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carrie Urquhart | 6 years ago
I Have A Question Of My Own, My Mom’s Dog Has Been Pacing Since 2…

I have a question of my own, My mom’s dog has been pacing since 2 am. She’s probably 12 years old, has arthritis, partially blind, totally deaf. She keeps running into everything, and falling down, most likely from the arthritis, Any ideas what it might be besides old age? I recommended to put her in a smaller room or kennel so she calms down, but I don’t have any other ideas. Update, she’s walking in big circles around the room, so probably vestibular disease? No nystagmus, head tilt, or ear infection. I told her to check with her vet and get something to relax her.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think your dog needs to see your vet ASAP. It could be many many things. Too many to guess. I think that an exam, bloodwork, urinalysis and blood pressure are all indicated. After all of these are addressed y’all aboit cognitive dysfunction assessment.

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Pawbly | 7 years ago
8 Year Old Shih-tzu Maltese Diagnosed With A Bulging Disc :( Hi, Thank You For Making…

8 year old Shih-tzu Maltese diagnosed with a bulging disc 🙁

Hi, thank you for making all of the videos on youtube. I have found them very helpful with my little guy Benson…it’s nice to see a vet that goes the extra mile for their patients. Our vet clinic is also caring and affordable as well, which is hard to find these days.

Benson is a miracle dog. He has already survived a grade 2 mast cell inguinal tumor so Cornell and our local vet love him and call him their miracle dog (this was 2.5 years ago)

Now for his most recent issue which is why I’m writing; For a week, he was dragging his front left paw. We took him to our vet (on Monday, March 19th) and she diagnosed him with arthritis….things got worse throughout the week to the point where he would knuckle his front left paw. Our vet had only told us to limit his activity and no jumping so we didn’t restrict him to a crate. By Sunday morning (March 25th) (and he was on 5mg of prednisone since Monday) his back left paw was now knuckling and he was getting worse to the point where he could barely stand up.
We took him back to the vet and they did x-rays and found a bulging disc right around his shoulder blades. He has been on 10mg of prednisone, Methocarbamol, gabapentin and in a crate 24/7 ever since Sunday the 25th. Luckily, he is really only affected on his left side of his body.

We are seeing a little bit of improvement at times and at other times, he is still just as bad as he was on Sunday.

He has never lost the ability to pee or defecate (thankfully) annnnd Benny loves to eat (or drink) so that will never be an issue haha…

However what worries me is the fact that he is ALWAYS as stiff as a board in the morning when we get up or when he gets stressed/excited. It’s as if he re-injures himself because he can’t walk and can barely stand. It takes him at least an hour to recover, stop panting and then relax again until it seems like he is not in pain anymore….

Is there anything we can do to prevent the “morning/excited episodes” or is it all just part of the process? I thought the muscle relaxer would help but it isn’t. I have even gone so far as to put signs on our front door asking visitors to not knock or ring the doorbell.

Last question-do you have an opinion about a dog chiropractor?

Any advice you could give, we would appreciate! We love our little guy-he has such a personality and adds so much fun to our lives.

Thanks so much,
Megan and Missy

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thanks for being such a kind parent and for all of the nice things you commented on. I think that some of the morning stuff is normal and that the pain has been unmedicated overnight sonit often takes a little while after the morning meds to see them relax and feel better. I think asking about acupuncture is a better place to start than chiropractic help. By massage is also beneficial. Also aquatherapy when she feels stronger might also help her recovery. You can also ask about laser therapy. I hope this helps. Very best of luck.

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Sarah | 7 years ago
Hi Pawbly Friends… It Was A Snowy, No School Day Here. Try As I Might, I…

Hi pawbly friends…
It was a snowy, no school day here. Try as I might, I could not get the dogs to stay in while the kids were out playing in the snow, and all that running and horse play took a toll on our 12 year old GSD Butch. He just fell going down the stairs…. not the whole stair case, the stepto get onto the landing. My husband picked him up and rather than having him try to use the stairs tonight, we brought him round the outside way to use the hill instead. He seems fine on his walk just now, but slow going. My question is this: he’s got rimadyl that we give him sparingly for pain from his arthritis. Should I give him some tonight, or wait til morning when he will probably be really stiff, or give tonight and tomorrow? Thanks for anyand all advice!

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  1. Sarah Post author

    Just to update:
    Butch is stiff this morning, so I did give him his pill. I did not give it to him last night because when I went fir the dogs last tuck in, he was already comfortable. He had a tough time getting up the stairs this morning, and we had to help him… he needs a little help most mornings, but again after all his playing and running yesterday its no surprise he needed more help than usual this morning. If any of you have any other advice on how to help him recover from thinking he was 10 years younger yesterday, please share.

  2. Anonymous

    I didn’t see this last night but I wouldn’t give NSAIDs preemptively.

    I think I would try to work on leashing him if he’s going to go a little off his rocker on snow days. 😉 That or work on the kids not letting him out.

  3. Anonymous

    Oh, and for recovery, crate rest for the day.

  4. Julie Brader

    Hi Sarah, just wondered if you had considered Acupuncture for Butch? I know it helps a lot of dogs.
    You could also ask your Vet about Gabapentin as an alternative to Rimadyl. It gives good pain relief and has no side effects in canines.
    Do hope Butch is feeling better soon ?

