The last time Walter stayed with us, May of this year, Cynthia mentioned to me that Walter went up the stairs using his hind legs in unison and I agreed with her since I had seen it myself, therefore I did a bit of research and I found out that some dogs do that when they start having trouble with their joints and that to be on the safe side, since it may just be a dog’s quirk, is best to talk to the vet. When Walter’s mom came to pick him up, I mentioned this to her and she said that she’ll take him to the vet.
Walter’s mom told me that the vet advised them to watch him since he is only a little over 2 years old. Two months later, Walter came back to stay with us, and his mom told me that the vet after seeing that Walter started to have more difficulty with his hind legs suggested to either start with supplements or surgery. She said that the vet wanted to run some tests first before deciding what treatment would be best for Walter. Because of that our walks that used to be from 40 to 60 minutes long twice a day were reduced to 15 minutes twice a day.
Every time a dog stays with us, Cynthia and I talk about their behavior, quirks, likes, dislikes, etc., and if there is anything that seems out of the ordinary, I talk to the pet parent about it. That is why when a pet parent is coming to pick up her dog, I do ask her to have a couple of minutes so we can talk.
Whether you pet sit, like I do, or have your own dog, please watch him and you’ll be surprised what you can find out about a dog. One time I did go overboard with Alex though because, no I was not drunk, I noticed a “lump” on her rump so I took her to the vet and to my horror she told me that she had two “lumps” on her rump and they are called Muscles. I was so embarrassed, my face was red like a tomato, but the vet was so amazing and understanding and she told me not to worry about it with a big smile on her face. Between you and me, I think she was laughing at me.
Anyway, please send well wishes and positive energy and thoughts to Walter. He is one of a kind.
AllMyCanineCompanions 
Hi Marcela,
Positive wishes toward Walter!
Thanks also for stopping by my blog and liking the Genius/Genus post. I appreciate your visit.
May you and yours have a delightful & safe holiday weekend!
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa. Thanks a million for the positive wishes for handsome Walter. You too, enjoy this holiday weekend:)
Yep, always better to be careful. We’ve had our older Aussie on Missing Link Plus for joints and it helped him. He’s a black tri also and it made his coat shine!
Totally agree with you. Alex is on a product called Rejuvenate along with Omega 3 and since I started her on those supplements she is fine. Thanks for sharing:)
I’ll take laughing at myself and a healthy dog over the alternative any day!
Thanks Will:) The vet was so sweet since she saw that I felt so bad about it, but after I got home and thought about it a little longer I told myself, “Who cares. This is my girl’s health so if someone is going to laugh at me and maybe, just maybe, I can brighten up that individuals day, so be it:)”
I did something like that with the vet, too. I don’t remember what I thought was abnormal, but whatever it was it was supposed to be there and a first grader probably would realize that. I’m sure the vet smiled to lessen your embarrassment. Walter is a sweet boy and I sure hope he feels fine for a very long time.
You too? Omg:) Yes, I think she did:) Thanks for your well wishes for Walter.
Rather feel like an idiot with the lumps – went through it twice with two dogs in succession – both Mastec. The first one was OK after the removal, the second was Mastec grade 2 and that is cancer. Cost a fortune the removal operation and the chemo, but it pulled him a further loveable four years. Enjoy your embarrassment it was worth it.
Thanks a million for your kind and funny words:)