[Twelling]

Hi everyone,

It's weird. During the last 2 months, I've noticed that my 98 pounds golden lab of 6 years has started having trouble coming down the basement. In fact, the oddity is not just restricted to the basement; sometimes when he runs upstairs to where we sleep, he has a hard time coming back down stairs to the main floor.

It takes a while to coax him to come back down, and I just sit at the stairs with him till he takes a chance.

He then slips a little, but I'm there to hold him before any injury can occur. Then we slowly make our way down, with me always in front of him so he doesn't fall or anything. When I see him like that, it makes me feel really bad for him.

But it's odd because, sometimes, he has no trouble at all.

Is this psychological?

Well, I did clips his nails a few weeks ago. It sort of helped. Now its like 50/50; half the times he will just stare down the stairs with frustration at his inability to join us.

Sometimes he just pounces down without thinking about it.

I hope he's all right.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have to offer :)

[mrs.pennell]

Hi,

Have you taken him to see his vet? It's possible that he is developing arthritis in his hips. My siberian husky has this same problem, although she was a bit older. She eventually gave up climbing (or descending) stairs altogether. Your best bet is to take him to the vet though!

[Twelling]

Mmm you're probably right. I got to push my dad to take him out to the vet one day. I just got my G1 a few months ago, so I'll be able to drive on my own in like a year? But till then, I''ll have to voncince someone else to drive him.

[mrs.pennell]

In the meantime, keeping his toenails short is a great idea. Good luck!

[labman]

Yes, the arthritis in the hips or other such problem is a likely cause. At 6 years old, he may be starting to lose muscle tone and poor joint structure catching up to him. Have you ever tried crawling down the stairs head first? I was much younger when I tried it, but it was scary.

Any physical problems he has will be made worse if he is over weight as is common with Goldens. The vet will back me on this. Here is a good guide to a longer, active life for any dog.

September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog

[fredg]

Hi,
I agree with all the answers you have received. Please take him to a Vet, checking for arthritis and also ask the Vet about his weight; that is, if the Vet thinks he might need to lose some.
Those toenails can grow very fast, especially when one forgets about them for awhile. It sometimes makes walking difficult, not to mention stairs!
Best of luck.