My Dog Is Not Jumping Up Anymore

Suppose your dog is not jumping; canine lameness, sprain, and hip dysplasia often reduce a dog’s ability to jump. It is often worrying when your active pet cannot jump up and around you. Furthermore, conditions such as osteomyelitis, arthritis, degenerative joint diseases and age can also affect your pet’s ability to jump.

And this can be due to several reasons that cause canine lameness. However, while some conditions can be treated or prevented, others are not.

Dogs with hip or back leg pain or injury may hesitate to leap up. Any problem causing pain in the hindquarters and any problem causing overall weakness can affect its ability to jump.

Reasons Why Your Dog Is Not Jumping Anymore

Patella Luxation

The dog has trouble bearing weight on the leg when the patella luxates, although there are rarely any signs of pain. It may learn to kick the leg to the side, causing the knee to hyperextend and the patella to snap back into place.

Patellar luxation can be classified into several degrees or grades, ranging from mild luxation to moderate luxation to severe luxation. The condition results in knee dislocation the majority of the time.

One or both kneecaps may luxate in affected dogs, sometimes to varying degrees. As a result of the kneecap popping out causes pain that makes your dog unable to walk correctly, which makes it very challenging to jump.

Hip Dysplasia May Be Why Your Dog Is Not Jumping Anymore

Hip dysplasia is a growth-related malformation of the hip joint. The ball and the socket in your pet’s pelvis must grow simultaneously during development. However, this is not the case for dogs suffering from this condition.

This condition leads to an uneven gait in your pet. It is a painful condition that affects your dog’s ability to run, walk or jump and its overall functionality. However, the amount of pain depends on the severity of the condition.

Inter-Vertebral Disc Displacement

Intervertebral Disc disease is a spinal condition caused by a ruptured intervertebral disc in dogs. The intervertebral disc is a thick substance that cushions the bones and spine and acts as a shock absorber for the spine.

When an intervertebral disc herniates, it can cause concussion or compression of the spinal cord, resulting in long-term and devastating consequences. This condition can cause pain in your pet when it tries to move; it will undoubtedly be unable to jump.

If Your Dog Is Not Jumping Anymore, It Could Be Arthritis

Arthritis, or inflammation of the joints, is a common problem in dogs, resulting in pain, stiffness, and discomfort.

In pets with arthritis, the articular cartilage within a joint erodes or is destroyed, exposing and causing the bones to rub against each other, resulting in pain.

This rubbing can be uncomfortable or painful and further damage cartilage. Your pet will likely find it challenging to move as it will be in pain. Making it less likely for it to be able to jump

Degenerative Joint Disease

The tissues lining our pets’ joints may atrophy and degenerate as they age. This kind of arthritis or osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage covering the end of bones in one or more joints erodes. It can also impact your pet’s ability to move or jump.

Injury

It could be because it has sustained an injury. Your pet is most likely in pain from the injury and, as a result, can barely walk.

It will be a challenge to expect your pet to jump when injured. The wound does not have to be a significant cut; it could be a small cut on its paw, which you might overlook.

However, you would see slight changes in your pup’s stride. Furthermore, if it leaps and lands on the injured paw, it is bound to be painful; it will try not to jump again to avoid the pain it felt when it jumped.

Infections

There are lots of infections that can make your dog stop jumping. Some infections can make a dog weak and passive, and others can make them uninterested in physical activities. However, some conditions affect the bones.

Osteomyelitis is a bacterial or fungal infection that causes bone or bone marrow inflammation.

Inflammation can be transient or persistent. It usually spreads from other body parts, most commonly when an infection is transported to the bone by the bloodstream.

Trauma

Suppose your pet has had a terrible experience jumping in the past and has learned to avoid it.

It is particularly likely if it leapt and injured itself or you punished it for jumping. As most dogs will love to please their owners, they will likely not jump again after you reprimand them.

Age

Dogs get less energetic as they get older, and moving around might become painful for them. Your dog may have stopped jumping because of old age, which is more likely if it gradually stopped jumping as it’s older.

What To Do When Your Dog Is Unable To Jump

Treat Underlying Underlying Medical Issues And Injuries

You must ensure that all infections and underlying medical conditions affecting your pet’s mobility are avoided. Make sure you give your pet the total dose of its medication, failure to do so could result in a more severe condition for your pet.

However, not all medical conditions are treatable, although most are manageable. These manageable conditions are usually hereditary, and there isn’t much you, the owner, can do to prevent it.

Seek Professional Help When Your Dog Is Unable To Jump

You must visit your veterinarian when something is wrong with your pet. It might be the difference between learning to jump again and canine lameness. Your veterinary doctor should be able to diagnose what is causing your dog not to jump.

At the same time, your pet needs physical therapy to help it recover. A professional trainer will help whip your dog back into shape so that he can be active and jump around.

However, if your dog cannot jump, the pet’s inability to jump is due to previous experience. In this case, you should engage the services of a dog behaviourist expert to help it overcome the trauma.

Discourage Your Pet From Engaging In Strenuous Activities

Suppose you notice a limp or canine lameness in your pet. It may be the reason why your dog is unable to jump. You must ensure that it does not engage in strenuous activities that aggravate its condition. It may lead to a more severe and permanent condition.

You can provide canine prosthetics to help it move around while recovering from any affliction that limits its ability to jump. Similarly, as your dog ages, you should monitor and prevent it from engaging in exercises that affect its mobility.