Fat dog - getting fit - slightly lame

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SWE

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Hey, just after some advice. My sister has recently recently rehomed a collie who is pretty overweight, she thinks he's about 4yo and was with someone who was really ill.

I took him for a little stroll today in an attempt to start the road to slimming him down, and he became slightly lame in front after about 10mins in. He wasn't leaping or jumping around. Just having a stroll, the odd 'trot/canter' about but mainly just mooching and following his nose.

I'm pretty sure it's joint pain of some sort so will make sure I keep the walks nice and short to begin with, but do you think I'm safe to carry on?

Sister isnt in a position to spend loads on vet treatment and I'm sure it's just due to his weight, but would you be looking at getting some anti inflammatories from the vets?

I will make sure I keep the walks short too and do it gradually. And I gave him a quick massage of his shoulders and hips which he really seemed to enjoy.

Any advice much appreciated. I've not had dogs before, only horses but hate seeing the poor thing have to lug so much weight around!
 
I would just keep going as you are, keep his food to one small meal a day and keep the walks long and slow. I see no need for vet involvement as things stand and as he’s young he could lose weight pretty fast.
 
I would see a vet, yes, and if she's not well off there's charities like the PDSA.
At the minute you're just guessing and might be making whatever it might be, worse. Even an overweight dog, at that age, shouldn't go lame after ten minutes low impact exercise. He might be overweight because he's sore/can't move as much as he'd like.
Cut his food way back, the vet can help with a diet plan.
 
He’s a fat dog who needs less food and more exercise , not veterinary treatment ......the same as a lot of us, including myself ! It’s not rocket science !
 
Oh dear god .....OP I would seriously ask for a professional opinion if you are worried, not the uneducated guesses of people on an internet forum? It could be nothing.... it could be any number of issues.... but only a vet can tell you that. I would absolutely recommend you follow CC's advice
 
Nothing wrong with different views ! Go to the vet who I’m sure will advise weight loss, maybe a particular brand of food and maybe some expensive and unnecessary drugs......the outcome hopefully will be the same, a fitter dog. Would you all go to see your doctor before you tried to lose weight and get fitter ?
 
Thanks all. I'm going to thoroughly check his legs & paws tomorrow to make sure nothing there. Will also just spend some time giving him a feel over and see if any obvious soreness.

If nothing obvious from the above, I'll probably take him for another couple of short walks this week and see how he is and if no improvement I'll speak to the vets.

Don't want to sound as if he's not going to get care needed, (as I hate it when you see posts like that regarding horses, 'horse girthy, won't go forward, can I just give it some gut balancer as I can't afford the vet'... ?)

Sister never insured anything and isn't in a position to spend hundreds and hundreds of pounds (don't get me started), but if no improvement, I will take him to vets and cover initial assessment and go from there.

Out of interest has anyone has any experience of front end lameness in a similar type of dog, would you expect it to be hip/shoulder joint?
 
bonny said:
Nothing wrong with different views ! Go to the vet who I’m sure will advise weight loss, maybe a particular brand of food and maybe some expensive and unnecessary drugs......the outcome hopefully will be the same, a fitter dog. Would you all go to see your doctor before you tried to lose weight and get fitter ?
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No, but if I couldn't walk 10 minutes whilst trying to lose weight I would!

Or, you could continue hurting your dog and potentially cause lasting damage... Which would you rather?

The dog is fat, no one is suggesting the dog doesn't need to lose weight.
 
SWE said:
Thanks all. I'm going to thoroughly check his legs & paws tomorrow to make sure nothing there. Will also just spend some time giving him a feel over and see if any obvious soreness.

If nothing obvious from the above, I'll probably take him for another couple of short walks this week and see how he is and if no improvement I'll speak to the vets.

Don't want to sound as if he's not going to get care needed, (as I hate it when you see posts like that regarding horses, 'horse girthy, won't go forward, can I just give it some gut balancer as I can't afford the vet'... ?)

Sister never insured anything and isn't in a position to spend hundreds and hundreds of pounds (don't get me started), but if no improvement, I will take him to vets and cover initial assessment and go from there.

Out of interest has anyone has any experience of front end lameness in a similar type of dog, would you expect it to be hip/shoulder joint?
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I’d probably think elbow joints....luckily the breeds I prefer don’t have a tendency to such things, but they are sighthounds not collies! Good luck, I admire your sensible approach ?
 
SWE said:
Out of interest has anyone has any experience of front end lameness in a similar type of dog, would you expect it to be hip/shoulder joint?
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Could be shoulder, could be elbow, often front lameness in young dogs is elbow related. I'd keep the dog off hard surfaces like the road or pavement and vet may encourage you to swim him if you can.
 
