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Help! Sore Neck & Back


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I was playing a short game of fetch in my backyard yesterday evening with Emma, my 5 yr old Rottie. When we were done playing I thought I would take her for a short walk to the shops with me to get dinner. (the shops are about a 3-5 mins walk away) She whined a little when I took up the lead and she pulled, but I thought nothing of it.

The walk went well, but on the way home, she suddenly started whining a lot more, and limping too. I inspected her paws for anything, but there was nothing. Ran my fingers down her spine, stretched out her legs etc... nothing. I figured maybe she was just sore, or just really tired from her run earlier. (to be clear, she has a history of arthritis and has had surgeries done in the past on her back legs.)

Later on that night she got progressively worse... her neck was so sore she couldn't even bend down to eat or drink, we had to hand-feed her. Lying down and getting up was a real struggle too. She was absolutely miserable and cried throughout the night. We monitored her all thru the night and took her straight off to the vet this morning.

OF COURSE.. when we are at the vet she acts like she is 100% fine! Tail wagging, prancing around, moving her neck around with no problems whatsoever. Vet checks her out, declares she just has a mild sore neck, just a strain, and prescribes her some Metacam which she is to take daily for a week. He also gave her a shot of painkillers, claiming it will help relieve the pain and she will be fine.

Fast forward to us bringing her home and she is fine for a few hours or so... but now she is just doing really badly again. She can't even lower her head to rest it on the bed, we need to help prop it up with a cushion. I'm really worried, shouldn't the painkillers have kicked in by now? I can't stand listening to her cry in pain, I feel so helpless.

I'm thinking of taking her to a chiropractor or Bowen therapist... can anyone recommend any good ones in Melbourne, or who will be willing to do house-calls? We are located in South East Melbourne - Carnegie to be exact.

Do you think Chiro or Bowen will help at all, and which one is better? :laugh:

Any advice at all would be great! Thank you in advance.

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Thanks for your reply, stormie.

The vet didn't seem to think X-rays were necessary, simply because Emma seems 100% sound as soon as she gets really excited.

I will definitely be calling the vet again in a few hours if she isn't better by tonight. I don't know if I'm expecting her to magically get better too soon though? It's only been half a day since the vet visit...

Just worried that the pain killers are taking so long to kick in .. wonder if they are even having an effect at all! :laugh:

I'd certainly still like any advice from anyone regarding chiro etc, for future use.

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From past experience I call the muscle man before the vet if my dogs pull up sore and he will tell me to go to the vet for xrays if he he can't work it out. I have to take my mob for a visit soon they are long over due.

Edited by Andisa
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I would go back to the vet.

To his/her defence it is very difficult to diagnose a problem like that effectively when the dog presents without much pain at the time of consult.

The adrenalin from a car ride can often overide pain for a little while, maybe take the time to get there a little earlier next time to give her time in the waiting room so the vet can see the pain she suffers and pinpoint the exact location of the pain.

I hope she gets better soon

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Take her back so he can see her while she is sore.

If you are worried, push for the xrays. They may show nothing and you may have spent money you didn't need to. But if there is a problem that can be picked up then you are onto it straight away.

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Friend of mine has seen Dr Ray Ferguson with her dog. Neck issues - turned out to be a vertibrae issue that, in her instance, is permanent even if the symptoms aren't. My friend has spoken highly of Dr Ferguson who is at the Monash Veterinary Clinic. In your dog's case it may prove to be simply a matter of a pulled muscle or a temporary 'twinge' - I hope so.

Edited by Erny
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Update : Emma is feeling much better, she can move around without much issues now and can bend down to eat her food fine. She still whines a little when trying to lie flat on her side, but she is much more alert and happy. I am SO relieved!! :rofl: I did end up ringing the vet, but they told me just to wait another 24 hours to see if she improves. Hopefully the meds will start kicking in and she will get better from here!

Oh my dog, she will kill me with heart attack and anxiety worrying about her someday!

Thanks everyone for the good advice!

The adrenalin from a car ride can often overide pain for a little while, maybe take the time to get there a little earlier next time to give her time in the waiting room so the vet can see the pain she suffers and pinpoint the exact location of the pain.

