Areanor, over here in N. America, there's a new craze in the dog world. A lot of people have been convinced that raw meat is the most healthy, natural food for dogs. This all started with a man named Billingsworth who published a book about the BARF diet (Bones and Raw Food). Minced or ground meat (same thing) by itself is not a balanced diet. I can show you the skeleton of a young ocelot that was fed only ground meat. It developed very bad rickets from Vitamin D deficiency, and had to be euthanized. So, people who are REALLY into feeding raw food spend a lot of time researching the correct way to do it to be sure the diet is balanced and includes all the needed vitamins and minerals.
The theory behind the diet is that dogs are the same as wolves. This is a bunch of bunk in my opinion. Dogs haven't been wolves for thousands of years, and their digestive systems and teeth have adapted to eating whatever humans throw out. Also, years of selective breeding by humans has changed the dog's skull and teeth. Can you imagine a dog like a pekingnese trying to eat a raw, meaty bone? It doesn't have the teeth or the jaw structure for it.
Also, never mind that dogs have survived for generations on kibble or moist, canned dog food. And never mind that before commercial dog food came on the market, they lived on table scraps...
My other objection to the raw diet is that bones can get stuck in a dog's teeth, or in its digestive system, and cause a lot of trouble. If they puncture the gut, the dog can even die. Also, with the way livestock is raised and slaughtered these days, most meat is contaminated with harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli! The raw meat people will tell you the dog's immune system is stronger than ours, and is resistant to these bacteria. Well, right now I can tell you aobut a young female dog that has a serious bladder infection, from E. coli. There are only 4 antibiotics that will work to kill the bacteria, and they all cost about $100 A DAY!!
Nope, don't tell me that E. coli is harmless to dogs!
As for geriatric diseases, one of the most common and deadly is a form of cancer called hemangiosarcoma. The tumor most often attacks the liver or spleen, but it can be anywhere in the body including the brain. As it grows blood vessels, it tends to bleed. Eventually, there will be a major bleed, and at that point the owner will realized the dog is ill. Surgery to remove the spleen is sometimes successful, but often the cancer spreads to other organs, including the brain, and there is nothing the owner can do but put the animal out of its misery.
Bone cancer is fairly common in older dogs, too. The most usual symptom is limping, but of course, this can be due to more common problems of old age, like arthritis (or, as you called it, arthrose. I know English is not your first language, so I'm trying to keep the medical terms simple.)
Another common problem that large dogs get is bloat. It can attack a dog at any age, but older dogs are at higher risk. The dog will try to vomit, but nothing will come up. The owner may notice the stomach is swollen and distended. If you see this, get the dog to the vet as fast as possible. It must be treated IMMEDIATELY or the dog will die. Often the stomach will twist, and this will cut off the blood supply, causing damage that can't be fixed, unless surgery is done right away. You can help prevent bloat by feeding your dog at least twice a day, and feeding moist food as well as dry. Never give your dog ice water to drink, as this can cause the stomach to spasm, and bring on an attack of bloat.
German Shepherd dogs, and some other similar breeds often get degenerative myelopathy as they grow older. This is a condition where the sheathe around the nerves deteriorates, and eventually the nerve signals can't get through, and the dog's rear end is paralysed. They have found a gene that carries this fault, and there is now a test the owner can have done to see if their dog carries this gene.
That's all I can think of right now....Hope your girl is feeling better soon!
And I hope his diagnosis is right. I can think of several other things that could have caused her loss of balance, like a stroke, or bleeding in her brain...
Please keep a close eye on her for worsening of symptoms!
Grammar lesson: some people disagree about whether the past tense of the verb 'to shit' is 'shitted' or 'shat'. I've seen both used. However, in English, 'shit' is also used as a swear word. If you want to use a more acceptable word, try 'poop'. Or if you want to go the medical route, try 'defecate'. Pee is an acceptable word, but the medically correct term is 'urinate'. The English might say 'pass water', but that's rather dated.
So, if I were in your shoes, I'd say "My dog hasn't pooped in two days!" And I wouldn't worry too much about it. I run a dog kennel, and we had a dog in last weekend that didn't like to 'do her business' when she was away from home. She didn't poop OR pee for two days! Eventually, nature had to take its course, though, and she pooped and peed in her cage.
Between my former job as a nurse, and my current job, running a boarding and grooming kennel for dogs, I've become an expert on this subject...