belly, lifted head, etc.
This went on for 48 hours and then she finally was able to lay down and fell asleep for hours. From then on she seemed fine again. We feel it was probably a pinched nerve or pulled muscle. She plays hard and is really, really massive in her shoulders, legs and neck. She is quite powerful.
Now 4 months later the same problem has arisen. I played a bit of tug of war with her in the morning, then took her for a walk down in the gorge (down a hundred or so stairs then back up). At the end of the walk she started acting funny again. Just walking, no playing. It has now been 24 hours and she is showing the same problems. Great difficulty lying down and getting comfortable. Stands and paces mostly. Can take water and food but only if we hold the dish way up to head level, and even then seems uncomfortable.
So my thoughts are this may be the result of a lot of tug of war and pounching. Too much strain on the neck / spine. When we play tug of war and games like that she really exerts massive amounts of force / torque. I never put much thought into it previously but it is probably a bad idea and must really strain her neck / spine. I am 180 and in decent shape and she can practicaly pull me off the couch.
She had what was diagnosed as HOD when she was 6 months. It was awful and we almost lost her. But these symptoms are nothing like that. So I don't thinlk it is HOD / pano, bloat, of hip dysplasia.
Any thoughts?
Other notes / observations:
- Moderate pain climbing stairs / incline
- severe pain on the decline / going down stairs
- Is ok with resting her back end on things (lap, couch - see pic below) but desires to keep her front end up
- She seems to be ok rotating her head / neck / upper body to the left, but have not noticed her doing it to the right
Yet, she is experiencing a problem for the second time and I am confused over the problem.
First instance was about 4 months ago. She was playing with my wife who tossed her toy across the room. Shylah jumped forward and pounced on the toy (as she had done hundreds of times. However, this time she let out a yelp and quickly came and sat down next to my wife. She took her weight off her front right leg / paw. She seemed a bit freaked out. Within 5 minutes or so she was putting full wieght on the leg again, but still seemed freaked out.
She spent the next 48 hours standing and pacing. She would not lay down. She would just pace and stand in odd places of the house. I gave her limbs and joints a feel / squeeze and she let out no yelp and showed no signs of pain.
She got so tired that she was falling asleep while standing. My wife had her sit on her lap and then Shylah rested her head on the table and sort of slept for 30 minutes or so. She tried to lay down but seemed like she could not get comfortable. A few times she managed to lay down and rest for a brief period but then would give a wimper and get up again.
We took her to the vet and they checked everything but found nothing. Squeezed joints, felt belly, lifted head, etc.
This went on for 48 hours and then she finally was able to lay down and fell asleep for hours. From then on she seemed fine again. We feel it was probably a pinched nerve or pulled muscle. She plays hard and is really, really massive in her shoulders, legs and neck. She is quite powerful.
Now 4 months later the same problem has arisen. I played a bit of tug of war with her in the morning, then took her for a walk down in the gorge (down a hundred or so stairs then back up). At the end of the walk she started acting funny again. Just walking, no playing. It has now been 24 hours and she is showing the same problems. Great difficulty lying down and getting comfortable. Stands and paces mostly. Can take water and food but only if we hold the dish way up to head level, and even then seems uncomfortable.
So my thoughts are this may be the result of a lot of tug of war and pounching. Too much strain on the neck / spine. When we play tug of war and games like that she really exerts massive amounts of force / torque. I never put much thought into it previously but it is probably a bad idea and must really strain her neck / spine. I am 180 and in decent shape and she can practicaly pull me off the couch.
She had what was diagnosed as HOD when she was 6 months. It was awful and we almost lost her. But these symptoms are nothing like that. So I don't thinlk it is HOD / pano, bloat, of hip dysplasia.
Any thoughts?
Other notes / observations:
- Moderate pain climbing stairs / incline
- severe pain on the decline / going down stairs
- Is ok with resting her back end on things (lap, couch - see pic below) but desires to keep her front end up
- She seems to be ok rotating her head / neck / upper body to the left, but have not noticed her doing it to the right
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