Luna has been getting stiffer in the back end the past few months. Last week she started shivering. I took her to the vet. He said it feels to him like she has some arthritis in her hips and knees (also around ACL repair). Her bloodwork revealed that her liver enzymes were high. He said she could have a mass. He said we could ultrasound or we could try her on Deramaxx for the inflammation, Flagyl (antibiotic) to rule out infection causing the high levels and Denamarin to help with liver function. He also put her on a prescription dog food high in Omega fatty acids. Then we'll recheck her levels in 2 weeks.
It took about 4 days before I started seeing her shiver less and get up more. Still shaky in the morning, but as the day wore on, she'd show improvement. He said for her to continue getting walks, although short ones.
Last night as we started down the street, she tripped with her front paw. I thought it was maybe an honest trip. Then we went a little further and she acted like she was going to stumble and land straight on her face. Her head was hung low. I had to call my DH to come get us in the car and we weren't even a block away.
She didn't eat much yesterday, but had been eating fine until them. I didn't think much of it because she was so excited to walk, and she had been acting like her old self right before we left.
I'm at a loss. I was out of town the week before last. My neighbor watched her. My neighbor let her play with her dog outside. She stayed here and said Luna tried to get up on the bed. I think she was asked by her little girl to come up, because she hasn't tried that in a few years. At first I thought she aggravated something while I was gone. Now I wonder if she's just going downhill fast.
Advice? Thoughts? I hate seeing her like this. But I also don't see the point in the ultrasound, because even if she has a mass, I'm not going to have it operated on. She's got to be 10 by now. I just don't understand why she's tripping with her front paws unless she's just that weak. :(