My dog

changkra

I know this is silly but i have a Lhasa Apsos dog. Now i know these dog can be a bit moody but she seems to be getting very stubborn and obstinate as shes getting older. What ever i ask her to do she will go and do the opposite. We don't allow her on the furniture so she has her own bed in the living room, she has now decided she is using the sofa and when i move her she growls. Normally when she goes out before bed she runs out has a sniff and comes back in and runs up stairs. For the past couple of weeks shes gone out sniffed for 15 mins come in i locked the door and shes gone and stood to go out again goes out just stands there looking at me doing nothing. These days it can take up to 45 mins to get her to go to bed.

So, anyone else had similar problems with a 13 year old dog?

pboae

Has she been seen by a vet recently? Wanting to sleep on soft furniture and growling when moved can be a sign of joint pain and/or arthritis, it's not always just stubborness.

The other things could be the onset of senility, it affects dogs too.

Then again, she might just be getting contrary in her old age, but you really need to see a vet to get her checked out.

Sarahjovi

My Mum had a Lhasa Aspso, which as it got older it suffered arthristis and my mum used to give her glucosamine every day(a quarter of a human tablet after the vet had prescribe a dog version at a very expensive price), this helped her alot. I seem to remember the dog getting quite deaf and blind in her old age too, so it might be worth checking these out!

Sarah

lil_me

I have 2 dogs, one 3 and one who is 8 months, they have been doing the same lately, much better behaved for DP, he says I am just too soft.

Westywoodpecker

We have recently adopted a rescue puppy from the RSPCA & have found the book "it's me or the dog " by Victoria Stilwell invaluable (From the TV programme). It is packed with sensible tips & hints on looking at things from a dog's point of view. It only cost about £4 from one of those cheap book shops. HTH


Westy x

Justie

dogs can get dementia amongst other things as well as the usual aches and pains. I would take her to the vet and get her checked over to make sure she's not in pain and see if they can offer any other suggestions.

changkra

Thanks for the replies. She does have arthritis in her right back leg but its not enough to warrant medication as this can cause kidney failier in time. When her leg is bad there is no way she can jump on the sofa, she just seems to be being stubborn

pboae

Some dogs are more sensitive to medications that others, but with regular blood tests that can usually be picked up on early. My old dog was on maximum dose Rimadyl for 9 of his 14 years, and according to the scare stories on the internet he shouldn't have lasted more than a couple of years.

My current dog has taken it on and off for the last 2 years, and will continue to need it for the rest of his life too.

Arthritis is a very painful condition, and at 13, old age is likely to catch up with her long before the medications do. If she has days when her leg is so bad she can't jump up, she is probably having lots of days when it is uncomfortable and aching. But in any case, there are other options like Cartrophen injections, which have no effect on kidney function.

Eels100

changkra wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. She does have arthritis in her right back leg but its not enough to warrant medication as this can cause kidney failier in time. When her leg is bad there is no way she can jump on the sofa, she just seems to be being stubborn

Arthritis is painful, there are no two ways about it. While it is true that any drug may have unwanted side-effects, with careful dosing and monitoring the risks of these occurring are minimal, and certainly do not justify witholding pain relief. If the disease is so severe that sometimes she is unable to move around as she normally would then I think you really should be considering medication. The drugs you would be using have proven track records, are widely used, and can be given on an 'as required' basis if you prefer. In many cases the drugs only need to be used for a short time while other methods of managing arthritis take effect - this should be discussed with your vet.

I suspect pain is a major reason for her grumpy demeanour these days, but as mentioned dementia can be present in older animals (and can be treated quite effectively too).

I think you need to take her to your vet for an examination and to have a frank discussion about her quality of life and things you can be doing to help keep it as good as possible.

changkra

Eels100 wrote: »

Arthritis is painful, there are no two ways about it. While it is true that any drug may have unwanted side-effects, with careful dosing and monitoring the risks of these occurring are minimal, and certainly do not justify witholding pain relief. If the disease is so severe that sometimes she is unable to move around as she normally would then I think you really should be considering medication. The drugs you would be using have proven track records, are widely used, and can be given on an 'as required' basis if you prefer. In many cases the drugs only need to be used for a short time while other methods of managing arthritis take effect - this should be discussed with your vet.

I suspect pain is a major reason for her grumpy demeanour these days, but as mentioned dementia can be present in older animals (and can be treated quite effectively too).

I think you need to take her to your vet for an examination and to have a frank discussion about her quality of life and things you can be doing to help keep it as good as possible.

Thank you for your concern I'm not withholding the meds for the arthritis the vet says she doesn't need them at this stage, we took her last week. In fact the vet did say that Lhasas can be moody and reckons its that but i just wanted any one else's opinion. We have a ritual at night where she goes up the stairs and walks round the bed 3 times stops, looks at me and then jumps on it, and then sits there looking at me as if shes saying tough I'm not moving. I've given up with that one when I'm on my own but 2 people and a dog that lays across the bed instead of down :rolleyes:

anniewoo

I had a Bulldog who was always very friendly and easy-going and then he started becoming a bit grumpy and snappy.

I took him to the vet who diagnosed arthritis and put him on Metacam.Within a week,he was back to his normal self,running around happily.He must have been in a lot of pain,but animals can't tell us,can they?

He had no problems or side effects with Metacam,it worked miracles,in fact I joked to the vet that I could have done with some of it myself !