Rottifan

Best of luck, no doubt the vet will prescribed something for you. My rotti used to have these issues but now if I see it coming on with little bits of discharge I boil water, add a little salt and let it cool to warm temperature and through the I use a tissue to sponge/wash his eye several times a day and the warm salt water bathing usually stops it in its tracks....might be handy to try at some point!

I have not had direct experience with a dog with these symptoms myself but I know through close association how difficult it can be to live with and try to fix! Friends had success with having alternate treatments done after they werent happy medicating their dogs so might be worth investigating at the same time to see how that goes. Medication only masks up the problem but does not address the cause of it.....the issue is trying to find out the cause of the problem. If you see an acupunture vet/practitioner they might be able to help. Also my dog sees a good animal chiropractor who had seen anxious and aggressive dogs become calm and normal after being chiropractically adjusted - he says if dogs have pinched nerves they are irritated and cant stay still or settle comfortably and it is often misdiagnosed....also says if nerves are pinched at the base of the skull/neck it can cause pressure on the brain and similar side affects. Always a worry trying to diagnose, best of luck with your precious one and the process of elimination!

I've heard of dogs biting and chewing/scratching at different parts of their body when they are irritated from pinched nerves and the referral niggling pain that causes them. Maybe look into an animal chiro to make sure your dog is in alignment, lots of owners dont notice the little subtle changes their dogs make to their movement to avoid the pain it causes them over time, especially seeing them every day. Do your dogs front feet face out/east-west? Does your dogs back have a dip in it or is it roached (curved upwards) - just a thought....if only they could speak and tell us!! Very frustrating...but good luck!

Its always hard to figure out where to go and what to do, especially when we're following advice that we think is the best and people give recommendations, its sometimes just one of those things. I took my dog to a number of chiropractors and vet chiro's and got no results, I then got a recommendation to an animal chiro who has a mobile service in South East Qld and his website has many many client testimonials as well as video's of his results. I was skeptical and always a 'vet only type person' but my boy had alot of movement issues by this stage and I was told at the age of 7 to put him down. He is now 10 and I'm glad I went to this chiro and didnt continue with others. I have been told that massage and other therapies and even swimming will not help if your dog is 'out of alignment'. These therapies will cause the nerves to flare up and muscles to spasm to protect pinched nerves and not make your dog any more comfortable - until they are in alignment. I have also been told that cruciate ligament problems exist after a dog is out of alignment and therefore as a result of the pain associated with that they change the way they move (sometimes so subtlely and bit by bit that owners do not notice until symptoms are very bad later in life). The changes in movement could be that the dog takes shorter steps with front legs and doesnt push/drive back as far with rear legs. Their back could also be roached or have dip in it instead of its topline being flat/straight. Walking with these changes means it doesnt hurt them to walk anymore - but when their adrenalin kicks in and they push through the pain barrier (eg to chase the postman or run to your front door to greet someone) they extend past the point that they can when they're out of alignment with pinched nerves and something has to give, usually causing cruc ligament issues. Its hard with long coat dogs but after walking out of alignment for some time, long enough to cause cruc ligament problems, the dog might have muscle wastage in rear legs... Regardless to check that this is the case a chiro shouldnt have to play around or be rough with your dog. The aim, I expect from the experience I've had with many treatments by the chiropractor I use, should be just to do up to 3 adjustments to your dog with your job being to keep your dog in alignment in between treatments to that the lower/deeper levels of nerves can be released at each treatment without the top layers flaring up again. Once in alignment and walking properly your dog will benefit from other therapies, swimming and massage and any muscles that are wasted will build back up again due to their muscles working to full extent and toned muscles hold bones in place, if that makes sense thus eliminating the need for operations or further secondary issues like cruc ligament. I'd contact some other chiro's to ask. The symptoms you have mentioned your dog is now obviously exhibiting need to be addressed and rest and pain killers wont do the trick. Just see a good guaranteed chiro to have nerves properly released, gently and hopefully you'll have the results I've had achieved with my miracle boy! Good luck

There are so many difference policies and plans now its hard to go through all of the fine print and pro's and cons. I dont have any pet insurance myself however friends are with Petplan and they have had success claiming full money paid for chiropractic treatments on their dogs which has been a plus in their extras....depends what you think you will need I guess but if we knew that we wouldnt need insurance because we'd be doing things to avoid the problems!!

Could he be 'out of alignment'? Some pups/dogs show aggression because they are sore and dont want the other dogs to touch/jump on them...animal chiro would fix the problem. Keep a log on when this happens, which dogs/circumstances to try to narrow down the problem...eg is it only when they are running around or is he aggression when they are sitting near/meeting each other as well. Best of luck!

