My 7-yr-old Black Lab is breaking my heart

Question
QUESTION: Greetings,

I am relieved to have found this site, and hope you can offer some advice. Here goes:

Back in September, 2011, I gave my lab a bath...as usual. Only, after the bath, he began slightly limping. Not continuously, but occasionally. Although my husband told me not to worry, as he does have me well trained...(he has "faked" a limp in the past for attention), I took him into the vet anyway. The vet could not find anything wrong with his leg or foot without an X-ray. But he advised that the only things an X-ray would show would be either cancer or a strained ligament. If it was the strained ligament, then rest is needed, and if it was cancer, well I can't afford the treatment so we would just have to make him as comfortable as possible. Either way, his treatment at home would be the same, so the vet advised against the X-ray.

Instead, the vet gave me some pain medication to give to him, but the medication made him so sick he was vomiting blood for 2 days straight. Before that incident, this dog would eat ANYTHING I gave him...once I got mad at him for begging for the jar of mustard...I gave him a "taste"..and he ate it! But since he got sick from the medication, he won't even take a dog treat from me unless I pry open his mouth and force him to.

Of course, putting him on "bed-rest" has just depressed him enormously, and there have been occasions in which he would bring me his ball, begging to play...and I would not.

In an effort to relieve his depression, we adopted a puppy playmate...only, I didn't foresee the problem of his jealousy as we have to train and socialize the puppy...I was hoping that he would feel more included as he "helped" by showing the new dog that he's the "boss" and what not. But instead, lately he has been viewing the new puppy's crate as special treatment for the puppy...and while the lab has not been reacting by directly misbehaving...he has reacted by separating from me.

He has always been my "shadow"...my "buddy"...and now he just lies around the house, ignoring me. When I call him he rolls back on his back and lifts his hind leg, showing me his genitals. I'm no expert, but I've taken this to mean a figurative "screw you" response to my command.

It is now December, and he is limping all the time, most times just walking on three legs. The only time he shows excitement is when my daughter takes him for a walk around the block. He no longer brings his ball for me to throw, and just to stay connected with him, I try to toss it (not too far) and he just ignores me. I used to be able to say "Where's your ball?" and he'd spend up to 10 minutes looking for a ball until he found one to bring to me...now he doesn't even acknowledge that I'm talking to him.

Please help! I've raised him since he was 3 months old... and I fear he as not only lost respect for me, but he has also lost his faith and trust in me. It's too late to take the puppy back, we rescued him from the shelter in October, and he's part of the family now. The lab doesn't even dislike him...he just seems so hurt and angry at me, and I don't know how to fix it.

Thank you-

ANSWER: Thanks for taking the time to write so much about your lab.  It's hard to know what's wrong but I can tell you what I would do, even though you have seen the vet already.

I would make sure the dog has gotten a full exam which includes a blood test.  When they become seniors (7 years) it's good to do regular check ups including the blood test that checks organ functions etc.  If nothing is wrong, great.  And later on in life, you have that base line to compare to.  

Limping on the rear, especially if the dog looks like it doesn't want to put its foot down (like something may be caught in a pad), sometimes is indicative of torn or partially torn cruciate ligaments in the knee.  COMMON for large dogs, especially active labs.  I have one dog that blew out both knees.  Surgery can be expensive though, depending on what's the recommended approach.  A regular vet will not be able to help you out here, so if you live anywhere where there is an orthopedic vet, that's who you should make an appointment with, if you want to get to the bottom of the limping.

I am not sure what medication you got, but in the chance that the dog is suffering from arthritis, which is also very common, you should be able to give the dog a daily supplement to help with joint function.  I have 2 seniors and they are both on a relatively inexpensive supplement that works very well for them.  Look up www.pupsup.com

About how the dog is acting due to his new companion...make sure you are keeping the SAME routine, and folding the new pup into that.  It will help the older dog.  You also need to give the dog a bit of a break, he obviously hurts.  Labs are very stoic because of pain, and if they are limping and showing any signs, it DOES hurt.  Change in behavior with or without the pup is usually indicative of something being wrong healthwise, which you are aware of.  

If the older dog thinks a crate is special, set up a second and give him his own crate to sleep in.  I have a 4 y/o male who LOVES crates, and I have a few set up in the house, and he'll take a nap in one, even though normally he doesn't need to be crated.

I never viewed the rolling over as a "screw you" response, though my same boy who loves the crate will also do the same behavior to me when I talk to him.  Sometimes I think he does it to avoid doing what I ask, it's like him saying "I'm submissive leave me alone". But he also LOVES LOVES LOVES to have his belly and thighs scratched.  

There is probably alot more to this than can be solved in one email.  If you have time, you should visit www.lab-retriever.net  It's a board full of lab owners and some breeders, and you can talk about some of the things that are bothering you and folks can give you very detailed advice.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  If you come over there, introduce yourself in the Welcome Wagon section and I'll find you and say HI.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your detailed response,

I do have one follow-up question, as I may have been vague in describing the limp. It is in his front left leg (not his rear). Would your advice in seeing an orthopedic vet still be the same?

Again, thank you so much!

Answer
Still would need an ortho vet to diagnose the front leg, but most likely it is a form of elbow dysplasia.   since the dog is a senior, its probably more a form of osteoarthritis vs. One of the forms that hit the younger dogs.  What medication did the vet give?  There are different kinds, Metacam or rymadyl might be helpful if those weren't the ones that got her sick.  And definitely a joint supplement.