There is something strange afoot here at the Manor.

Our dog Penny has a problem, but there again she hasn’t. And because she hasn’t I can’t bring her to the vet to find out what she has because the vet will take one look at her and say she’s fine.

The problem is sudden, unpredictable and quite short lived. I thought of filming it but because of its unpredictability and brevity I’d have to follow her around all day with the camera rolling.

The problem itself is hard to describe. The latest episode happened a few minutes ago. She trotted over to the door and tapped the glass to indicate she wanted to go out. I let her out and she stood for a moment surveying her domain to reassure herself that all is well. She started to walk and her hind legs gave out. It was like a plane on the tarmac when someone suddenly retracts the undercarriage. Her arse smacked down on the ground with her hind legs splayed. Her face was a mixture of surprise and annoyance. She struggled back up to a standing position and tried a few steps, limping badly. Then her legs collapsed again. One again she struggled back upright and walked off. Episode complete.

She came in again a short while after. She did one of her routine patrols [which she does regularly every day] where she trots off and visits every room in the house. Not only did she walk perfectly normally but she did a happy little gallop at the end of the patrol.

These episodes happen once or twice a day. I have looked for a commonality but they happen at different times and on different surfaces. They happen when she is excited or when she’s quietly happy. Once an episode is over she returns to being a normal happy contented dog. Even in the middle of an episode she shows no sign that there is any pain, just embarrassment.

I have discarded most of the theories I could find. There is no injury to her pads or paws. There are no foreign objects between her pads. There is no problem with her spine. Her muscles seem fine and show no tenderness. Her nails are a little long but not overlong [Daughter is the only person who can clip them and she hasn’t been around in a while]. She does have arthritis but is on medication for that [she gets very skittish after her morning tablet!]. All in all she’s a picture of health with clear eyes and a shiny wet cold nose.

So there you have it. A normal happy contented dog. A picture of health.

Except when she isn’t.