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bonny said:
Would you all go to see your doctor before you tried to lose weight and get fitter ?
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If one of my legs hurt after ten minutes walking, yes I would. And being a human, I have the added advantage of being able to talk and explain exactly where and when it hurts and be able to stop doing myself further damage.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Could be shoulder, could be elbow, often front lameness in young dogs is elbow related. I'd keep the dog off hard surfaces like the road or pavement and vet may encourage you to swim him if you can.
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Cool thank you, luckily we can cross straight to a soft (thanks to all this rain!) field. Will have a look to see if there is anywhere local to swim him.
 
You might want to take a video of him as well, on a flat surface, both sides, and coming and going, which will help a vet as it's often hard to tell in a surgery on a slippery floor or in a small car park.

It might be an old injury or a fracture which has knitted back together wrong, could be muscular, you just don't know if you've limited knowledge of his history. If his nails are overgrown, that might be a factor also. What was the surface he was on? Was he kept inside or outside?
 
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CorvusCorax said:
You might want to take a video of him as well, on a flat surface, both sides, and coming and going, which will help a vet as it's often hard to tell in a surgery on a slippery floor or in a small car park.

It might be an old injury or a fracture which has knitted back together wrong, could be muscular, you just don't know if you've limited knowledge of his history. If his nails are overgrown, that might be a factor also. What was the surface he was on? Was he kept inside or outside?
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Thanks will video and check nails tomorrow.

Today half was road and half was field (about 20 mins in total), but in his old home I think he was inside a lot and not taken out anywhere near enough hence his weight.
 
It sounds like his problem is mainly his weight and fitness and I would just carry on as you are unless he stays sore. Unless you can improve his overall health a sore leg could be the least of his problems. Let us know how you get on but you could well find that he’s sound soon and you never find out what was wrong. Hopefully you can start getting some weight off him, there is nothing sadder than a fat dog......why anyone would have a dog and never take it out is beyond me but I do know there are a lot of them about.
 
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bonny said:
It sounds like his problem is mainly his weight and fitness and I would just carry on as you are unless he stays sore. Unless you can improve his overall health a sore leg could be the least of his problems. Let us know how you get on but you could well find that he’s sound soon and you never find out what was wrong. Hopefully you can start getting some weight off him, there is nothing sadder than a fat dog......why anyone would have a dog and never take it out is beyond me but I do know there are a lot of them about.
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I'm hoping you're right ? I definitely think the weight is/will cause him problems, he just looks like such a heffa for a collie! Not agile on his feet like they should be, more like a fat fat lab at the moment. Will update later in the week.
 
Regarding his diet, the vet will probably advise two or three small meals a day rather than one large meal. It helps speed up the metabolism and they get less hungry that way. You could also put some of his food in a treat ball or activity toy to make him work for his food without pavement pounding on his sore joints.
Small bits of carrot can make good treats.
 
He needs to see a vet, lameness can be exacerbated by weight but there will be an underlying reason for it, could be anything from a touch of arthritis to an unhealed injury.

and before bonny has a go yes I would, and have, consult a doctor about increasing my exercise in a bid to lose weight particularly as my right ankle hurt when doing so. I have an old injury to my right ankle and physio was needed prior to increasing the pressure on the ankle, had i not consulted the doctor i could have damaged my ankle further potentially resulting in having to have a second operation on it. I of course have the advantage of a known medical history and the ability to tell the doctor what is hurting.
 
Amymay said:
Also, check paws, and in particular his claws.
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Agree with this. If his claws are quite long, it can actually affect the way the foot balance is and after a short time of movement, could cause a problem.
If there is nothing obvious, I agree that a vet visit is the right way to go. It might be that there is something wrong that could be made worse by walking at this present moment in time. If she carried on walking the dog regardless, she could actually end up making a small issue much bigger.

I’d get some veterinary advice first, just to make sure she is doing the right thing.
 
SWE said:
My sister has recently recently rehomed a collie who is pretty overweight,

he became slightly lame in front after about 10mins in. He wasn't leaping or jumping around. Just having a stroll, the odd 'trot/canter' about but mainly just mooching and following his nose.

I'm pretty sure it's joint pain of some sort so will make sure I keep the walks nice and short to begin with, but do you think I'm safe to carry on?

Sister isnt in a position to spend loads on vet treatment and I'm sure it's just due to his weight, but would you be looking at getting some anti inflammatories from the vets?
Click to expand...

