Featured my dog

Would like to request prayers for my dog. Maybe it seems silly, but he is important to me and I see pets as family members.

Took him to the vet just about a month ago because he has heart issues he's on lifelong meds for and he was beginning to show symptoms that can mean heart failure, so I got all super worried and had the vet look at him. Vet said he was fine, his heart was a bit enlarged but not in failure, his blood work was all good and showed he was healthy.
Thing is, now he's not wanting to go on walks. Yesterday he was just moving a lot slower than normal on the walk, but still was happy to go. Today he didn't want to go at all. Which...loss of energy is another symptom of heart failure.
IDK, it may not be that...he's 10 now, maybe he's getting some joint pain and the cold weather affects that. He's a little dog and so shouldn't be seriously aging yet, I don't think, but that doesn't mean he can't have joint pain.
I just really hope there's nothing seriously wrong with him because I can't afford to take much more out of my savings account for him. I will if it's needed, I'm not just going to deny him needed medical care, but that money is supposed to be for other things.
For now I will keep an eye on him and see how things go.

 

I really have very little money to go around, I'm afraid. If he seems worse I think I will at least call the vet and ask them how serious they think it is. They have worked with me on money before, I'll come in and say this is how much I have with me and they'll give me a list of what they want to do and how much it would cost and what would be most important to do, etc. I think they have even cut things down just a bit, though they've never said anything about it, I've just noticed that things come out costing a bit less than they said they would.
I'm rambling.
Anyway, I'm wondering if maybe it is joint issues. Noticed Treader jumped up on the couch and whined after settling down, and it definitely wasn't his "hint hint I need something, pay attention to me" whine.

 

Today he seems much happier just in general, and wanted to go on his walk. But he got "tired" quicker. He started out really fast and then slowed down near the end. He sped up when we reached our driveway, as if he wanted to go back inside.
He loves being outside and in the past would be completely content to stay out there for hours. So this is highly unusual.

This would be the first time I've noticed anything like this with him. Just a week ago he seemed pretty normal. I don't know if arthritis can set in that quickly.

 

Here are pictures of mine (both of these are several years old, my harddrive with more recent pictures died last year, and the only "current" ones I have now were taken on an iPod with a crappy lens):


Think he is a Papillon/Shetland Sheepdog mix.

 

We walked longer yesterday than the day before, he slowed down more than normal on the way back. Someone suggested maybe barometric pressure has been affecting him, we are having a front come through right now. Also it's cold, and the days have been getting progressively warmer. (Maybe the cold was affecting him, and he has seemed to feel progressively better each day.)
He seems pretty normal right now. We haven't had today's walk yet. I have to leave for work soonish, my brother will be the one walking him today.

 

I looked it up, and you can give a dog baby aspirin. (Whereas other OTC meds are a no-no as some are toxic. Aspirin is toxic to cats, but not dogs.) If he seems to be in pain again I will give him one. I don't think it's meant for long term use, so if this problem persists I will see the vet.

 

He was very eager for his walk today. My brother said he still slowed down way more than normal on the way back, so much so that he looked like he was heeling. That isn't normal for him, but he seems fine and happy.