Dog leaps to her feet.

Dr. Marie replied:

It sure sounds like Kira has been through a lot in her life! She is blessed to have such a caring owner!

I have seen dogs do what you describe. I don't have an answer as to why she is doing it though.

It certainly could be that she has a sudden twinge of pain. Given her history, this really wouldn't surprise me. With her back issues it is possible that she gets the occasional shooting pain that causes her to suddenly need to change position. Perhaps the leaping to her feet is an attempt to run away from the pain?

I have seen dogs do this if they have anal gland issues as well. Has she ever had problems with her anal glands? Some dogs, when they have full anal glands will suddenly jump up. They usually do look at their bum after doing so though. It looks to me like the dog is saying, "What the heck? Did something just bite my bum?"

To answer your question about how a lame dog could get up so suddenly, the only explanation I could give is adrenaline. I have seen dogs who are severely arthritic and can barely move, but when they see a squirrel in the yard, all of a sudden they are running like a puppy. That's all due to adrenaline. So, if she did have a sudden shooting pain this could give her an adrenaline rush and give her the ability to be more mobile.

It's tough to know what to do about it though. If you are at all suspicious of anal gland issues then it's worthwhile to have your vet take a look.

I'm assuming that Kira is on some type of pain medication such as an NSAID like Metacam, Deramaxx, Rimadyl or Previcox? If not, it's definitely a good idea. If she is already on some pain medication it's not a bad idea to talk to your vet about adding a second medication. It would be interesting to do a trial for a couple of weeks and see if she has fewer episodes of leaping. A good second medication could be Tramadol. Or, if these truly are pain bouts due to a shooting nerve pain she may really benefit from a medication called Gabapentin.

I'm not sure if I've helped much! Let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.

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