Has it been a few days in a row?  Jack hasn't fallen down or anything, but every once in a while he'll have a day where he seems to have a little bit more difficulty going down the stairs or he won't want to get up at all.  This is rare for him and hardly ever happens, but maybe Arthur is just going through a phase.  Like Emily's mom said, I would probably talk to your vet to make sure it's not a symptom of something more, or maybe Dr. Pam will comment.  I wish I could be more help because it really sucks when our little babies are having trouble!  Keep on truckin' Arthur and we wish you the best!!

Hi everyone – I'm not sure if this is helpful, but Smokey had a couple of days when he couldn't stand on his own either…but that was probably a good 4 or 5 months after his amputation.  One day he just wouldn't put any weight on his remaining front leg.  I thought maybe he twisted it so I didn't let him get up unless he absolutely had to and slept with him on the floor at night to make sure he wasn't up and trying to get around so he'd fall and injure himself more.  After a few days he returned to normal.

Then a few months back we were outside on our morning walk and as he was peeing, I turned my head (he's an odd one my Smokey   sometimes if I watch too much he won't do anything).. but then I looked over and he had fallen over on his side and peed all over himself… but he hopped right back up.  However after we got back inside and about an hour later as I was leaving for work, he couldn't get up and keep his balance.  Long story short I did the same thing as before by not letting him move around unless it was necessary… this time it took a bit longer for him to get back up on his paws. 

Good thing for those ruff wear harnesses – I don't know where we'd be without ours!  Even with that it was hard for him to stand but once up, I was able to help balance him and help walk him around.  My vet had me do that test where I'd support him under his stomach and turn his paws up to see if they automatically went back to the position they should be in or if he'd fall.  Luckily they went right back into place so it wasn't anything too serious.  But long story short, Smokey's had a couple of instances to where he's gone through losing his balance but after a few days he goes back to normal.  Although every now and then he can't seem to grasp his footing on one of his hind legs (but I think that has part to do with that leg being hit by a car when he was about a year old)…

Cherry was just days away from eleven when she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Even at that time, I considered myself to be on "borrowed" time with a Standard Poodle. Knowing my love for my companions and having heard the stories of previous battles for them, my vets had a hard time understanding that I needed a few hours to make the decision to amputate. However, we moved forward with the amputation and chemotherapy within days. It has been draining both emotionally and financially (>$11k), but it was the best thing that I could have ever done. You are a very special person for putting Arthur's needs first.

Now to the problem now facing you. Cherry is only days from her 8 month ampuversary. Last month while celebrating the 7 month ampuversary, she too seemed to be having problems falling. She had been getting around quite well for months but this was a noticeable degradation. I have just worked at building up her strength and asking her to take her time when going down steps or outside. She now appears to be back with substancially less "crashes."

As mentioned above, the "Ruffware" harness can help, but in our case time and some caution appear to have done the trick (for now.)

Please keep us posted.

Bob & Cherry