OK- this is admittedly off-topic, but I know we have a lot of pet owners
and pet lovers around here who are also pretty levelheaded.
I have a 8ish-year-old (I adopted her 7 years ago, and they guessed she was about 1 then) mutt named Dax. Probably a cocker spaniel mix of some sort, but smaller- around 23 lbs. She's super-happy and easygoing an pretty much the best dog I could possibly have.
My boyfriend and I got home yesterday from a baseball game to find her not wanting to put much weight on one of her hind legs. Our roommate had been home all afternoon and said nothing had happened, she had just been napping in the sun and he hadn't noticed her limping at all. After a bit of walking she seemed to be walking normally, but she was still reluctant to jump much from it. We thought it was weird, but since she wasn't acting like it hurt (even if I poked/pushed at it pretty thoroughly) we figured we'd give her some time and see what happened. Today is more of the same- reluctant to put weight on it when she first gets up, but walks normally after a bit, chases toys, etc- just won't really jump as much as she normally does, and she doesn't act in pain or mind if I mess with it or anything.
Any suggestions? I'm reluctant to take her to the vet immediately if she doesn't seem bothered, since I don't have tons of extra money lying around for x-rays or anything. Obviously if that's what she needs I'll make it work- but I wouldn't rush myself to the doctor for something like that, so I don't want to jump the gun in his case either.
Please don't tell me I'm a horrible dog owner- I love her and will give her whatever care she needs, I just don't want to drop hundreds of dollars if she doesn't need it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I have a 8ish-year-old (I adopted her 7 years ago, and they guessed she was about 1 then) mutt named Dax. Probably a cocker spaniel mix of some sort, but smaller- around 23 lbs. She's super-happy and easygoing an pretty much the best dog I could possibly have.
My boyfriend and I got home yesterday from a baseball game to find her not wanting to put much weight on one of her hind legs. Our roommate had been home all afternoon and said nothing had happened, she had just been napping in the sun and he hadn't noticed her limping at all. After a bit of walking she seemed to be walking normally, but she was still reluctant to jump much from it. We thought it was weird, but since she wasn't acting like it hurt (even if I poked/pushed at it pretty thoroughly) we figured we'd give her some time and see what happened. Today is more of the same- reluctant to put weight on it when she first gets up, but walks normally after a bit, chases toys, etc- just won't really jump as much as she normally does, and she doesn't act in pain or mind if I mess with it or anything.
Any suggestions? I'm reluctant to take her to the vet immediately if she doesn't seem bothered, since I don't have tons of extra money lying around for x-rays or anything. Obviously if that's what she needs I'll make it work- but I wouldn't rush myself to the doctor for something like that, so I don't want to jump the gun in his case either.
Please don't tell me I'm a horrible dog owner- I love her and will give her whatever care she needs, I just don't want to drop hundreds of dollars if she doesn't need it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
