Bonzawani Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 (edited) On Feb 7th, Spanky was acting like he was in pain. He wouldn't go up or down steps. He cried when we'd pick him up to take him up and down. It seemed his shoulders were sore. (I'm guessing.) I squeezed and pulled all his legs and he didn't cry out. He did however cry when I lifted him from under his armpits. We took him to the vets, and they tested his range of movement. He showed them no feelings of pain. They told us to give him an 81mg aspirin, and another the following day. They showed us a better way to pick him up. He didn't cry when we used this way. The following day, he was still acting the same, so we took him back to the vets. They did blood work and checked for Lyme Disease. Test came back OK. Again, he showed them no sign of pain; but little resistance when extending his front legs. He did go up and down their (full flight of) steps They prescribed (orally) 25mg Toradol (Ketorolac or ketorolac tromethamine, an NSAID twice a day. Also, (orally) 25mg Rimadyl (another NSAID) twice daily, to start the following day because he already had aspirin that day. The Toradol slowed him down. The second dose at night knocked him out. I thought he was dead or dying when I checked him a few hours later (3AM). We stopped that Toradol. The 5 days worth of Rimadyl fixed him up after a few days. He took to the Rimadyl OK. We/they had no idea what caused his problems. He is acting the same way again today. I'm waiting for them to call back to see if I should pick up another 5 days worth of Rimadyl. I don't see any reason to take him back to the vets now, unless they call back & suggest some other (logical) test/s. Any ideas? Similar experiences? Thanx in advance. Bonz Edited February 22, 2008 by Bonzawani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Everything you have described are symptoms of back pain - how old is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzawani Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 Spanky's 1 1/2 yrs. They prodded his spine, first with fingers, then with a pin. No negative responses. I just had him out for a walk. It snowed here today, so I wiped him down. He whimpered a very little when I was gently rubbing his shoulders (both sides). Thanx. Bonz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 My guess is that he has a pinched nerve due to having his spine/neck out. I would be seeing a Chiropractor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I would suggest a chiro as well... I am presuming your vet didn't do any xrays or scans? It does sound like a 'mechanical' problem... probably spine..but obviously we are not examining your dog, so son't know for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzawani Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 I picked up some more Rimadyl. Spanky's going up our steps today. :D Gonna still give him the Rimadyl. We will be discussing the next step with the vet on Monday. I had already told Mrs. Bonzawani after Spanky's first painful experience we should plan on future ex-rays. Thanx. Bonz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 How is Spanky today? I hope they find a cause for the pain. Pain relief is a good thing, but I hope it is not masking an underlying undiagnosed problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzawani Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 Spanky is back to normal. This 2nd bout with pain could be the 1st lingering. If it happens again, the vet will do some more blood work. Ex-rays wasn't mentioned. I'll have to bring that up if there is a repeat. Thanx. Bonz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Good that Spanky's feeling better. Let's hope it's all over. If he has trouble again, you should consider asking for a referral to a board certified veterinary orthopedic specialist. Could be expensive - could need X-rays and maybe MRI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzawani Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yes Tassie. Let's hope! Thanx. Spanky did take a tumble on our un-carpeted stairs the day before, or earlier that day. I thought nothing of it because he only fell 1 step. He was following me down so I stopped his fall. Afterwards, he acted OK, going up and down the stairs and running around. Then, much later he was acting like he was in pain. Let's hope it was from this, the injury was minor, and Spanky heals OK. If not, the specialist & tests will have to follow. Bonz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now