My dog Sparky is not doing well.. please read.

[LS1MONSTER]

Well my dog of 12yrs has not being feeling well. This past saturday out of the blue his right front leg has been giving him problems.. he can't put weight on it and it seems to make the rest of his body kind of stiff. Sunday night he woke up yelping? and I could tell he was hurting bad. So Monday took him to the vet and his legged checked out okay nothing broke or fractured. Vet said he has arthritis and it can some stiffness in the rest of the body.. He gave my dog 2 shots and Zubrin pills to help relieve the arthritis. He seemed fine but woke up about 20 mins ago with a loud yelp and looked at me and buried his head close to me. It seems like a attack of discomfort and after a bit he is fine again. What do you guys think? I'm taking him back to the vet tomorrow. I'm so scared and sad.. I love my dog.

 

[BlueIce]

This may be hard to hear..but as a former dog breeder and a complete animal fanatic...
I feel that when the quality of the pet's life is affected by old age and pain becomes part of daily routine,it's time to do the best and kindest thing.Yes,I've had to do it,and yes the heartache is almost unbearable at the thought...but it is done out of love and loyalty.

If however you can afford the meds and vet visits and if the quality of the dog's life is good,then do all you can to ease the pain and keep your friend...

I kind of figure if you listen hard enough to your dog,then you will know what the dog wants...sometimes they just want peace ,they are too tired and too old to enjoy life anymore.

I'm so sorry you're going through this,I know how difficult it is...

 

[LS1MONSTER]

I totally understand what your saying BlueIce.. It's just odd as of right now he is running around and energenic, couldn't tell anything is wrong with him. I guess it is a sudden on set of pain that he gets every now and then. Tomorrow I'm going to visit another vet and get a 2nd opinion on my dogs condition. Something like this is never easy. Pets only ask for so little and yet they give so so much back to you......

 

[jasmine]

Hope your doggie is ok, i have four dogs and know how i'd feel if it was one of them Good luck

 

[RandomWiktor]

Have you looked into Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme disease? I know the latter is not common in Cali, but it is in every state but Montana and Hawaii. It just strikes me as odd that the problem would become so dramatic overnight; usually there is a slow build-up to arthritic pain. However, with dogs having lyme, babesia, eurlicha, and rmsf, the pain can appear very suddenly and progressively cripple the animal until treatment occurs.

Have you tried either consequin or glucosamine/condroitin? I believe some Hills senior diets also have elements in them to reduce arthritic pain. I don't know what his body condition is, but losing weight also helps. That, and having a nice, soft, cushy place to sleep as he grows older.

Good luck with your pooch, and keep us posted.

 

[LS1MONSTER]

Thanks for input and kind words.. I took my dog to the vet this morning (a different one) His temputure checks out fine and his physical exam was fine too. He is currently at the vet getting his X-rays done and some blood test. And one other test that I can't remember. RandomWiktor we do have tick problems here in S. California and my dog gets them every now and then. So if it could have been the cause of this then hopefully it will show up in the blood tests. Vet should be calling soon. Crossing my fingers here.

 

[B75]

We are all keeping our fingers crossed and our thoughts are with you.

 

[Earthgirl]

Awww poor guy!
Have you asked your vet about giving him Over counter pain relief, Ie some version of Ibiprophin (sp?)?
Some kinda of antiflammatory for the arthritisis.
This is always a hard decision making process and I wish you and your doggy all the best, keep us informed.....

 

[LS1MONSTER]

Well I went to the vet and picked Sparky up.. Blood test came out just fine, my vet said he is quite healthy for a dog of his age. She was showing me the X-rays of his right front leg, that showed some minor athritis. But what looks to be the problem is 2 of his vertibres? are not spaced out from one another and look like there is contact between the two. And when they meet that could be causing the sudden shocks of pain and stiffness. So absolutly no jumping climbing or long walks. He is taking Robaxin for muscle relaxation and is currently sleeping. So hopefully everything will work out and no more of the sudden pain. Thanks for the kind thoughts once again.