Isn't that funny.. I was actually thinking the same thing and we did get there early on purpose - about 30 minutes earlier to be exact and the vet was late too, so we waited quite a while. It didn't really work - my dog seems to have the ability to be forever unable to calm down. ;)

Friend of mine has seen Dr Ray Ferguson with her dog. Neck issues - turned out to be a vertibrae issue that, in her instance, is permanent even if the symptoms aren't. My friend has spoken highly of Dr Ferguson who is at the Monash Veterinary Clinic. In your dog's case it may prove to be simply a matter of a pulled muscle or a temporary 'twinge' - I hope so.

Thanks so much for the tip, I was actually trying to go see Ray Ferguson this morning, but he's on leave at the moment. I may take her to him in the future, if her soreness persists.

Edit// Rereading my post, I should clarify : I wasn't attacking the vet in any way or claiming he/she did a bad job in treating Emma, I am simply concerned that the meds seem to be taking a while to kick in, and was hoping to alleviate her pain somehow. The vet I see is fantastic - I completely understand how it would be hard to diagnose her when she seems perfectly fine.

Edited by silentchild
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Book in to see Ray anyway, he does some Chiro work and should be able to guide you re: Xrays.

It's helpful to know everything in the spine is ok, with acute pain it can be disc prolapses or meningitis (rare but we see it) and you wouldn't want to cause more pain by doing Chiro at that stage.

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Update : Emma is feeling much better, she can move around without much issues now and can bend down to eat her food fine. She still whines a little when trying to lie flat on her side, but she is much more alert and happy. I am SO relieved!! :thumbsup: I did end up ringing the vet, but they told me just to wait another 24 hours to see if she improves. Hopefully the meds will start kicking in and she will get better from here!

Oh my dog, she will kill me with heart attack and anxiety worrying about her someday!

Thanks everyone for the good advice!

The adrenalin from a car ride can often overide pain for a little while, maybe take the time to get there a little earlier next time to give her time in the waiting room so the vet can see the pain she suffers and pinpoint the exact location of the pain.

Isn't that funny.. I was actually thinking the same thing and we did get there early on purpose - about 30 minutes earlier to be exact and the vet was late too, so we waited quite a while. It didn't really work - my dog seems to have the ability to be forever unable to calm down. :eek:

Friend of mine has seen Dr Ray Ferguson with her dog. Neck issues - turned out to be a vertibrae issue that, in her instance, is permanent even if the symptoms aren't. My friend has spoken highly of Dr Ferguson who is at the Monash Veterinary Clinic. In your dog's case it may prove to be simply a matter of a pulled muscle or a temporary 'twinge' - I hope so.

Thanks so much for the tip, I was actually trying to go see Ray Ferguson this morning, but he's on leave at the moment. I may take her to him in the future, if her soreness persists.

Edit// Rereading my post, I should clarify : I wasn't attacking the vet in any way or claiming he/she did a bad job in treating Emma, I am simply concerned that the meds seem to be taking a while to kick in, and was hoping to alleviate her pain somehow. The vet I see is fantastic - I completely understand how it would be hard to diagnose her when she seems perfectly fine.

I never though you were. it is completely normal to worry about your fur child.

Sounds like the vet was on the right track after all, and i do hope she makes a full recovery soon for you :eek:

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I had a similar issue with my dog a few weeks ago and she couldn't lie on her side without crying in pain. Metacam did nothing to relieve her and I had her x-rayed the following day and the vet said she had narrowed disc spaces in her spine which was pressing on the nerves. Nothing seemed to relieve her discomfort and even methone injections didn't help a whole lot. I had to wait for the Metacam to wash out of the system before giving her steroids and after just one steroid injection she was back on her feet. Could be something similar with your dog? My dog is 8 years old, similar build to a rottie and has arthritis problems for years.

We are managing her pain these days. She is off the steroids and seems to be going well so far. Fingers crossed!

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Thanks for the well wishes everyone, she is doing wonderfully now and is barely in pain anymore. :laugh:

She's only had two doses of Metacam so far and I'm supposed to keep her on it for a week... however as she is out of pain now, I wonder if I should still keep giving it to her? Does Metacam have any bad side effects associated to it like Rimadyl?