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Pawbly | 7 years ago
A Month Ago We Went Out Of Town And Left Our Dog In The Care…

A month ago we went out of town and left our dog in the care of friend but when we came back our dog seemed lethargic and in pain. We took him to the vet who stated that our dog had hip dysplasia and he could go back to normal activity, (just not sprinting) and here is arthritis medication, but when his pain got worse and walking became difficult, we got an appointment to see a surgeon to have a hip replacement. The surgeon stated we would have to get an appointment to get an MRI because he stated that there is a problem with our dog’s spine because of the ataxia and pain. This came as a shock because of what we were told previously but that now we have to some how get the dog to an MRI specialist in the next coming days and handed us a 30 day supply of dog opiate. His diagnosis was never given but taking into account what was said to us that it may be IVDD. Is there something we could do that may make him more comfortable. I have read that he should only be restricted to a crate and let out to bathroom on a leash. Our vets on the other hand say he would be fine for a walk? We are just wondering because we do not know when the MRI facility an hour and a half away will have an opening we can take our beloved companion to.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about all of the troubles with both your dog and the vets run around that has left you lacking a direction and a helpful immediate and long term treatment plan. The best advice I can give is to call the vet you trusted the most and felt the most confident with and ask them to help you navigate your way through this. You need to get a firm diagnosis and start with that treatment plan. And then see how your dog does. Yay would be my advice. To get better direction from the vet you think can help you best. Very best wishes. And please let us know what happens.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
My Dog, A Schnoodle 7yrs Is Lethargic, Seems To Have Pain In His Hind…

My dog, a schnoodle 7yrs is lethargic, seems to have pain in his hind quarters (like arthritis type pain) and is sensitive around the anal area and slightly runny stool. Any thoughts or advice please.

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  1. Jana

    Where there is pain and lethargy combined, there is an emergency.

  2. Anonymous

    I agree, treat this like an emergency and get him to the vet ASAP.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
He Also Has Been Panting And Having Periods Of Breathing Rapidly Which Tend To Happen…

He also has been panting and having periods of breathing rapidly which tend to happen with him. He is eating and walking and going to the bathroom normally. He suffers from hip dysplacia and arthritis but I cant tell if it is pain related. The concerning thing is the labored breathing.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
We Took Her To A Vet And He Told Us That It Could Be Bone…

We took her to a Vet and he told us that it could be bone problems such as arthritis, or a broken bone, but recently I noticed that she started off with the pain in the back right paw and and it transferred over to her front right leg, does anyone have any past experience with this with their dog?

3 Responses

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  1. Dawn Ferara, DVM

    Ok I’m really not sure I understand exactly wha happened.  However, I think what happened is she was normal before grooming and not after.  This makes me think she got hurt at groomer.  So, she may have arthritis but it was an injury that made it more painful.

    So, likely the pain will be lessened in time and if it hasn’t gotten better in 7 days I would return to the vet.

    Good Luck

    Dr D

  2. Edgar Disz

    She has not gotten an x-Ray, our Vet gave her some medication for us to give her and they seemed to help her with the pain, and he also gave her a shot to calm the pain for 12 hours, and thank you for your response

  3. PK Dennis

    I would worry that your pooch took a fall from a grooming table, or twisted something while being groomed. I would ask the vet if this is likely – and would have a conversation with the groomer. Ask the groomer if they noticed any thing wrong, or if something happened while your dog was there. Accidents can happen – don’t assign blame, but explain that knowing if something happened will help your vet diagnose the problem.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Lab Is 10 And I’m Pretty Sure It’s Arthritis But I Don’t Get Paid…

My lab is 10 and I’m pretty sure it’s arthritis but I don’t get paid till wed

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  1. julie brader

    No please don’t give Ibruprofen to dogs as its toxic. Only give medication prescribed by a Vet.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
She Is A 10yr Old Bichon Frise Female And Does Have Some Arthritis. To The…

She is a 10yr old Bichon Frise female and does have some arthritis. To the best of our knowledge there was no significant moment that this all started happening, she just started showing signs of pain Wednesday morning. She has passed normal bowel movements, urinated, ate at least once, and is still drinking water but has not slept since Wednesday. She can go down stairs but not up them and is extremely sensitive to touch at all.

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Pawbly | 10 years ago
She Has Not Been Able To Jump On The Couch For A Few Days…

She has not been able to jump on the couch for a few days now. She has always slept in bed with me or my younger sisters but now she won’t even get down to pee. (she went in the bed for the 1st time since she was a puppy that was too small to get down.) My dogs are very close to me, and they are my closest friends. I am scared that she is developing arthritis and that I will not be able to afford much help for her if that is the case. I can give her away to someone that can afford frequent visits to the vet even though it would break my heart to pieces.. if I give her away, I would almost have to find a home that would take her daughter too. They could not live apart, it would only make them miserable. I don’t want to give them up at all. The only reason I’d consider it, is because I love her so much that I would rather her live a longer life without me than a shorter life with me. She does not deserve to suffer just because I am too selfish to give her away bc it would hurt me so bad. I love her so much that I would let her (and her daughter) go in order for her to receive the proper care if she is developing arthritis. I am just afraid that she would never be happy without me and my family. I would die inside, but I want her to be okay.

2 Responses

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  1. Erika Hogan

    Thank you, I usually do overreact to anything to do with their health. Her baby is hypoglycemic and the vet I took her to was so uneducated that I knew more than he did about he condition, unfortunately. I know I can pay for one visit at least, but if it is serious im scared it may get too costly. I go crazy when there is something wrong. I’ve never given a thought to giving them away before.