OMG is George Schofield still treating animals YES YES YES please please take your dog to see George ASAP!!!! My bet is your dog is out of alignment and George Schofield will sort that problem out for you and your dog will instantly improve. I see an animal chiro in Queensland who raves about George. XRAYS dont show nerves so will not correctly define this as the problem. Rest will not help as the cause of the problem is not being addressed, if the cause of the problem is not addressed then it will not fix itself. Symptoms may periodically ease/disappear after rest due to inflamation reducing however the more likely scenario is your dog will make subtle changes to the way he moves. You may not notice the changes he makes (eg taking slightly shorter steps when he walks). He will change the way he walks to avoid it hurting him. Animals only change the way they walk because it hurts too much to do so normally. It might be years down the track until a big playtime/winter/a slip or fall triggers off the obvious symptoms again but it will take more treatments to keep him in alignment and fix him down the track because after years of his change in movement to avoid pain he will most likely have muscle wastage (from taking shorter steps etc) and may also start to find it hard to keep weight off due to his muscles/movement not being full stretch and therefore it will take more treatments to keep him in alignment and pain free so he walks full stretch again and the muscle builds back up again to hold his own bones in place. Nothing to lose, so so much to gain. I learnt when my boy was completely paralysed/immobile. All dogs have pinched nerves, alot of the time from puppy (eg mum stepping on them in the litter, rough play, being dropped, falling/jumping wrong, slipping on stairs and slippery floors etc) but because their pain tolerance is so high and they are pack animals (if they show weakness that pack will take them out so they wont show symptoms until pain really bad), we dont notice and dogs will live with it their whole life. Best of luck

Yes I agree those nails need cutting back. Licking can be a sign of irritation, especially if he is only licking his feet and not the rest of his body (its not like the rest of his skin everywhere else wouldnt be equally as much of a problem as the skin on his feet...if it were a skin problem). Either his nails are making walking an issue and causing him discomfort (which could be eliminated by having them cut back so that they dont contact with the floor). Also a good idea for hairy dogs is to trim the hair on their feet (around their pads on the base of their feet so that the pads make clean contact with the floor surface). Lastly if the dog is 'out of alignment' it would therefore have pinched nerves in his back (is his topline flat/straight/level like it should be or is there a big dip or is it roached/curved upward?) then when the dog moves he would have referral pain shoot down his legs or a general irritation which can also make it hard for them to lose weight and settle for any length of time. A common sign of being out of alignment is the chewing or licking of feet. See a good animal chiropractor (vets might suggest xrays but I've been told that wont correctly diagnose this as the problem due to xrays not showing nerves) and after a few treatments the symptoms should cease. Best of luck!

Go to repco or an autobarn/car place or motorcycle shop. I got a 6ft aluminium ramp for a motorbike, light weight, folds in half, strong enough and I just put carpet over the aluminium flat steps. My 10yr old Rotti uses it like a breeze to get in and out of the back of my xtrail! Cheaper than the specialised pet ramps and I know its safe if its meant for a heavy motorbike!

Once you have the ear problem sorted with something from the vet perhaps give your dogs a dose of Comfortis - had good results with that relatively new product, like Capstar but lasts a month! Tell gran to keep the other dog separated so no injuries are caused while you're away!

I have heard that using condies crystals helps to stop the bleeding, shake the paw to make sure the blood drops off the nail and pinch the crystals in your hand then press onto nail, it seals it and the dog wont lick it or licking it wont make a difference anyway....apart from changing the colour of their tongue!

DEFINITELY see an animal chiropractor. Do some research on the internet to find one you're comfortable with, one that has proof of success with client testimonials or videos of treatments etc. Xrays wont show nerves so will not correctly define this as the problem. Pain killers only mask up the problem and doesnt address the cause of it so wont go away on its own - rest will see inflamation subside so obvious symptoms will disappear but usually more subtle symptoms that the untrained eye cant see still stay (eg dog taking slightly smaller steps or holding head slightly lower) which means when something triggers off the obvious symptoms again in a couple of years the dog will have severe muscle wastage occuring from walking differently all of that time to avoid pain and it will take more treatments to keep him/her in alignment until the muscle builds back up to hold his/her own bones in place...if that makes sense. Nothing to lose by having Chester adjusted regardless of other issues. From my experience I have learnt that most dogs are out of alignment - mum stepping on them in the litter, being dropped, slipping on tiles/wooden floors, using stairs, rough play with other dogs, running the fenceline, running into something (glass door/coffee table) - wont hurt. Best of luck and keep us up to date! Always a worrying time....

