Stoved up Lab pup

[Illini]

I' ve got a chocolate lab pup who is 9 mos. and I have been trainging for several months. We have entered the water retrieving phase and she is awesome! She has no problem with holds, or marks or double retrieves, etc. and she LOVES the water! Typically these water sessions run about 15 mins of play and about 15-20 min. of retrieving work with a lot of rest in between for a total of about 30-45 at the lake. I try to get her to the water 3-4 times a week.

Lately I have noticed on days when she has worked in the water she gets stoved up at night. After laying down in the evenings she gets up kind of stiff legged and has to move around quite a bit to get loose (kind of like her master!) I have also noted a barely audible popping noise that sounds like it could be coming from her leg joint, possibly her hip(?).

I' ve already backed off on the frequency and length of the training sessions. Should I be concerned?? Should I get her to a vet?? Is there any supplements that she should be taking that would help??

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

[oldelkhunter]

I would consult with your vet... always good for peace of mind in a case like this.

[caveman22]

Illini,

OFA Hip certification is for dogs 24 months or older, however, there is a preliminary screening that can be performed at a much earlier age. A little time and money with your vet now could save you a lot of time and money in the future.

On the bright side, I do recall that 2 of my 3 goldens showed signs of stiffness somewhere around that age. I asked around and was told that it was pretty much just growing pains. Neither one has shown any sign of hip problems since. I should know soon, I had them x-rayed last week. Just waiting with my fingers crossed for a response from OFA.

Good luck and I hope pooch has healthy hips.

[mez]

Water work is generally not associated with sore hips, in fact , it is often reccommended as physical therapy for dogs with hip problems. I would guess it is growing pains so to speak, but the popping noise may be signifigant. I would take the dog to your vet, they should be able to exam the hips and depending on what they find they may or may not want to take radiographs. If the dogs hips are bad enough to be causing problems at this age you will have a real mess by the time the dog is 2-3 years old.