Elyse Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Just came back from a dog park trip. Suka was at the park for around 40 minutes. When we got back home and I had to wipe him down (he randomly decided to wade through a deep muddy 'puddle'), he growled at me? I noticed he only growled when I touched certain areas (ie: the knees, the elbows, the chest area in between the elbows, his hips.) I'm afraid he might have arthritis in more than his hips, but before I take another trip to the vet I have to upgrade his insurance policy so this stuff is covered this time! He also hasn't been drinking enough water like he should be - he only went through 1 bowl of water thus far and it's nearly suppertime! (5:11pm). I'm concerned it might be something more? EDIT: It's now been a full hour since we got back. I touched those same areas as before and he didn't growl or anything. Maybe he was just sore from exercising? Or tired? But he wasn't really panting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 Bump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangled-musher Posted June 15, 2011 Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 might just be he doesnt like towels, or is just being vocal rather than growling? ours do the same, one is very foot shy and will winge at you full volume when she has to have booties on for racing or feet cleaned after a muddy time in the garden. how old is he? does he have arthritis as determinded by a vet? you could try 'joint aid for dogs' by gwf nutrition. amazing stuff that we have all our dogs on as precautionary as well as to help with recovery after working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #2 Posted June 15, 2011 Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 Andy grumbles when we have to wipe him down, especially feet. Jack has one spot he doesn't like, where he is missing a toe nail. Sometimes it's not a growl, and just a grumble. Usually after the grumble, Andy kisses us. Hard to tell, and if he is not normally a growly dog, I wouldn't worry too much. They just don't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 might just be he doesnt like towels, or is just being vocal rather than growling? ours do the same, one is very foot shy and will winge at you full volume when she has to have booties on for racing or feet cleaned after a muddy time in the garden. how old is he? does he have arthritis as determinded by a vet? you could try 'joint aid for dogs' by gwf nutrition. amazing stuff that we have all our dogs on as precautionary as well as to help with recovery after working. He's 8.5 years old now (approx.). He has been diagnosed with minor arthritis in his right rear hip. I'll check that out - thanks! And no - it's definitely a growl. It's softly at first, but as I kept on doing it (to figure out what spots 'hurt' him) the growling got louder to the point I had to stop cause I was afraid he'd bite me (his lips were quivering which I assumed was the beginning of a snarl?). (He's never even come close to biting me - heck, I can stick my whole hand in his mouth and he'll try to push it out with his tongue/paws!) But I've dried him lots of times with towels before and he's NEVER like that. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiler Posted June 15, 2011 Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 Just a quick note to hopefully help - have a look at the 'arthritis' that he has...not every arthritis is the same...an 'itis' is an inflamation, and therefore arthritis is a swelling in the joints. This can come from many causes...and not all are innate (genetic)...his case of 'mild arthritis' could just be no more than a result of normal exercise. I also study linguistics in my work, together with body language, and love taking apart 'diagnosis' made by medical people through their language, but then, I am a geek...but a cool one, after all, I must be cool, I have a husky... Just some thoughts here: If he has been exercising hard, twisting and turning on his joints, getting impact from other dogs it could be 'arthritis' in its pure definition from swelling in the joints through mini-trauma - the body tissue especially the tendons and ligaments (connecting bone to muscle and muscle to muscle) suffering little tears, the body then sends fluid to that area to bring the repairing materials resulting in swelling. This area will become tender through the process of nociception (our nerve endings detecting heat and pressure, and in this case there will be both) causing the perception of pain. Hence, tender to the touch...this is quite normal following intense exercise...humans or dogs... Think of your husky like an athlete, as that's what they are. An athlete will mobilise and warm prior to carrying out their sporting activity, and will appropriately cool down. Did you mobilise loosen and warm up your dog prior to the dog park fun? And did he have a cool down? The warm up could be light walking, short periods of easy activity, getting the blood and body fluids where they should be, waking up the neurology. This will help prevent tears and damage. The cool down should be a form of 'active recovery', maybe light jogging easing into a nice walk, to get the body fluids moving to remove the waste products from the muscle contractions, release any swellings caused by fluid pressure. The older the dog gets the more important the warm up and cool downs will be. This is also where massage and dogs comes in - it helps to prevent and remove 'pressure pockets' of fluid from the soft tissue, stopping blockages allowing the repairing fluid to come in and the waste products to be taken away. Also have a look at proprioception - the body's position in respect to time and space. In more simple terms how the body can detect innappropriate joint movement and fire the right soft tissue into action to prevent the joint and connective tissues being damaged. Think of you turning your ankle over, yet catching it just in time before damage. A dog who is not used to rough play will be taken out of his comfort zone in respect to proprioception and therefore is at risk of injury. A friend and I have been discussing this in depth. As a fight athlete I work hard on proprioception training - ensuring there are no weak points in the supporting structures to my joints - more than any other form of conditioning. Strength in joints is key to longevity in my game. My friend is a top farrier and puts forward the case for preventative proprioception training for dressage horses. They spend their time mainly on the flat, yet often get caught out with injuries when turned out to a field, where their joints aren't prepared for the uneven surfaces - they haven't been trained for the necessary proprioception. Have a think about whether your dog has the strength of joints for appropriate proprioception duing dog park rough play? A way of increasing this element of conditioning would be walking or exercising your dog on as many varied surfaces as possible. I exercise my husky on tarmac (rarely), loose earth, soft woodland coverings, sand, gravel, grass...and nice and uneven surfaces too...it's not about taking him out of his comfort zone it is about bringing more of the environment within his comfort zone. Just some thoughts which may or may not help...I haven't owned a husky long but do know alot about physical (and psychological!) conditioning, injuries, and recovery and rehabilitation - it has been quite simple to adjust my human knowledge to dogs. Hope he gets better soon!!! Best regards, Smiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 Wow, Smiler, that's amazing! Didn't know all of that! *like* Well, he had x-rays on his hips (he wasn't exercising before they were taken), and the vet showed us where the (very subtle/minor) arthritis was. You could barely tell it was there when you compared that hip joint (right hind) to his other hip joint (left hind) Yes - I gave him a warm up and a cool down. Because I parked in the neighbourhood right near the dog park, his warm up was about 10-15 minutes (going slower to begin then speeding up a bit) and his cool down was about the same although a bit faster paced. And it was weird, too, because he was perfectly normal an hour later when I checked. So he could have been sore just from the exercise (because he wasn't used to it). He didn't whine or yelp to indicate pain/soreness, though, just growled when I touched the parts that were tender. And, at the park, he wasn't really playing...just trotting around, marking his territory, and running full out a couple of times. Suka doesn't really play with other dogs - probably wasn't socialized right as a puppy - or maybe the other dogs find him intimidating cause he's so dominant towards them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 Bump. Any other ideas? I'm gonna take him on a longish walk tonight and see how he fairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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