My dog is broken

[TheStickSong]

Before anyone suggests it, I will be booking in with the vet in the morning but just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this? DDog is coming up to five months. We have had some training issues (because we don't know what the fuck we're doing) but he seems like a basically happy, healthy dog from a good quality KC approved breeder.

In the last ten days or so he has had an enormous growth spurt which appears to be mainly in his legs. Possibly linked or possibly completely by coincidence, he started to really struggle to get up in the mornings. He staggered and stumbled like an old man and took some time to get moving normally. Then he started doing this every time he got up even from a brief sit.

We had a vet nurse check booked anyway and she could see nothing wrong (although she did see the wobbliness). She recommended a few days of rest. We have had two days without walks and encouraging calm activities. Friday he barely did anything, Saturday I took him to training as that was quite calm but again, very quiet. No zoomies or anything.

Today, he seems a bit better in his legs but appears to be in pain - I've been nipped quite badly a few times from what seems like anger. However he has had a couple of zoomies around the garden. This evening he is suddenly barking at everything - we thought perhaps he was bored so I took him on a short walk where he barked at virtually everything that moved.

I'm definitely going to book him into the vet but, as a complete novice, I have no idea if this is all standard puppy stuff or if he is completely broken. It feels like we've had a load of things coming at once and I'm struggling to work out how to deal with it all.

Even with a growth spurt a healthy young pup shouldn't struggle to be getting up in the morning. What breed is he?

He's a Tibetan Terrier.

Op something is seriously wrong, take him to the vet asap, he sounds in pain.

From googling it's saying that breed can have issues with their kneecaps and hip dysplasia. Definitely see a vet ASAP.

Booking him in in the morning. It doesn't sound good does it? It's so difficult to tell. Particularly as he seems fine after a little while.

It's hard to tell, it might be something minor so try not to worry too much until you've seen the vet. Let us know how it goes.

There are a couple of conditions like Panosteitis that are just linked to growing, as in longterm the dog is fine, but they need painkillers and management till it goes, that one would be fairly unusual in a smaller dog, but not unheard of (can’t remember the name of the the other common one).

So yes, you need to go back to the vet, but it might not be something terrible.

Thanks - just wondered if others had seem similar symptoms. Vet's at 10.30am. He seems a bit better but the hobble is still there. I wondered about Pano - I know it is more a large breed thing but it has been seen in Tibetans (they're not really terriers, despite their name).

I slept on the sofa with him last night as he was so barky which did at least mean that he slept through. Keep your fingers crossed.

Hope everything at the vet goes well for you and you little dog OP.

My brother’s little Tibetan torn her cruciate ligament at 3 months old. Took a few months to recover but she’s fine now at 10 months. She was very wobbly on her legs for a while.
He hasn’t had a bang to the head?

Frankly he's banged everything since he's had his growth spurt - he got long legs and suddenly started throwing himself onto and at everything in sight! He's always picked himself up and walked away without a fuss though.

Vet thinks it is hip related but isn't suggesting hip displacement at the moment. He's given us painkillers and some general management advice and we are going back in ten days time. He was very sensible and basically said he couldn't be sure of anything at this point and it was entirely possible he would be fine after a week of rest and pain management. I'm keeping notes about how he is doing and hoping that we won't need to have x-rays next time.

If anyone has any great ideas to prevent zoomies (which currently include finding the highest point of furniture and then launching off it) I would be grateful. The restfulness is not going well. (PS: don't say crate him - he has to come out sometimes).

I'm a vet and I am going to say crate him because "zooming" and leaping off furniture is the very opposite of rest. I often board dogs that need rest because owners (and animals) find it so hard to enforce. I also have an active dog who is excessively hard on himself, and I do understand...

When mine is on enforced rest I used to empty out a room downstairs and put a mattress on the floor. So no sofa or other furniture to jump on. Sitting and sleeping with him on the mattress used to help him relax and if he got up I would give him something like a deers antler to chew for a bit. Outside I would use a lead so he couldn't chase about the garden.