My dog is limping. :( I could use advice, help and hugs

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My dog is limping pretty bad. She's a cocker spaniel and very overweight. I went away for two weeks, and I can back and she'd gained even more weight. I don't know why she's limping, but I can't walk her to help her lose the weight. We can't afford to take her to the vet right now either. I read online that most limps will go away in a few weeks if you don't over exercise the dog. I'm hoping this will be the case. I went to help her on the bed just a second ago, and she fell down and started crying.

Hip problems are common in Cockers, and some of them can be extremely expensive to take care of. We don't have the money. Then my mother made the mistake of mentioning that years ago, her family had a dod who had a hip problem and he had to be put down because they couldn't afford his care.

An ideas, tips about her leg and getting her to lose weight (she gets into everything and eats it all) kind words and hugs would be appreciated.

I'm very afraid it's worse than my mom thinks. I don't know what I'd do without my Phoebe!

How old is Phoebe, first and foremost? Age could be a factor and even if she is younger the excess weight could exacerbate things. How long has she been limping for? It could just be that she's having an off day. If it lasts more then a few days, though I would highly reccemend having her looked at by a vet.

Second, how is she fed? Do you free feed (i.e.e leave the dish out at all times)? In terms of her getting into things, can you give some examples of how she goes this (does she open cupboards, get up on the table, etc)?

In terms of helping her to lose weight I would start by reducing her food. Is she on kibble or wet food? If she's on kibble she bag should have a feeding based on weight. Most healthy Cockers weigh between 18-25 lbs, so feed the recommended amount listed for that weight. If she's on a wet food and it's feasible I would recommend switching to kibble. Not only is wet food more caloric, but the kibble goes along way in helping with plague reduction on teeth.

As you mentioned that walking her is difficult, do you have a dog park in your area? Or simply have neighbours/relatives with dogs? Playing with other canines is a fantastic form of exercise, presuming of course that she gets along with them.

One thing you could try in terms of her hips is to buy some glucosamine powder from your vet. This powder is a joint supplement and works as an anti inflammatory, as well as helping decrease joint pain. If she isn't a fussy eater (and it doesn't sound like she is) you can mix it in with her food. Or you can mix the power in a small amount of peanut butter or cheese spread (low cal in your dog's case).

I started giving my Chow mix glucosamine last year (he is mildly dysplasiac as well as having pain fro man old hip injury) and he's done wonderfully on it- he can run around without being in pain the next day.

I hope these suggestions help. Hugs to both you and Phoebe.

Take her to the vet.

It could be diabetes. Sometimes that starts up in older dogs and if you're not quick about it they could lose limbs. All you'd have to do is give her injections.

First lock up any food she might eat that she shouldn't then start reading packages at the animal food store you go to or call a vet and see what they recommend for losing weight. Mostly though feed them a small amount of food sayyyy 3 times a day throughout the day and never leave food just waiting for them in their bowl. As for the old age/hip troubles you can't do anything for it if you can't afford it. Most dogs get along with those troubles w/o help and live a long happy life even if they are in pain they can still be happy. I work at a vet I'm not a doctor but that's what we do with the dogs really. Most dogs that people put down just don't need to be put down that simple. Old,dirty,don't like it, not cute, loud, smelly, etc... people just put down dogs b/c they don't want to care for them sad really.

Try looking into cheaper vets. I took my cat to the vet at Petsmart because they were the only ones open on Sunday, and not only were they much cheaper, but they were much more caring than my regular vet. (This was a few years ago, so I'm not sure if Petsmart still offers vet services.) If nothing else, maybe they can prescribe a cheap painkiller so that the dog is not suffering so much.

we had a cocker, he got arthritis..but he was 16 years old, too.

I'm sorry
*hug*

he really needs to go to a vet,find out if the vet will let pay off in installments as the one mum/dad takes the cats to do this for them,when they dont have the money.

if they cant find anything wrong with it,try looking for someone who does reiki on animals,it's supposed to be good with leg strains.
am paying for sam to have reiki sessions from this saturday for her cancer [nothing can be done for her,but its to help her be at peace].