I had a similar issue with my dog a few weeks ago and she couldn't lie on her side without crying in pain. Metacam did nothing to relieve her and I had her x-rayed the following day and the vet said she had narrowed disc spaces in her spine which was pressing on the nerves. Nothing seemed to relieve her discomfort and even methone injections didn't help a whole lot. I had to wait for the Metacam to wash out of the system before giving her steroids and after just one steroid injection she was back on her feet. Could be something similar with your dog? My dog is 8 years old, similar build to a rottie and has arthritis problems for years.

Sorry to hear about your dog, KateM. :laugh: It is difficult when they develop problems in the joints and spine. I will keep that problem in mind and definitely ask for a X-ray if this ever occurs again. Did the pain for your dog just start suddenly overnight, or did it develop over a period of time?

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Thanks for the well wishes everyone, she is doing wonderfully now and is barely in pain anymore. :cheer:

She's only had two doses of Metacam so far and I'm supposed to keep her on it for a week... however as she is out of pain now, I wonder if I should still keep giving it to her? Does Metacam have any bad side effects associated to it like Rimadyl?

I had a similar issue with my dog a few weeks ago and she couldn't lie on her side without crying in pain. Metacam did nothing to relieve her and I had her x-rayed the following day and the vet said she had narrowed disc spaces in her spine which was pressing on the nerves. Nothing seemed to relieve her discomfort and even methone injections didn't help a whole lot. I had to wait for the Metacam to wash out of the system before giving her steroids and after just one steroid injection she was back on her feet. Could be something similar with your dog? My dog is 8 years old, similar build to a rottie and has arthritis problems for years.

Sorry to hear about your dog, KateM. :laugh: It is difficult when they develop problems in the joints and spine. I will keep that problem in mind and definitely ask for a X-ray if this ever occurs again. Did the pain for your dog just start suddenly overnight, or did it develop over a period of time?

Glad to hear your dog is pain free again. Yes, my dog's issue did develop over time. She's had trouble with her rear end for years - normal activity seems fine but if she overdoes it she doesn't have the strength (or is in pain) to get into the back of the car and is sore for a few days afterwards. I've always managed this with Metacam on those days she is bad. Then recently she had several episodes over about a month's period where she went very wobbly in the hind legs (looked like tick paralysis but was short-lived). This would last 5 minutes or so and then she would be back to normal again. I had her checked by the vet both times and they didn't find anything abnormal apart from pain. Then a few weeks after the last episode like that was when she suffered the extreme pain. Apparently when some nerves get squished they just lose function, and other nerves cause the pain. Anyway, I don't really understand how she has made such a great recovery from this but just relieved! Like you say, they cause you such worry. I was devastated when this happened to her and really thought it was the end. A week later she was running around like nothing had ever happened! She does my head in!

As for your dog, I would call your vet to see what they advise about taking her off the metacam - it does have side effects on kidneys but it would take more than a week's use to do any harm. I would probably not use the metacam tomorrow and see how she goes, if she looks a bit stiff or sore you can always give her another dose - there is no cumulative effect. Good luck!

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Thanks for the well wishes everyone, she is doing wonderfully now and is barely in pain anymore. :grouphug:

She's only had two doses of Metacam so far and I'm supposed to keep her on it for a week... however as she is out of pain now, I wonder if I should still keep giving it to her? Does Metacam have any bad side effects associated to it like Rimadyl?

Check with your Vet about stopping the metacam before you do. I know with injuries in people often anti-inflammatories for a set course is the prescribed treatment for muscular injuries.

Metacam and Rimadyl are both of the same class of drugs so the side effects can be the same. They are very safe if given as directed, with a meal, and if you notice any lethargy, vomiting or diarrhoea you STOP dosing immediately and seek further instructions from your Vet.

Otherwise both drugs generally have a good margin of safety and for many older dogs are given over a long period of time (months and years).

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Thanks so much for the advice re. Metacam, she's finished her treatment course and is prancing & rolling around without a care in the world - you woudn't even think just a few days ago she looked like she would rather die than move - so all's well that ends well!! :grouphug:

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