Flint's energy has declined

[StateOfMine]

Basically for the last month I have noticed Flint behaving very well in the house to the point I leave him out of the crate and play video games. He is content to just snooze on the couch and he no longer makes noise in his crate to get me up in the morning.

Sounds good. Sounds like he is maturing finally. Until I started paying attention to exactly how much he sleeps. All night. Much of the day. Occasionally follows me around while I do chores. We play fetch still but he seems content to have shorter play sessions and come back inside.

If I ask him to come check the chickens with me, he's happy to go. He gets brief zoomies (something about me taking care of the chickens makes him go wild) and we play a bit. His poop is normal, no straining to pee. He eats and drinks just fine.

But if we are inside and he doesn't have something to chew on, he is usually passed out on my couch. He was taken to the vet on the 10th and the check up told me he was fine. Fine enough that they put him under anesthesia to remove some cheat grass from his ear.

We had a funeral and had to leave him with my mom for a few days. Everything was fine except the cat scared him so much he peed  and I pulled a cat Claw out from between his shoulder blades. He does seem like he is sleeping more after that too. Was the stress of being away from us for that long for the first time too much?

We left for the funeral on the 16th and returned on the 19th.

 

[Ravenbird]

Could be just maturing, which is always nice. Can't remember how old he is now,.. is he two yet? I would definitely think that leaving him for 3 days would create stress so that after coming home he needs to sleep for a few days. If I go to a 3-day trial my dog sleeps more for a day or two after we get home, but is still eager to do anything active if I want her to.

 

[GennyB]

I pulled a cat Claw out from between his shoulder blades

Have you checked where the claw came out? And redness or swelling? How about lymph nodes in the area?

 

[Ddski5]

Once mine hit 3-3.5yrs, they settled considerably. Sleep most of the time on the couch when not actively engaged.

 

[StateOfMine]

Could be just maturing, which is always nice. Can't remember how old he is now,.. is he two yet? I would definitely think that leaving him for 3 days would create stress so that after coming home he needs to sleep for a few days. If I go to a 3-day trial my dog sleeps more for a day or two after we get home, but is still eager to do anything active if I want her to.

Flint is a year and a half and still has his jewels.

Have you checked where the claw came out? And redness or swelling? How about lymph nodes in the area?

Yes. Everything seems okay.

Once mine hit 3-3.5yrs, they settled considerably. Sleep most of the time on the couch when not actively engaged.

Flint is half that age. Even my husband was surprised he settled so quickly and was concerned.

 

[JanS]

If everything was good at the vet he's probably just settling down. Ours had settled quite a bit by the time they were 1.5 years.

And as stated, if he was left with someone else for a few days it can really wear them out worrying about where you are.

 

[Two Dobes]

Agree with all of the above, but I too worry when you see 'new' behavior. Not trying to worry you in any way, but I would just keep an eye on him, and see if his 'lethargy' improves, and if he develops more exercise intolerance. He seems young to only want a quick play session.

 

[StateOfMine]

So his energy is back, but I have noticed he favors his right hind leg on occasion. He will trot for a bit, then start limping on it for a few steps then go back to trotting on it. For awhile I didn't think anything of it, we have some not so nice plants in our yard that we are slowly getting rid of. There are no wounds that I can see or feel. He has also started to circle something a few times before lifting that leg to pee on it rather than just immediately lift his leg and go. So far I cannot feel any noticeable difference between his right and back legs when I touch them or squeeze them.

He is also sitting weird and leans off of it. This dog is going to make me die of stress I swear.

 

[strykerdobe]

Basically for the last month I have noticed Flint behaving very well in the house to the point I leave him out of the crate and play video games. He is content to just snooze on the couch and he no longer makes noise in his crate to get me up in the morning.

Sounds good. Sounds like he is maturing finally. Until I started paying attention to exactly how much he sleeps. All night. Much of the day. Occasionally follows me around while I do chores. We play fetch still but he seems content to have shorter play sessions and come back inside.

If I ask him to come check the chickens with me, he's happy to go. He gets brief zoomies (something about me taking care of the chickens makes him go wild) and we play a bit. His poop is normal, no straining to pee. He eats and drinks just fine.

But if we are inside and he doesn't have something to chew on, he is usually passed out on my couch. He was taken to the vet on the 10th and the check up told me he was fine. Fine enough that they put him under anesthesia to remove some cheat grass from his ear.

We had a funeral and had to leave him with my mom for a few days. Everything was fine except the cat scared him so much he peed  and I pulled a cat Claw out from between his shoulder blades. He does seem like he is sleeping more after that too. Was the stress of being away from us for that long for the first time too much?

We left for the funeral on the 16th and returned on the 19th.

Each dog is different. But leaving him in a new environment can cause some stress.

 

[Two Dobes]

So his energy is back, but I have noticed he favors his right hind leg on occasion.

He is also sitting weird and leans off of it. This dog is going to make me die of stress I swear.

So glad to hear his energy has returned. I completely understand the 'stress' of the unknown limping That is something we all go through...if they could only talk. It sounds as though he has just pulled a muscle or something simple. And the fact that he is favoring it just confirms he is sore. I would keep an eye on him, and perhaps limit his blasting around.

 

[Katyusharocket]

My Katyusha is 4 and Zastava 11 months. I am gone for 2 spells of a 4.5 hours a day, and I know from checking them on camera, they are either sleeping or laying very still through both of those periods and then they sleep all night, too. The young one is wild when I am home, but they don't even try to play with each other if I am gone. If they hear something they will get up and bark at it, or howl together sometimes, but otherwise very restful. Could he have been laying low because his leg hurt, and now that he is moving more, you're seeing the limp? Just a thought. Like @TwoDobes mentioned, I would watch for increased excersize intolerance after his leg is feeling better. Otherwise, especially given his recent checkup, I bet he is just adulting a bunch more now. It's frustrating that they can't describe their pains to us.