Lucie stopped jumping

Hi All.
Noticed in last few days lucie has been lagging behind in her walks and has stopped jumping up to me and on to the sofa.....which is really odd as her "seat" in our house is the back of the sofa beside our cat.She tries to jump but stops herself.She is not limping,or crying but is also reluctant to go up the stairs even though she knows the cat food she longs to steal is up there.
I bacame fully aware of this yest as she always is first to jump at me for food or a cuddle!
So i went to vet and have got an appointment for tomorrow morning!
Wondering if its maybe her hips,knees or even blocked/infected anal glands possibly?
Any one have anything similar happen with their cav?
I have been massaging both back legs for 10 mins at a time throughout the day,and I have put her into her crate to rest incase its a muscle injury whilst playing with our puppy.
She always plays in the trampoline but she hasnt been in it for days.
I am just about to change her insurance from DL to AXA even though our policy isnt due for renewal til may....but when i spoke to the vet yest she said to hold off till we get this sorted.
Lucie turned 3 on Sunday and apart from little minor ailments she has always been really well....im just praying its a muscle strain.
Thanks.

Mindy has done this a couple of times over the years and it was a muscle strain in her back. Hopefully that's all it is but it's best to get it checked out as you are doing.

Definitely have it checked by the vet; it could be back problems (if muscle strain or bone/joint/disk problems, most likely back, I'd think, not knees or hips if she hasn't had problems before. Knee problems tend to show by age 1). If it doesn't resolve and no other reason for her problem can be found then do talk to your vet about SM. I wouldn't change policies.

Dogs hide pain very well. I see this every day with Leo, who clearly has daily pain from SM, yet just overrides it when he wants to be active or play or is happy to see people. I do not believe at all that a wagging tail means a cavalier isn't feeling significant pain though. If you think about people with serious pain, most often you cannot outwardly tell they live with chronic pain unless it is massively severe. I have a relative living with daily intense neuropathic pain (much the type that comes with SM) and you would not be able to tell this from her outward activities. She just gets on with life, laughs and enjoys herself, but I know the pain burden she carries because she has described it. That's why I think any unusual behaviour needs to always be carefully investigated in animals, and that we are very poor at truly judging what pain -- especially neuropathic pain -- an animal feels. Also, it is why good pain management is essential. Vets often do not have the experience or ability to judge levels of neuropathic pain.

Well be warned, harley is exactly the same, and at just 3 years old beginning of this month, he has been diagnosed with hip dysplacia, one of his hips is so bad only a hip replacement is his only choice. I would get it xrayed to be honest (£170) and i hope you have her insured. Like Karlin says they hide pain well, the vet was twisting and turning his hips and not a sign of any pain it was his walk that gave it away, does she wiggle when she walks to sort of shorten her gate. My vet has a springer with h/d and spotted it straight away i just wish we had seen him last year with this. di

Good idea to take her to the vet. This is how Casey's symptoms started. One day we just realized that our "lap dog" was no longer jumping on the sofa to sit with us. She would sleep behind a chair on the cold tile floor.

We had her x-ray'd head to toe and all was normal. Normal blood tests, cultures, etc. We are assuming she has SM, and she is now treated with pain meds and again is on the sofa with us at all times. However, as soon as I try to wean her from the pain meds, the symptoms start up again. We have not had an MRI.

Keep us updated.

I have two dogs that periodically won't jump. Oliver has hip dysplasia and when he is in a pain cycle he won't jump or really do anything else for that matter. Riley, my SM baby, just went through a period of not jumping. The neurologist upped her meds and she started jumping again. I hope it's not either of those two problems for Lucie.

Thanks everyone for your replies.
Just back from the vet.
My vet manipulated Lucies back legs and hips and she never showed any sign of not liking it.
So we got her anal glands emptied....as they were a bit full and have some metcalm for a few days to see how she does then back to vet.
She has started jumping up to people she knows..like the vet....but not in her usual way so its a case of watch n see for a few days and if there is no change then she will be xrayed from head to toe.
My vet says she doesnt want to go knocking her out incase the 2 dogs have been playing and she has injured herself...and my friends 2 westies were in on fri and they were all playing....this seems to have started around sat so am fingers crossed she has just hurt herself and will soon return to normal.
Will keep u all updated.x

Hi Leesa,
keeping my fingers crossed :xfngr: that it's just a muscle strain from playing with the other dogs.

Keep us updates.

It's a long shot but our Blenheim had similar symptoms. The vet thought it might be a slipped disc but after a long delay it turned out to be a tiny stone in his salivary gland. It was removed and he recovered quickly after the op. The vet had only seen one previous case in his long career. Thought that you would like to know just in case. Best wishes