Definitely contact an animal chiropractor. Most dogs have pinched nerves which result in a variety of symptoms from referral pain. Nerves do not show up on xrays so this is never correctly defined as the problem. It is a medication free easy thing to eliminate before paying for tests and going through other processes, besides your dog will benefit from having pinched nerves released and their immune system will be boosted doing so as well, nothing to lose! Nerves can be pinched as a result of living in our home environments for which their bodies were not built (eg slippery floors, stairs etc), running fence lines, rough play, being stepped on as a pup in the litter by mum, jumping down of things and slipping etc. Being out of alignment referral pain is caused when stretching and walking properly, in turn muscle spasm occurs to protect the nerves with some movements that the dog makes. My Rotti began having his body shake/quiver prior to becoming lame and then paralysed while I went through blood tests, xrays, hair analysis and a range of injections, pain killers and homeopathic supplements...none of which worked. After chiropractic adjustments the symptoms stopped but not only that he is a 10yr old who now walks perfectly and has alot more energy and is generally happier. Best of luck

I fortunately havent had the problem and havent had to go through the cruc ligament surgery but know alot who have and alot who have avoided it as well. A friend had a 6mth old chihuahua that began walking on 3 legs, the operation was suggested by the vet and booked in. After the recovery time the dog still walked on 3 legs. After thinking it through the owner decided that it was clear that whatever was causing the dog to walk on 3 legs had not been addressed....therefore it must not have been the cruc ligament which was causing the dog not to use that leg. Dogs only stop walking normally because it hurts to do so. Because it hurts they adjust the way they walk to avoid pain. What was causing the dog not to be able to walk properly was pinched nerves in its back....xrays do not show nerves so will not correctly define this as the problem. Clearly it was not the cruc ligament because that problem was fixed by the operation so there were no problems there. My friend took her dog to the animal chiropractor I use in Qld and had pinched nerves released. The leg was unable to be put down due to referral pain down the leg from pinched nerves when it tried to use the leg properly. After nerves were released, pain instantly disappeared and the dog began to walk properly.....her owner was ecstatic but very disappointed that she didnt see the animal chiropractor BEFORE having an operation done that was not needed. It seems quite common that this happens. There are lots of testimonials on the animal chiro's website that I use 'jamieson' and its so so common that this is overlooked as the cause of the symptoms. It might be worth seeing one to eliminate that. Crating doesnt help alot either, the dog needs to be on a non-slip surface where it can move around at its own pace with no encouragement from humans, for example in a pen adequate to the dogs size. Resting and not moving will only cause muscle wastage. Remember that swimming and any other exercise when the dog is not able to use the leg due to pain will only mean that you are toning muscles to hold the dog out of alignment. Once the dog is in alignment(nerves released) then the dog will be able to move properly and not in pain and THEN the exercise will work to tone muscles to hold bones in place. Hope this info helps!

Getting products in is pot luck sometimes, I used to order products from a New Zealand company and was successful for quite a while and then suddenly had things seized so lost a fair bit of money. My boy was 7 then with elbow and hip displaysia and i was trying fish oil, glucosamine, techniflex, sashas blend (not all at once obviously) but experimented a bit to find anything to help him with no great results. I looked into the stem cell treatments but my vet wasnt convincing of the results I could be guaranteed and said that there was no guarantee that harm would not be done since it was a relatively new treatment which put me off. I now have a great animal chiropractor and my boy is on no supplements or pain killers, has just turned 10 and walks perfectly. I hope you find a way to get results like I have, sometimes trying different things you just strike it lucky!

I myself havent tried this but I made enquiries about it too for my Rotti (now 10) who has hip and severe elbow displaysia and when no other supplements at the time were working and he was on metacam and 2 other pain killers. My vet said that it was relatively new and he was not sure of the results or if it was worth trying in relation to cost (which meant nothing to me when its my boys life!). I then asked him if it could do any harm and he said that there was a possibility with something new that it could....that put me off enough not to experiment. I really hope more information becomes available because it seems very much an unknown. I was lucky since that time and my boy now walks like a puppy after finding a brilliant animal chiropractor and I havent looked back, no medication and walking perfectly, but I'm still interested in the success of it. Hopefully in time we'll hear!

I would be thinking if the problem has been fixed properly. I know many a person who has had the same op done on their dog and even a long time after recovering (6 months) the dog still walks on 3 legs. The problem in the first place was that the dog had a pinched nerve in its back causing pain referral down the leg and causing the dog to limp. The point is that the pinched nerve has still not been released so the dog is still limping because the actual cause of the problem has not been addressed. Get your dog to a good animal chiropractor to get fully adjusted to make sure - will help regardless. Best of luck, recover and confinement is never easy. I am against crating for recovery but rather have a small dog pen on a non-slip surface for better recovery, dont encourage your dog to move around or get overexcited but if they can move around in a 2-3m sq area at their own pace they will be much better for it. Good luck!

