Aging in doodles – is this normal?

[Stacy]

Ava turned 7 in September. She’s my first large dog, and I know that makes a difference. Papillons are barely adults at 7. And I know Ava didn’t come from the best place or have the best medical care for the first 6 years of her life. And she’s had a hard year. She’s been anesthetized or sedated 5 times in the last year and has had multiple surgeries and health issues, so I know I have to take that into account too.

But in the last couple of months I’ve really noticed a change in her activity level.  Nothing definite seems to be wrong, but she often turns her nose up at breakfast until I put some water on it and then really encourage her. That could be explained by her jaw surgery. But she will eat her food dry at dinner most of the time. And after she healed from surgery she would eat her dry food without difficulty. It’s just in the last few weeks she started that. She struggles some getting up from the linoleum in the kitchen. She doesn’t seem to have that problem with the carpet, but she chooses to lay on the hard floor.  She thinks about it before getting down from the bed. She doesn’t bust through the screen door to chase the squirrels anymore. In fact, she mostly ignores them. When she goes outside she wanders around a bit, does her potty business and then just lays in the yard. She just seems to be moving slow.

Part of me wonders if it’s possible that the cancer in her mouth has metastasized, even though all the literature says that would be very rare. Or maybe she has some arthritis and needs an anti-inflammatory. Or possibly it’s just the aging process. Also possible is that I’ve become hyper vigilant and paranoid between the two of them.

I can take her back to the vet, but my concerns seem so non-specific. And I feel like on exam they wouldn’t see anything. I see parents all the time bring their kids in with a chief complaint of “not acting right.” But the kid is playing on the floor, happy, well appearing. There’s no good diagnostic tool for not acting right with no other symptoms.

So, I guess my question is: Does this slowing down seem to be part of the normal aging process, something that other people have experienced with doodles of a certain age? Or should I be concerned?

Thanks! Stacy 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack has a herniated lumbar disc with nerve compression, so I know the reason he has trouble getting up from the floor or jumping up on to beds and couches. He's also been on prednisone long term, which has a muscle wasting effect. But these things didn't start until he was well past Ava's age. 

It's possible she has some arthritis. But it's also possible that she also has something orthopedic involving her back, like Jack. Until you have to, you really do not want to go there. The diagnostics are mega-expensive and not pleasant for the dog.

I don't see any harm in trying one of the good joint supplements, like Cosequin DS (JD's vet recommended that one for him). 

I think it's pretty common for appetites to fluctuate from day to day in adult dogs. 

I wouldn't be concerned about any of this. I think it's great to be aware of all these changes, because if there is something to worry about, you'll know. :)

[Stacy]

I'm reassured that you're not overly concerned by Ava. I have always paid attention to their health and behaviors. But with this whole thing with Katie going on I think I'm in overdrive. I don't know what I would do if something was going on with both of them at the same time. Katie's internal med appointment is on Thursday, and that doctor at work knows and highly recommends this vet, so I feel good about that. I just don't have a good feeling about what she's going to say. Please let it be something not horrible! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Try to stay positive. :) 

[Stacy]

I'm doing my best! She seems fine. Same crazy ball of energy. That has to be a good sign. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree. :) 

[Wendy and Myla]

Hi Stacy - I don't want to alarm you but a couple things in your post did ring a bell for me.  My last doodle, Zak was diagnosed with EPI at the age of two.  We controlled it with medication for a bit over three years and at the age of five, we lost her.  Now there is no way that I think Ava has EPI but I wanted to share some things.  We were doing really well with Zak and figured that we would have her for many more years.  Zak's favourite thing to do was hop in the car or truck and go for a car ride.  About six months before she died, she would jump in happily but would not jump out.  At first we figured she was playing us and trying to go for a longer drive but she really couldn't jump out.  I had to lift her out.  She also wouldn't run after the quail or squirrels in our yard.  When she collapsed on a hike and we brought her to the vet, we found that the EPI had finally affected her heart and other organs.  Our vet told us that one of the first signs of heart problems is the inability to jump down.  Again, I don't want to alarm you but maybe when you do go to the vet, you can get them to listen to her heart - it might just be a small murmur or something totally fixed with medication.  Hopefully it's an age thing but it seems weird that all of a sudden there are so many changes - especially when you notice it and you know her better than anyone!  

[Stacy]

I'm sorry you lost your girl at such a young age. That is really interesting information though. I hadn't heard that before. Thank you for sharing it. I will certainly keep that in mind for her next vet visit. 

I have a hard time because I do know I have a tendancy to be overly worried about them. I just don't want anything to happen to them and sometimes I think I make more of things than they really are.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think in some ways she is awfully young to be  showing signs of being old, however with her background, she could very well have the beginnings of issues associated with more senior dogs.  You are attentive to be noticing the slight changes, but if it were me, I would  just make note of what she is doing/not doing in my mind and not do anything about it unless more definite problems show up.  Two of my boys are nine and once in a while neither successfully completes the jump into the back of our SUV, but then our 3 year old doesn't either.....

[Stella]

At 7 in a large dog they are middle aged, so you can start to see some age related changes. Difficulty getting up from the floor, especially a hardwood / tile / laminate floor can be a sign of back, or more commonly hip or knee problems. Given her background, it may be that her hips aren't great? Reluctance to jump up, especially in a dog that previously did jump, can also be a sign of back or hind limb problems. So, depending on how concerned you are you could either watch and wait for a little while to see if things change, see the vet for X-rays of back, hips, knees ($$$$!!) - bearing in mind that X-rays will also show 'normal' age related joint pathology. If you have a suitably qualified canine rehab practitioner in your area you could take her for an assessment and their opinion. Also, if she isn't on anything already, you could begin giving her a really good joint support supplement.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hesitate to say this, because I know that you are a canine rehab practitioner, and I greatly respect your opinion. 

However, I have had disastrous experiences with canine rehab professionals in my area. They misdiagnosed several conditions  (based on their assessments and observation) and then charged me hundreds and hundreds of dollars for treatments that he never needed in the first place, as we later found out by doing actual diagnostic tests, i.e. X-rays. I would have saved so much time and money if only I had done the X-rays first. I will never ever again have any type of physical therapy or rehab done on any pet without having reliable diagnostic testing done first. 

[Stella]

That's too bad that you had such a bad experience. The problem with canine rehab is the lack of regulation and variety of training available, some are vet techs, some are vets, some (like me ) are human physical therapists that have done advanced training, and some..... I don't know what their training is. Every dog I see gets an assessment report sent to their vet, and if I have any concerns I always recommend the dog go back to the vet for further assessment. I basically treat my canine clients exactly the same as I do my human ones, by trying to work as part of a team to help the dog. Some vets are ok with it, some are not, just like some doctors!!