I agree with the others, this needs checking out.

Limp equals pain to me. Even intermittent limp needs a vet to check it out.

If your sister has just rehomed him she will want to take him to her vet whether or not he is limping. A general MOT, check him over, listen to his chest, etc. This initial visit is often free.

Vet bills are part and parcel of owning a dog.
 
SWE if your sister has money worries, I think this is one of those situations where you need to weigh up being pragmatic vs. comfort of dog.

I reckon it's probably got a touch of arthritis or some old injury which is being compounded by the fact it's not used to exercise and carrying excess weight. I don't think you need to rush down there. I've been limping for two weeks because of my Achilles...

If I were you, I'd give it a week of slow short walks, and two or three small meals a day. Don't give it just one small meal - the poor thing will be bloody starving.

If it's still limping in a week, you'll probably want to get it to a vet but unless they do X rays they're really not going to be able to tell you what's going on. The vet'll do some flexion tests and most likely give him either an inti-inflam injection or a short course of them.
 
SpringArising said:
SWE if your sister has money worries, I think this is one of those situations where you need to weigh up being pragmatic vs. comfort of dog.

I reckon it's probably got a touch of arthritis or some old injury which is being compounded by the fact it's not used to exercise and carrying excess weight. I don't think you need to rush down there. I've been limping for two weeks because of my Achilles...

If I were you, I'd give it a week of slow short walks, and two or three small meals a day. Don't give it just one small meal - the poor thing will be bloody starving.

If it's still limping in a week, you'll probably want to get it to a vet but unless they do X rays they're really not going to be able to tell you what's going on. The vet'll do some flexion tests and most likely give him either an inti-inflam injection or a short course of them.
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Pragmatism doesn't come into it when you are talking about the health of your pet.

If you choose not to treat your own pain, that's fine, your pain - your decision.

Nobody has the right to make that decision for their dog.

There is no such thing "as a touch of pain". By the time a dog is "stiff" or limping it is in pain.

I am probably not explaining this very well - because I am not a vet - but there are layers of pain. There is pain from the affected joint, which progresses to pain and muscle spasm in the tissues surrounding the joint and finally, with time, this progresses to neuropathic pain and additional medications are needed to treat that.

The rest of us, who have any sense, have advised seeking veterinary advice.

If the OP's sister cannot afford a veterinary consultation and pain medications then I would question whether she should she have the dog in the first place.
 
skinnydipper said:
Pragmatism doesn't come into it when you are talking about the health of your pet.

If you choose not to treat your own pain, that's fine, your pain - your decision.

Nobody has the right to make that decision for their dog.

There is no such thing "as a touch of pain". By the time a dog is "stiff" or limping it is in pain.

I am probably not explaining this very well - because I am not a vet - but there are layers of pain. There is pain from the affected joint, which progresses to pain and muscle spasm in the tissues surrounding the joint and finally, with time, this progresses to neuropathic pain and additional medications are needed to treat that.

The rest of us, who have any sense, have advised seeking veterinary advice.

If the OP's sister cannot afford a veterinary consultation and pain medications then I would question whether she should she have the dog in the first place.
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You do realise that it’s possible the dog is fine today apart from being very overweight and underwalked ! That’s far more damaging that a slight limp for 10 mins, in fact it’s possibly life threatening or at best very damaging to the dogs quality and length of life.....same as with humans, being very overweight causes various physical problems which in my view are better treated by losing the weight and getting fit, not medical treatment.....
Anyway it’s all a bit irrelevant as non of us know the dog involved and hopefully it’s new owners do the right thing by the dog, whatever that means.
 
bonny said:
You do realise that it’s possible the dog is fine today apart from being very overweight and underwalked ! That’s far more damaging that a slight limp for 10 mins, in fact it’s possibly life threatening or at best very damaging to the dogs quality and length of life.....same as with humans, being very overweight causes various physical problems which in my view are better treated by losing the weight and getting fit, not medical treatment.....
Anyway it’s all a bit irrelevant as non of us know the dog involved and hopefully it’s new owners do the right thing by the dog, whatever that means.
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Nobody has said its fine to have an overweight dog, excess weight reduces lifespan. Fat is toxic and inflammatory whether it be canine or human.

I was talking about pain and the right to decide whether it is okay to leave a dog in pain. Just to be clear - it is not okay.

My preference is for a trained professional to evaluate my dog, diagnose and advise on treatment.

I know you prefer to do things your way when it comes to the health of your pet and disregard veterinary advice, because of this I would neither seek nor take your advice.
 
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