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Post by ripley on Aug 17, 2004 14:13:17 GMT -5
I'm starting to suspect that Ripley might have very mild LP's, which was the ONE thing I wished that he wouldn't have so he could continue in agility. He'll be walking around or sitting, when he'll just jump and yip and hold his hind leg up high. After like 20 seconds he starts walking on it just fine again, but he doesn't want to jump for another hour or two, nor does he want to throw himself down when I tell him 'drop'. (his favorite command) I'm going to take him in to the vet soon, and have him checked out and get his results sent into OFA for evaluation... If he has them, the surgery to correct them and keep them in place is $500+ depending on the severity of the LP and a SIX MONTH recovery in which the dog is in a lot of pain and has to be kept very calm and NOT walk, which would probably mean sedatives for a hyper spaz like Ripley... I just really dont' want him to go through that.. What I was wondering is if any of you know much about this, and if there's anything I can do for him in the meantime.
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Post by Nicole on Aug 17, 2004 21:04:21 GMT -5
I am sorry that Ripley is having this problem. I guess in the meantime you can just try to keep him from getting too physical. No jumping, zoomies, agility, etc. How old is Ripley again. I do hope he feels better and that you can solve this with a minimal amount of discomfort.
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Post by ripley on Aug 17, 2004 23:38:25 GMT -5
Ripley's 10 months old... My vet & I have been playing phone tag, so I think I'm going to have to make an appointment. I really, really don't want to take him in now, since he's going through the diarrhea 'detox' phase of raw feeding, and I don't want him to seem sick when he goes in.. It's been 2 days since his last 'problem' but I'm still worried.
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Post by Aussienot on Aug 22, 2004 22:37:17 GMT -5
Generally dogs don't start active agility training until after one year. Puppy to one year is foundation work, which keeps the dog on the ground teaching directional commands, off leash control, low dog walks, tunnels.
Jumping and weaving are not taught until joints are fully developed, which can be up to 18 months with larger breeds. One possibility is that you've been rushing him developmentally, and some rest and a ban on joint jarring jumps for a few months will fix it.
The other is LP. There is a wide range of LP impact, some dogs become functionally lame, and others are able to lead normal lives. Even with a mild case, agility would not be a good idea.
Either way, worth getting checked out so you know what you are dealing with, and no point getting too stressed until you get test results back.
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Post by ripley on Aug 22, 2004 23:51:48 GMT -5
Aussienot, Ripley was checked out by our vet at 9 months of age and he said that mild agility training isn't a problem. Also, he's a toy breed, and very small at that.. His growth plates have probably closed because he hasn't grown any more since he was 5 months old.
Either way, he's not going to be working hard until we figure this out.
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