View Full Version : A visit to the vet
My German Shep (wyatt) was all listless this morning. At first I thought he was dead but then saw he was breathing. The morning is a big time for my dogs, they get 'breakfast' of dog cookies while I drink my tea. He wasn't moving for that. Finally got him aroused and he got up, but limping badly. Just laid back down again. Anyway, my hubby watched him for the day and things didn't improve, so off to the vet we went. Examination, then x-rays. Apparently the poor thing has arthritis in his front elbows. Irreversible damage. He's a big bog..135lbs. Doctor even said if he lost a little weight it wouldn't help, he's just a large dog. We now are armed with one set of pills that he has to take 1 twice daily, another set that he has to take 5 daily and then again another script for soft munchies that he has to take 5 daily. The last one he has to take for life. Apparently it's for helping the joints stay movable. He's a big lump right now, lol. Still in pain and just laying there like a big lump. The poor cutie. Of course our Golden (clipper) is hopping all around him trying to get him up, lol.
So, I'm off to find out just what these meds are and how they effect the dog. I'm hoping by Saturday he's up and around, out of pain and his usual self.
I can only thank the powers that be it wasn't caused by some cancer (was a possibilty and ruled out) and that I had the extra bucks needed to handle all of this. He also had contracted lymes disease at one point and that also might be a part of it.
I'm grateful this is all it is. My honeys. I'm soooo going to hate when they are gone.
Steve
10-05-2007, 12:29 AM
Aww, poor pooch! I hope the meds help him enough to be active, again!
Violet1966
10-05-2007, 01:05 AM
Hope the meds help cyd and he's better soon.
cmhbob
10-05-2007, 02:07 AM
Is he getting glucosamine (http://www.google.com/search?q=glucosamine+for+dogs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)? My brother gives that to one of his dogs; the breed is prone to arthritis.
Well, let's see now. (putting glasses on so I can read the small print that didn't used to be so small) he antibiotic they have him on is Doxycycline. The pain one is Rimadyl. And then the thing they want him to take for life is Synovi G3 soft chews, which is supposedly for the health of the joints.
The poor thing because he is just so large a dog that it's difficult for him to be on three legs...they get awfully tired and cramped so he just lays there. Well, except when he hears someone in the yard, that apparently over rides pain, lol. His appetite today is good but he's not moving much and limping a lot when he does. Doesn't help much that we removed all the carpets last year and tiled everything...he doesn't have much traction. I'm hoping that by Monday he's doing a heck of a lot better. And it was remarked to me today by another pet owner, that if it is arthritis (which supposedly the xrays showed it is), the weather we have been having for the past 3 or so weeks would be murder on it.
Well, I gave the vet a call today. I'm not happy with the progress and quite frankly don't understand how a dog can be fine one night, not favoring a particular leg or limping and then the next morning can't walk on the leg. It just doesn't make sense to me. And if you are giving him antibiotics with a pain killer, it doesn't make sense to me that he's not better in 4 days. So...he changed the meds to ciprofloxacin (who the hell makes up these names?). He wants him on that for an additional 5 days because he too thought there would have been quite a bit of improvement. I dunno...something just doesn't seem right. Who knows, perhaps the dog is just a wuss and any pain at all he won't move. Or perhaps they just haven't xrayed the right part of his leg. I'm thinking the 'wrist', which didn't get xrayed, just the elbow to the shoulder. Yes, he has shitty joints but it appears he always has. Can they just go down like that?
Steve
10-08-2007, 11:53 PM
Animals express pain way differently than humans. He could have been in serious pain for quite some time but never showed it until it literally became debilitating.
Well that sucks. To think that he might have been in pain for a long time and we never knew it....
:(
MNeedham73
10-09-2007, 12:27 AM
That's part of 'domestic' animals that hasn't been bred out over the centuries. Animals instinctively hide injuries or sickness so they don't end up being prey for something else.
It sucks, especially with dogs and cats that are family. Cats are even worse than dogs when it comes to that.
That is depressing. He shoulda just looked at me and said "Yo, Cyd. I've these aches in my legs, can ya help me out here?"
MNeedham73
10-09-2007, 09:45 AM
I wish it were that easy :(