Series of Questions (sorry!)

Hey, I have a bunch of questions I've kind of been storing up. Partly due to getting rear-ended by some vile woman who took off afterwards, and I've been REALLY stiff and sore and am getting an idea of how my poor old arthritis-sore tripod pup must be feeling.

1. Schroder is getting "wobblier." He has more trouble getting across the carpeted living room than he did last month. He's also had some pretty serious tumbles outside, where he hits the ground HARD - patches of ice, tripping on things, etc. It breaks my heart- what should I do about it? He LOVES being outside and smelling everything and walking, but if he keeps falling like this... should I take him out less? Shorter? We go out 4 times a day around the block, usually about 15 min.

Also, he's on 100 mg of rimadyl a day for pain control.

2. This is related to MY pain (I'm a baby, I know). Our house has stairs. Lots of stairs. Stairs to the front door, stairs to the landing, stairs everywhere! Schroder is a lap dog and wants to be with you whatever room you are in, and this means I am constantly lugging him up and down the stairs with me. He's not hugely heavy, and I'm sure it's good for me since I don't go the gym, but it's getting more difficult since I do it so often (6-10 times a day, minimum) Any ideas on getting him less attached to being with me every second of every day?

3. Schroder is kinda going deaf. At first I didn't notice it too much, but either it's getting worse or I'm just noticing more. In either case, I'm trying to train him to do ..things.. but he doesn't hear me and I'm having huge trouble getting him to look at me. Tips on getting him to look?

I have others, but if i posted ALL of them, no one would ever read this!

Sorry I don't have any adivice but will send you a :grouphug:.


Did you get the woman's license plate to report her at least??

so sorry about your accident.. some people are such wankers:frustrated:

with regards to schroder...maybe lessen his walk by about five minutes? it can make a difference, but he wont notice.. his energy and attitude seem amazing from what you have said, and that is a good thing.. just curious do you have him on any natural supplements for arthritis? there are many good ones out there that help over time. now i have seen a picture of tango.. what kind of dog is schroder? if he is a small one, would a type of backpack be easier on you for taking him up down stairs? it is hard to unvelcro a dog, and he is going through some health issues, maybe some others have some better suggestions.

as far as him going deaf, has he been to a vet lately? only asking as i havent looked at your past posts... maybe there is something more they could do or check there to be sure.. i know many dogs do pick up sign language very quickly, via commands, if he is going deaf, he would still feel vibrations, try tapping the floor, that type of thing to get his focus and then use a hand signal for a command.

sorry i cannot recommend more... i am sure others will have some better ideas... and :grouphug:

hiw about carrying a lzer tag you could use that so he could follow it to you

I didn't get a licence plate, unfortunately- my glasses flew off when she hit me. No good.

I don't have him on natural supplements for the arthritis, I didn't know they existed. I'll start looking into that now, though, thanks for the tip! Unfortunately, Schroder is the same size as Tango (but thick and strong through the chest like a bull dog) and is much heavier. They're listed as brother and sister, but I don't see much resemblance apart from size.

I like the laser pointer idea, but I might have to get something with a bigger light at the end since he seems to spend a lot of time in his own little world. I don't think he knows he's going deaf, if that makes sense? and doesn't seem to pick up on floor vibrations. Sometimes I say his name and he looks at me, other times I can stomp up behind him (to make vibrations), call his name when I'm behind him, clapping my hands, and he still jumps a mile when I finally touch him.

Does anyone have any ideas on supplements for arthritis management? I'll reasearch, but if people already know... :D

Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplements are the ones most commonly used. You can use the human ones as the vet ones are much more expensive.

Green Lipped Mussel is another supplement. It is found in Sasha's Blend. (http://www.sashasblend.com/)

You can also get Cartrophen injections from the vet.

Here's some info for you on natural treatments for arthritis: http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/caninearthritis.html
And I'm wondering if maybe some kind of harness would help with walking: http://www.handicappedpets.com/Mobility%20-%20Harness.htm