<p>I also gave my retriever wet food- with just a handful of Orijen dry. She lasted till a month past her 16th birthday.</p>
<p>She had eaten two cooked chicken carcasses in her lifetime ( dug out of the garbage) but while she had to be hospitalized overnight for one of them to watch for pancreatitis, that was when she was about 9. ( must have not gotten much bone)</p>
<p>Our mutt (who surely has some golden in her) gets lethargic for a few days after we put the Advantix drops on her for fleas and ticks…then she is fine. Did you do anything like that?</p>
<p>No advice, but I just want to say that I am thinking of your dog. I hope he feels better soon!</p>
<p>I just called home and my son said that his one front leg seems to be bothering him but other then that has been getting around and woofing as usual. Do dogs pull muscles??</p>
<p>OK–Front leg is bothering him. Same thing happened to our golden/lab mix a while back.
Upset stomach first. Gimpy leg second. Turned out to be Lymes. Bring him to the vet for blood work.</p>
<p>Make sure there is plenty of clean water available for him to drink. Lymes also causes on and off fevers. This could explain excessive panting and lethargy. If it’s Lymes, his leg will get worse until the antibiotic treatment kicks in.</p>
<p>kathiep, I would call your vet. My mother’s dog developed some intermittent difficulties with his front leg- he was limping about- it turned out he had Lyme disease. He had lethargy that came and went as did the limping. I really would check with the vet. If Lyme is caught early it can be treated.</p>
<p>Note: crossposted with nysmile</p>
<p>Well, we have an appointment for tomorrow morning. Lyme seems likely even though he did get a vaccination for that but I think that was not recently. This is a very Lyme prevalent area. I hope the solution is a tasty chew treat…</p>
<p>Wow, what a difference a few hours make. I came home about 30 minutes ago and dog was outside to greet me, eyes shining, tail high in the air and just a slight limp. We’re still going to take him in because I want to make sure everything is okay but we’re now thinking that he may have gotten stung by a couple of bees. They’re pretty angry at this time of year and my husband said that he was hanging in his pool last night, maybe trying to get rid of the pain of a sting. We gave him an old little tykes pool/sandbox and keep it filled with water in the summer. I’ll let you all know if there’s something else going on, but as of now, things look good.</p>
<p>My 10 yr old dog recently had a bout with (and is still recovering from) a disk problem in her back. She limped around very slightly for a few days (it was so subtle it was hard to detect) and then all of a sudden seemed mopey and wasn’t moving around a lot. She walked with her head down and shoulders hunched. This occurred on and off for several days before we took her in. It took two visits to the vet and a round of xrays to diagnose her. She’s been in prednisone now for about 10 days and is doing better but not fully back to normal. She can go from acting like her normal bouncy self to looking like she in pain in a manner of minutes and then back again once she the meds kick in. Pain in animals can show up in weird ways - like excess panting or limping or lack of appetite.</p>
<p>I would keep an eye on your dog and if he shows continuing signs, take him to the vet. With a dog that old, it could be anything… or hopefully nothing.</p>
<p>I hope it all turns out well for your furry friend but am glad to hear you’re still taking him in for a check. Our dog happens to love trips to the vet- thankfully we don’t have to go very often though!</p>
<p>I’m glad he’s doing better and that you are planning to bring him in tomorrow.</p>
<p>Glad to hear you had a bouncy welcome! Goldens are wonderful and I miss mine.</p>
<p>I hope your dog checked out okay at the vet…good wishes your way!</p>
<p>We went to the vet this morning and he checked our pup out. Of course, dog was acting all happy and lively so it was hard to believe that he was “lethargic” earlier. The vet thinks he may have a pinched nerve and prescribed an anti-inflammatory chewable. That was after doing some blood-work and ruling out Lyme disease. He also prescribed some ear cleaner stuff. It cost as much for the lab work as it did for the medication. Vet asked us to call in a couple of days to tell us how he is doing. Frankly, dog often has a build up of ear stuff in one ear or the other. The vet cleans it out, we treat it daily for the required time and then it comes back. Doesn’t seem to bother dog that much. He certainly has no problems hearing. Oh well, so far so good.</p>
<p>I’ve been following this thread since my 11 year old Lab has not been acting right lately either. Was so hoping it was a disc problem or the like. Took her to the vet this morning. Sadly, it is not good news. 
I am heartbroken. :(</p>
<p>So sorry Justamom5465, it is awful when the news is bad. I’ve been there more than a few times but a few times, our golden pulled through miraculously…beating the odds.</p>
<p>A little late to weigh in, but last winter our standard poodle (1 1/2 years old) was extremely lethargic and not his usual self – turns out he had Addison’s Disease and was close to dying. He stayed in “doggie ICU” for a few days and then came back home; with daily meds and a once-monthly shot, he’s as perky as ever, but it was quite scary and I have to admit, I cried seeing him in the doggie ICU. Then my husband cried when he saw the bill :-)</p>
<p>kathiep, I’m so glad Lyme was ruled out. I hope your pal continues to improve steadily. </p>
<p>JustaMom, so sorry for your bad news. We have an eight year old Lab who has been my absolute best friend and companion through some rough times - I know what a special place your friend holds in your heart. You’ve got a lot of fellow animal lovers here - hope we can help you through this.</p>
<p>justamom, I’m so sorry. I’ve been there, and it is indeed heartbreaking.</p>
<p>JustaMom5465, I’m sorry to hear about your dog. Our across the street neighbors have a yellow lab that is about 12 years old and we’ve been watching her steadily decline over the last year. She’s taking to wandering over to our house to poop in our lawn and sometimes circle the house. Our dog obviously realizes that she’s not any threat and after a little sniffing watches him politely. She’s got those bad hips too. When our neighbors son went off to college this fall he made sure to give her a real goodbye. :(</p>
<p>My husband called this morning (he’s out of town) and was not happy with the vet bill. Actually, he said that we should have waited another day. In hindsight, he may be right since frankly, dog looks 100% today.</p>