Dog refusing to walk

[dizzyupthegirl86]

For the last week my 4 year old dog has not wanted to walk anywhere. I’ve been working from home for three weeks and she’s not been going to daycare as she usually does twice a week.
She’ll go varying distances and then suddenly decide she won’t go anywhere else, but trots back happily on the way home. The vets won’t see her because of coronavirus but has said she might have injured something so have given me painkillers and anti inflammatory tablets and said to try to limit how much she’s jumping and going up stairs.... but every time I open my door she wants to run around my driveway and play/have me chase her around the car, which makes me think it may not be an injury.

Is anyone else having anything like this happen? Her routine has changed considerably but her walks (which she used to love) was the only thing I could keep consistent!

[shockthemonkey]

Hi OP, I just posted about my dog who is suddenly flagging on her short walks. She's only five and has been up to now in great shape.

Same thing with the vet - he will see her when the confinement is over, for a lameness that has not gone away for months... but the flagging on her walks is very new, and not related to her lameness.

What I've noticed with my girl is that she has very weirdly decided not to change coats this spring. We used to have SO much shedding this time of year, and now, nothing - not even when I groom her.

So I am concerned that there may be something going on, I can't begin to guess, but when horses' coats grow in a weird way it can be the sign of a metabolic disorder.

It's very strange in a dog that has been the picture of health and vitality up until ten days ago - I bet you feel the same.

Sorry I have not helpful info, but out of interest, has your dog shed her coat this spring?

[dizzyupthegirl86]

Thanks for replying! She doesn’t tend to shed massively anyway, although what I have noticed in the last couple of weeks is that she seems to have doggy dandruff which I havnt noticed up until now!

Her routine has changed hugely and it might be that she has the hump coz of that, she’s not able to socialise with other dogs. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain. The first walk she started being funny on, something made her jump and she wouldn’t go any further. I’ve tried to go different ways since in case she’s scared but it’s not working!

[tempestterra]

She doesn't want covid-19?


Hope she's okay op.

[SummerintoAutumn]

Has something scared her when she was on a walk?
Ours did this last year for a while - never really got to the bottom of it as she was quite happy to walk to a certain point and then walk back again but wouldn't go around the usual route.
At the moment she is a bit unsettled when walking but she was being walked when the Thursday NHS clap started last week so that was unusual and she didn't like it.
Also at the moment it's so quiet that she can hear lots of different bird noises when we are out that seems to be unsettling her.

[PolloDePrimavera]

Noticed they're all girls... My girl didn't want to do the second half of her walk today, but she did as she knew she'd get a treat.

[Glendaruel]

We struggle with one of ours when we try to walk from house as she is scared of the road. We normally would take her in car to the wood. They can get unsettled when out of routine.

[shockthemonkey]

Oh, doggy dandruff is strange. It's my opinion that the coat and skin tell us a lot. You just need to interpret. I remember from way back when a young vet came to see my friend's horse, her examination cheat sheet prompted her to observe the coat very carefully - lots of boxes to tick and scores for qualities like shine, smoothness, state of skin underneath.
It's a worry but I've just had a suggestion on my own thread to call vet for a phone consult. I'm sure they prefer us to call when in doubt, rather than leave things that could get worse. Best of luck!

[sobeyondthehills]

Mine is a boy and refusing walks at the minute, not sure why either.

[dizzyupthegirl86]

Oh you’ve all made me feel so much better, thank you!
I’ve had her for just over a year, she wasn’t really used to being walked near roads before I had her. Initially she lunged for cars and buses every time but she’s got lots better at that now (not so much that I’d trust her off lead though).
A car drove over a grate and it made her jump and then she seemed nervous to continue and ever since then she’s been a little off! She has been (driven) to the park since and wouldn’t walk there either... ive tried different times of day in case any of that helped but no... She’s got lots of energy in the house today though but does seem maybe a little more jumpy. She gets very scared by fireworks and wouldn’t put her harness on last bonfire night but was fine when we got out the house, so it’s not how she normally acts when she’s scared.

[shockthemonkey]

Ah, a nervous DD, not something I have much experience with. For the dandruff I'd ask the vet to recommend a special shampoo and some omega-3 supplements. Groom regularly too

[dizzyupthegirl86]

After a bath last week, her coat looks normal now, I only bath her when she needs it and it had been a while, so I didn’t think it was related but you’ve given me something to think about.
She’s not usually nervous day to day, only when something makes her jump. She still runs outside for birds and cats, and sits in my bay window watching all the cars and people! When we had fireworks, she didn’t even want to leave the house for a walk, she’d run from her harness. Now, she’ll happily put the harness on and go out of the front door but will stop walking very quickly. She will walk a little further for a treat, a few times... and when I turn around and start walking back home, she’s at a decent speed and pace.

[dizzyupthegirl86]

Just a quick update - my mom offered to drive her to the local park today, and she apparently had a whale of a time, running around off lead and jumping in puddles. She was only out for a short time but that’s more because I didn’t wanna push her than a lack of enthusiasm. When they got back, my mom tried to walk her down the road and once again, she stopped halfway down.

So it seems to be more the road/environment than anything else at this point, which I’m relieved about!