Has anyone else ever dealt with this? Finley is almost 5 and he seems to have an issue with arthritis. When he was about 6 months old he made a lot of tiny holes in the lawn looking for bugs and one night he was out there running around and we heard him just scream, it was painful to hear but it stopped in 15 seconds and he seemed to be fine. No limping or anything. I know he stepped in one of his holes. About a month later the same thing happened and then it never happened again. So fast forward about 4 years and now i walk him and Chloe 4 miles a day for 6 days a week. We did this for months with no issues and then one day he was holding up his front paw. He never limped on the walk, ever but only after he came home and laid down for an hour or two and then when he gets up, he would limp. Then it would be gone. We did take him and the vet put him on Galliprant whidh is supposed to be easier on kidney and liver and also some supplements called Atinol. Immediately he was fine and all was good again but about a month later he started doing the same thing with his right hind leg. Back to the vet and we asked for an X-ray this time. The Xray showed a little roughness on the ball joint and a little arthritis of the spine but nothing really really bad. This was about a month ago and he still has this issue with his hind leg. Never ever limps on a walk but come home and rest and then get back up and he holds it off the ground. It seems to come and go. Im not convinced its all arthritis doing this. Finley and Chloe play really rough and they run around full speed like maniacs. We have two acres and they make little holes in the ground by just playing. I have even bought a lawn tractor attachment to keep the ground smooth. But they do run around and play hard. It's pretty hard to see a 5 year old Husky have an issue like this, I know there are worse things but still. Anyone else experience this?

My girl started having trouble at 6 so it's not completely out of the realm of possibility, especially in dogs that have done a lot in their day such as running, biking, carrying a pack or going long distances. Anything over 5 miles and I have to give her an aspirin when we get home or she will have trouble getting up and just be restless in general because she can't get comfortable out of pain. She's going on 9 years old now and has progressed some since she was 6 but I have found that better diet (going partially and then mostly raw) has helped along with fish oil supplementation and a glucosamin condroitin supplement.

Does it seem like the limp comes from different spots? Sometimes a front leg, sometimes a back (I wasn't really certain reading your post). If coming from different areas you may want to look into some stretching to do with him. It could be less an arthritis issue and more a muscle issue. If always limping from the rear in the hip area and back then the supplements may help with that and you may also try massage after your walks.

You are describing exactly how it is with my own arthritis. Once I am up and moving around, things are fine. Sit or lie down for a while then try to move? Then comes the limping, stretching the leg or the back to try and get out the kinks.

TwisterII wrote:

My girl started having trouble at 6 so it's not completely out of the realm of possibility, especially in dogs that have done a lot in their day such as running, biking, carrying a pack or going long distances. Anything over 5 miles and I have to give her an aspirin when we get home or she will have trouble getting up and just be restless in general because she can't get comfortable out of pain. She's going on 9 years old now and has progressed some since she was 6 but I have found that better diet (going partially and then mostly raw) has helped along with fish oil supplementation and a glucosamin condroitin supplement.

Does it seem like the limp comes from different spots? Sometimes a front leg, sometimes a back (I wasn't really certain reading your post). If coming from different areas you may want to look into some stretching to do with him. It could be less an arthritis issue and more a muscle issue. If always limping from the rear in the hip area and back then the supplements may help with that and you may also try massage after your walks.

The first time it came it was a front leg but after a vet trip that went away. That has not come back. For about the past 2-3 months when he does have the issue it's his back leg. It's never when we are walking but only after he has been down for a few hours and it normally works itself out. Thanks.

amymeme wrote:

You are describing exactly how it is with my own arthritis.  Once I am up and moving around, things are fine.  Sit or lie down for a while then try to move?  Then comes the limping, stretching the leg or the back to try and get out the kinks.

I was thinking the same thing about myself! With the exception of a finger or two im not even sure if it's arthritis with me. We get home from walking and I might sit on the couch for a few hours playing guitar and when I get up I am sore and limping for a few and then it's gone. The later in the day the worse it is.

He seems very content and happy!

That few minutes of stiffness and limping, getting better with movement and worsening later in the day is the hallmark of osteoarthritis. Look at the ends of your fingers - any bumps on the joints closest to the nail? Those are heberden's nodes - little bone spurs common in osteoarthritis. No - if the stiffness is worse first thing in the morning, lasts an hour or more, that is more suggestive of an inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid.

A good chiropractor goes a long way. For people and in some cases for a dog if you can find one that knows what they are doing for a dog. It's always possible something is out of alignment causing some of the issues and not really the arthritis.

My sister has had very good luck with chiropractic. I wouldn't dare - I've seen the mri of my spine and ain't nobody messin' with my cervical spine. Severe degenerative changes from C6 up. Looks like someone took a hammer to my vertebra but its less smashed than bony over-growth. With no room for the nerves.