# 7.5 y/o rottie suddenly stops climbing stairs/jumping on bed-couch



## lynnmarie0123 (Oct 19, 2014)

heres my problem:

out of the blue, one day she could - next day could not - climb hard wood steps or jump up on my bed that's of regular height. Just like that, very accute, very strange. 

This has been happening for a week now. 

she is 70 pounds. 

For about 2 months I have had her on CoSequin DS Max Strength. i did this just because i felt it necessary for her age and breed. 

She will begin to make the climb, one paw up the first step, then start to whine. She looks up at me with sad eyes and i know she wants to - its our nightly ritual before retiring to bed. at best she goes 2-3 steps then quits, last day or so, it seems to be getting a little better, she CAN make the climb BUT it pains her. I just watched her go up now and it seems shes hesitates some and limps slightly during the climb. 

As for jumping up on bed, she paces around and around the bed, looking up, at some point she will place both paws up on bed but is unable to jump, then she whines and lays back on the floor. In the last day or two she IS able to make the jump - after a few minutes of trying and then it takes absolutely every bit of her strength and fortitude to get her up. Couch is a problem too. 

Other activities have not changed, she still can run, play, eat, walk etc. appetite normal, pooing normal, drinking normal. There isn't anything stuck or hurting in her paws - i would know - when that happens she licks them all day long and she is not doing that. She still goes DOWN the stairs fine - like always - real fast. Lying on our hardwood floors doesn't seem to cause her any trouble at the moment either. I don't know if too long nails can create pain or not, but I try real hard to keep her nails trimmed every 6 - 8 weeks or so. Maybe thats not enough. She does not limp or show any signs of pain while walking/running. She is fairly active, her play companion is a spastic 4 year old JRTerrier who never stops moving. We walk almost daily in the neighborhood and she jogs with me once a week or so, although here in florida, we have not been doing any jogging in the past 5 months due to intense heat and rain. 

I don't feel anything abnormal in her legs, no bumps or anything. She is a mixed breed of what i dont know i rescued her off the street in Mexico at 6 weeks of age. 

i guess my question is has anyone else had this same problem? I'm afraid its old age or hopefully only a temporary strain/injury but i really dont know. I have 2 dogs and the huge vet bills are putting a real strain on my pocketbook, i thought I would ask here first for any ideas, before rushing her into the vets which i will happily do if this doesn't clear up in another week or so. THANKS!!! :wave:


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## tiger89 (Oct 13, 2014)

In my experience, a dog that is suddenly reluctant to jump onto or off of furniture, or is reluctant to climb stairs almost always has a back injury. It is a little unusual that your pup is running around and playing and yet unwilling to climb. If you do not plan to take her to the vet, then it would at least be a good idea to prevent her from jumping up OR down off of any furniture and restrict her activity for a couple of weeks.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

You need to see a vet. My guess would be hips. Something like 20% of all rotties have HD according to OFA stats. But it could be back or ligament or something else. With HD, you generally want to keep up with activity . . . .as I understand it, muscle helps keep pressure off the joint. 

ref: http://www.offa.org/stats_hip.html


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Sounds like something is causing her pain. I'm guessing she has arthritis if she is on Consequen? There is weak evidence that glucosamine limits the progression of arthritis, but it doesn't reverse it and it also doesn't provide pain relief in the same way an NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflamatory Drug) like metacam would. I'm not a vet, but my guess would be that her arthritis might be progressing, making it painful for her to get up on furniture.

I would definitely bring it up with your vet to rule out something else. It is also possible it might be a combination of acute injury and arthritis - she may have tweaked something while getting off the bed or couch. I'd call your vet, and probably make an appointment if she isn't improving after like, a week of limited exercise (because it's probably not just an acute injury then).


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

For some weird reason, strep throat makes their back end weak so they will be reluctant to jump. My vet told me that and I thought he was nuts. But then I had another dog it happened to, and it was the same thing. Take the dog's temperature. But whether it is that or back/hips, a vet check is in order.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

Dogs are more likely to show pain in their down times. I would try the squeeze test and check for any stiffness or weakness in any of her feet or back end. If it keeps up I would look into hip and elbow dysplasia which can be seen in the breed or just a form of early arthritis. Also maybe check eyesight perhaps,dogs may not want to jump or climb something they cannot see well.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

It does sound like progressive hips problems, possibly arthritis. I imagine that she can't stand up on two legs.

There is an arthritis test that your vet can try, to gently hold a back paw and slowly pull the leg back and out, within the normal range of motion (like a back donkey kick). If the Vet is careful, it doesn't hurt the dog, but the dog will resist and pull back. At least, that's how my Vet first diagnosed my dog.


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

I just found out that a dog that is reluctant to jump or climb can be disease called lumbosacral stenosis and causes pinched nerves and extreme pain. Dogs can also start chewing their tails in response to numbness. More severe cases lead to an inability to poo or pee.

It usually affects dogs that are around 7 yrs old or large dogs. X-rays can usually tell. You should talk to your vet about this. I think rotts are on the list to being prone to this too.

I am currently going through this.


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## Lecky (Nov 27, 2014)

Sounds like a classic case of arthritis, please take him to the vet to get his pain under control. Large breed dogs can be very stoic and often won't show signs of pain. They will probably put him on NSAIDS, also I would not skimp out on getting an osteo supportive bed. Keep an eye on his weight and even if he doesn't feel like it exercise is very important. TLC is very important as well!


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## glm777 (Jul 25, 2011)

My Aussie had the same problem - unable to jump up onto the bed or her chair. She was able to run around just fine but not able to jump up. We started giving her 
Tramadol (A pain med prescribed by the vet for a recurrent non-related issue) and after a few days she was back to her usual self. I think it may have been a problem with her front paw - it was ok to run on but hurt her when she tried to put all her weight on it to pull herself up onto the bed.
One word of advice however - after she had failed a few times to be able to jump on the bed, she was afraid to try it - even when she was feeling better. So we really had to make jumping on the bed extra inviting - special treats, playtime with us on the bed, etc. Eventually she tried and was successful at jumping onto the bed and she has been fine since. Good luck!


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