Border collie leg problems?

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Mike. Thanks for your question.

This is a tough question to answer without being able to examine Indie. If there was a problem with his bones or joints such as a hip problem then you would really be noticing problems after going for a 2 hour walk.

The flopping down could be normal for him. I have owned several border collies and they can be very dramatic with their movements. If you do feel that he has difficulty getting up and that he is wobbly when walking then there are a few possibilities. It may be hard to pinpoint though.

It's not likely to be just weak muscles from being crated. If this were the case he really wouldn't be able to do a 2 hour walk.

If this were my case I would likely want to take some xrays to start with. Although a hip problem is unlikely, it is the first thing I would want to check out.

There are some rare conditions that can cause muscle weakness such as a condition called myesthenia gravis. There is a blood test for this condition, but it is quite pricey.

Another possibility would be a heart condition. However, most dogs with heart conditions will have a very obvious heart murmur when the vet listens to the chest with a stethoscope.

I wonder if you could videotape his difficulties with getting up and his wobbliness in walking and show that to the vet? Sometimes this can really help as we may not see the actual issues when the dog is in the office.

Eyesight is a difficult thing to test in dogs. In people, the only way we can test whether or not someone is near or far sighted is to have them read a chart and communicate which letters they can see. Obviously that is not possible with dogs....even really smart dogs like border collies. :)

I'm not sure if I've answered your question, so if you have more concerns, just let me know.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Our snow is deep, but we are handling it well!

As far as supplements go, this is a tough call because we don't know what the problem is (or even if there is one.) Most of the "natural" supplements that exist for joint problems in dogs don't really do much. The one exception is glucosamine with chondroitin. Some good products are Cosequin and Dasquin. These products are expensive but they may help protect joints.

That is great that Indie is insured! I think something like myasthenia gravis is a long shot but it's worth testing for if you take the cost factor away. Similarly, there is no harm in taking xrays.

Dr. Marie.