Suddenly No Stairs!

[CRB_423]

Rufus is about 5.5 years old and after a trip to visit my parents (they live about an hour away from us) she absolutely DID NOT want to come up the stairs. We live in a split level ranch so she has to come up and go down stairs when she goes out to the backyard or when we take her out for walks. She usually is stubborn about going down and coming up the front stairs but she never has a problem with the stairs from the back deck even though those stairs are longer and steeper (about 10 feet from the back yard to the top of the deck).

Yesterday she sat at the bottom of the deck stairs for 30 minutes and didn't come up until we put the leash on and coax her with her favorite treats. I had a similar issue this morning after she took her normal morning poop and pee. She does not appear to be limping, but responds as if there is some tenderness around her hips.

I am aware that English Mastiffs are prone to hip problems, but this came on so suddenly. We have removed several brown ticks off of her in the last two weeks and I have not seen any deer ticks on her. I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow, but wondered if anyone had any thoughts about this.

Also, should there be a permanent hip problem can anyone recommend a solution for helping her get up and down stairs? We thought about getting our handy man to install a plywood ramp over the back deck stairs. Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

 

[dogman#1]

CRB, tell your vet to run a series of blood tests for lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis etc...it need not be deer ticks as several species of ticks carry different diseases that have joint issues as side effects. Get an x-ray while your there because as you said the breed is prone to HD. in any case I would start w/ a glucosomine and chondroitin supplement...I use flexicose for myself and my dogs. Goodluck.

 

[chris410]

It will be expensive but I would have the hips x-rayed. As dogman said, tests for lyme, etc... are a good idea as well. However, if your mastiff is acting normal and only having issues with the stairs something could be bothering him. Hope everything turns out well for you!

 

[ElJayBee]

also get those knees checked for a possible ACL tear. it will usually show up on just a physical exam if your vet is experienced

 

[CRB_423]

Thanks for all the advice! We took Rufus to the vet last Tuesday and he ran some tests and palpated her knees, hips; watched her walk etc. Ruled out lyme or any other tick borne disease (yes!) and determined that it was most likely some soft tissue damage. He gave us some glucosamine/chondroitin, pain killers and special joint and weight management dog food. He mentioned getting her hips x-rayed but my BF and I both agreed that we would rather try minimally invasive treatment first. The vet also told us to lay off on the treats and people food for a while to keep her weight down.

So a week later, she has WAY more energy and is bounding up and down stairs as if nothing was wrong! She is a little disappointed that we haven't been giving her our leftovers but she is doing much better.