Fantastic that that has worked so well and so quickly. I've heard of people who have had big dogs with terrible break outs over public holidays etc and they have trimmed the hair around the area and used antiseptic powder or metho to drop the spot out and not applied anything else and it has cleared up.....problem is when its itchy the dog scratching can cause it to spread so quickly. Poor things, not a nice thing to have but good to hear there's a nice option out there, thanks for sharing!

My rotti has the same issue every now and then but I think with him its more a case of having some dirt or irritant in it. I put boiling water in a glass and let it cool and put some rock salt in it and bathe his eye a couple of times a day and it seems to do the trick!

Pheebs please take Tess to a good animal chiropractor in your area. Its worth a phone call at least. Mine has some testimonials on his website that you might find some comfort in..you just never know...some of these people were told euthanasia was the only option for them, that their dog needed MRI's, xrays, spinal ops, cruc ligament ops and many other drastic measures but were returned to good health when they were in alignment after 2-3 treatments. Best of luck, I feel for you.....my old dog was completely paralysed, I was just lucky to stumble across this guy 3 years ago and my now 10yr old boy is in great health. Stay positive and know you're doing all you can. http://www.######.com/testimonials_2_24.html

Ouch - I've heard of people using araldite to smooth out the rough bits on a nail so that it grows out from the sheath together and doesnt catch on anything else in the meantime....although i've never tried it myself or had the need to! If you can cut the nail short (condies crystals, cornflour or soap can seal the bleeding on the nail if you cut the quik) and use the araldite to smooth down and seal the rough bits along the side of the nail it could do the trick....Good luck!

Poor Penny, Sadly I can say - YES been there done that with this problem! I believe that XRAYS do not show nerves therefore will not correctly identify pinched nerves as the problem. The anti-inflamatories or steroids / painkillers will not help long term as they only mask up the problem and do not do ANYTHING to address the CAUSE of the problem. If not addressed, by having an animal chiropractor release the pinched nerves (normally 3 or 4 treatments to get down into the lower layers where the long term problems are) then the problem will return. Symptoms will seem to disappear when inflamation goes away after rest but then your dog will make subtle changes to the way they walk to stop it from hurting. The only reason a dog stops walking normally is because it hurts them too much to walk normally! Once nerves are released pain instantly subsides and full movement can return. Being fooled by the disappearance of obvious symptoms will only mean your dog may end up with muscle wastage from months/years of walking with shorter steps (eg not reaching as far forward with front legs, not driving back as far with rear legs). I am amazed at the treatment I received and my dogs instant improvement - lots of info on the qld animal chiropractors site that I use doc jamieson. Best of luck, they are so precious!

Very frustrating I know! To add another angle, I learnt that no matter how little you feed a dog or how much you exercise them if your dog is out of alignment (has pinched nerves) and therefore is not able to walk/move full stretch due to it causing them pain to do so they will NOT be able to lose weight. It would be like us going to the gym and only doing half the movement of an exercise, we'd never build up muscle. This is why animals that have had lameness issues end up with visible muscle wastage from not driving back as far as they should with their rear legs or reaching as far forward with their front legs as they should and therefore their muscles are not working to full capacity. Once nerves are released, pain subsides and movement returns and muscle burns fat...bingo. It took me a long time to work this one out - find a good animal chiropractor, after 3 or 4 treatments you should be back on track, ah!

My rotti started showing symptoms when he was 7 (3 years ago). I tried lots of different supplements, homeopathy, massage, acupuncture, phsyio, swim centres etc - nothing worked. My boy's joints are too bad to operate, severe arthritis and elbow displaysia.....finally I tried an animal chiro. Brilliant. Symptoms disappeared after a few treatments, I eased him off medication (tramal, gabapentin/neurontin & metacam) and he hasnt been on anything since that time. He turned 10 last week. My vet has since referred people to the same animal chiro. Highly recommend you making sure all pinched nerves are released. I found that whilst my boy DOES have the joint issues and arthritis (because xrays prove that) xrays dont show nerves and this is what was causing his symptoms, not the other issues. Hope you are as lucky as I have been - lots of info on www.######.com if you want to research, good client testimonials to read to compare too. Best of luck!

My 10yr old rotti used to be on tramal, gabapentin/neurontin & metacam - great combination (not). That was when he was 7, he had the same issue and as well as that the medication was starting to wear off and his partial paralysis was not getting better. I found a great animal chiropractor. Once he was fully aligned and all pinched nerves released I weaned him off medication - he became regular again and was able to squat to toilet without the pinched nerves causing him shooting pain and he was back to puppy state. That was 3 years ago, he turned 10 last week. He has been on no medication, no supplements. I tried acupuncture, supplements, homeopathy, massage, physio, swimming centres etc before the chiro - nothing worked and it makes sense now that unless the pain is removed by releasing pinched nerves first, none of the other things will work....well that was the case for me. Muscle spasm to protect the pinched nerves just got flared up by the other things I tried. Good luck!