How can I tell if my dog has a serious hip problem or just hurt himself? How long should I wait to see?

My good old dog (15) has been squealing when he tries to sit down or stoop (lower his back) to go through the doggy door. He does have a skinned place on top of a paw, so he probably was chasing something with my other dog, who is heavy and aggressive and just have a sprain or twisted muscle from crashing with her. But I've heard of old dogs having serious hip problems. I just noticed it last night (Friday) and I don't think it's time for the emergency room. He's licking the paw that's cut, so I'm thinking I can wait through the weekend to see if it gets better. I really can't afford to go to the vet unless it's really necessary. He's o.k. when he's relaxed and he can walk o.k. but puts back feet together before sitting. It's just when he gets up or sits down that it hurts him. This has happened before when he got into a scuffle with Sweetie (my rough dog), so I'm thinking its not that hip displasia that dogs get sometimes which require serious attention. What thinkest thou?

How can I tell if my dog has a serious hip problem or just hurt himself? How long should I wait to see?
Being that old a good rassle with younger dog could hurt him. They can have a 1/2 baby aspirin a day. My old Rott had arthirities and thats what we gave him. Vet told me. So if your dog is smaller go less aspirin. Remember only aspirin, no tylenol or anything else.I think I would call vet, it sounds bad! Good Luck!
Reply:the best thing to do would be to consult your vet
Reply:Older dogs, especially if they are overweight, are vulnerable to cruciate ligament ruptures (the most common rear leg injury in dogs) which is equivalent to an ACL tear in a human. Other possibilities are nerve damage, back injuries or arthritis causing nerve pinches and severe pain, muscle sprains from atrophy due to arthritis or other injury, and so on. You should have your dog seen asap, if he is living in miserable pain he deserves at least a diagnosis. If it is fixable, fix it. If not, put him to sleep so he doesn't have to live in pain anymore.
Reply:At this age , you should see a vet , but you can put him on glucosamine condriton , pills , its pretty safe give the dosage for and adult human if the dog is over 60 pounds half that if under 50 pounds . it takes about 2 weeks to bring down inflammation and help with pain , since your dog is old keep him on it for the rest of his life ,, you can give your dog a baby "aspirin" for pain , but only "aspirin" NO TYLENOL , TYLENOL is toxic to dogs ,





if your dog is over 70 pounds you can give one adult asprin
Reply:If in doubt you always go to the vet. Dogs are masters at disguising pain. If your dog is no longer disguising it you can bet he's hurting a lot.
Reply:Aww - I am sorry to hear about your dog's pain. However, it does seem like he has a hip problem. Large breed dogs are usually more predisposed for hip problems although all breeds can have them. Since he is a senior, I would really get him checked out. If you want further information on Hip Dysplasia, please check the link below.





Good luck!